This is the fourth part of our Samsung Galaxy S3 problems and solutions series and there were 11 questions / problems addressed in this post. Please take time to browse. Don’t worry, every problem is duly numbered. Also, don’t miss out on the first three series:
Samsung Galaxy S3 Problems After Android 4.3 Update [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]
For those who are currently having problems with their Galaxy S3, email us at mailbag@thedroidguy.com and tell us everything about your problems. You can also interact with us on our Facebook page; I’m one of the people who answers questions there. We also have a Google+ page you could follow so you would be notified every time a post is published.
#1. Can’t recognize SIM card after the update
Problem
After updating to 4.3, my Samsung Galaxy S3 won’t recognize my SIM card any more. I tried pulling it out and cleaned the interface with a clean soft cloth but it didn’t do anything.
Answer
You did the right decision getting the SIM card out and clean its interface, at least, we know it’s not connection issue.
One last thing to do, remove the battery of your phone while it is ON. Leave it without battery for a minute and at the same press and hold the power button to discharge remaining electricity stored in components. Place the battery back and turn the phone on. See if it detects the SIM card or gets service.
If it doesn’t, call your carrier and request for a SIM card replacement. It’s a SIM card issue.
#2. “Choose input method” in Notification Bar
Problem
Hello team, I must appreciate updates that you provide for android phones it makes me feel that Android is universe and you people are my father.
Team, I’ve purchased Swift Key and use Samsung S3 I enjoy swift key only issue I’ve is on my notification bar extreme left small keyboard icon appears when I scroll bar downwards I see ”Choose input method” below swift key. Please advise how do I get rid of it. I don’t want it to appear. Is there a setting that I need to do?
Answer
It may appear as though it is a SwiftKey problem, but it’s not. That icon is actually an added Android feature and that’s how you choose your input method. I believe it started when Google released the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) version. But if you noticed, that icon will only show up when you’re using the keyboard, so it’s not really much of a trouble.
However, if you can’t live peacefully with that little thing on your notification bar, you need to root your phone and uninstall pre-installed keyboards…yes, all of them except the SwiftKey. You also need to disable Google Voice typing. Once you did that, the icon would be gone for good.
Related post: TDG Answers: I Can’t Use Either Samsung Keyboard or Swype on Galaxy S4
#3. How to connect to a TV set
Question
How do I connect my Galaxy S3 with the LED TV so that I can see movies or videos on a big screen? I have a cable, it’s a third-party, which I used with my Nexus 4 last year but it’s not working.
Answer
Third-party MHL cables won’t work with the Samsung Galaxy S3 because the phone has a different configuration. In fact, Samsung had to manufacturer a special adapter so mirroring would be possible. You can order the Galaxy S3 HDTV Adapter online and that’s what you need to view your videos and pictures on your TV screen.
I have written a separate post for this specific issue, please read: How to connect Samsung Galaxy S3 to a TV set.
Related post: Samsung Galaxy S4 AllShare Cast / Screen Mirroring Problems [Troubleshooting Guide]
#4. SD card randomly unmounts, drains battery
Problem
Hi, for the past 2 months my S3 has started to not recognise my sd card from time to time. I formatted the card and then put my files back on to see if that helped but now it randomly unmount and then mounts the card almost every time I unlock the phone.
It’s getting annoying now especially as this started about the same time as the battery draining did too. Hope you are able to help. — Paul
Answer
Paul, it’s a sign that you need to replace it. There’s only so much we can do about a failing microSD card. I’m curious, though, is your SD card happened to be a SanDisk one? If so, I believe you are eligible to get a replacement. Otherwise, it’s best to just buy a new card because sooner you’ll have to say goodbye to it. I’m not really sure when but it could be tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. No one knows. The point is, it is on the verge of being totally usable.
Also, about the battery drain issue, it’s the SD card causing it. You see, once the phone detects an external storage is mounted, it will automatically scan it. The wider the area to be scanned, the faster the battery to drain. It will even become faster if the storage device unmounts and re-mounts automatically. It doesn’t give the phone a choice but to scan and rescan over and over again.
Related posts:
Solution to the Samsung Galaxy S3 Micro SD Card Problem
Troubleshooting Four Common microSD Card errors with Samsung Galaxy Note 2
#5. Problem parsing the package
Problem
Help! my phone starts running a scan, EVERY 5 minutes saying Scanning Clean Master .apk, then is says laucher is. apk afe.. I HAVE NEVER CLICKED OR SET OR ASKED FOR THIS SCAN OR BOX.
Then I keep getting a message box, “There is a problem parsing the package”…it gives you an ‘ok’ box. when clicked, you get several more boxes saying, : Install blocked, For security your device is set to block installation of applications not obtained from Google Play.” then a Cancel or Settings button. When you select settings, the button it says is blocked, is Not checked. when you hit Cancel, it goes to a new box.
Meanwhile, in the grayed area behind the aforementioned box is a dot and the words ‘Teebik Flashlight’, then when you hit cancel for a box, it goes to another box which states the same message, but behind this new box is Teebik Compass, then File Manager.
If you keep hitting ‘cancel’ it goes round and round to each box over and over. you can only get rid of it by pressing the home’ button on the phone.
It does it automatically and I got rid of it one time by accident and don’t know how it started again by itself. – Dana
Answer
The good thing about having an app store with millions of apps is that you can always find alternatives and more often alternatives are better than the ones you get used to. You know, I have this very ruthless principle when it comes to apps: “Get rid of an app that causes problem.”
I’m curious, were you the one who installed Clean Master app on your phone? The thing about apps that say they’ll take care of your device is that they do the opposite. In your case, the app’s name itself says it helps you clean your phone from whatever there is that is considered “unclean” in tech world to optimize your phone’s performance. But believe me, if an app scans your device every 5 minutes, it causes more trouble than help.
But in fairness to Clean Master, I think it only scans the phone if it detects something in the background is trying to install unauthorized apps.
The best course of action here is to find the .apk of both Teebik Flashlight and Teebik Compass and just delete them. You can schedule Clean Master to a specific time to scan.
#6. “Not registered on network”
Problem
Hi, I am currently experiencing problems with my Samsung Galaxy S3. When I attempt to make a call it says ‘Not registered on network’ and when someone tries to ring me it goes to voicemail. Also, I am not able to receive messages. When I put my SIM in another phone however everything works just fine. Is there anything that can be done?
Answer
Thank you for including the actual error message but something is lacking; what happened to the phone prior to this problem?
This issue occurs mostly to devices carried by a certain service provider in your area. You may get the error message after you rooted your phone and installed a custom ROM. Now, if this is the reason why this problem occurred, you need to install the stock firmware using ODIN. That should solve the problem.
In case this error message popped up for no apparent reason and won’t go away, try to search for updates. If you can find one, install it. You may also want to call your carrier because it could be a system glitch.
Now, if the ‘Not registered on network’ error message started showing after an update, it means the recent update wasn’t completed, you need to update your phone again…if possible using ODIN.
This problem is actually related to the IMEI and Serial Number being changed that the network cannot recognize the phone already. Installing the previous firmware always helps.
Now, if you’re savvy enough to try something that’s unusual, visit XDA Developers forums and you will find another solution.
When I was working as a technical representative for a wireless provider, we have provisioning tools. This problem can be solved by re-provisioning the phone, so when it comes to network-related problems, always consider calling your carrier.
#7. “Unfortunately, Internet has stopped”
Problem
Hello, I own a Galaxy S3 and since the update I keep getting a “unfortunately, internet has stopped” every time I try to use the internet app or some other apps. I would like to know if you can help me. — Iliana
Answer
It is a minor glitch in the Internet app, the phone’s original browser. Here is a couple of things you can try:
From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Touch Settings and then Application Manager.
Tap left or right to display contents of the All tab.
Make sure not a single app is labeled ‘Disabled’ unless, of course, you disabled it on purpose and are pretty sure it has nothing to do with this problem.
After that, scroll to and tap the Internet app.
Tap the Force Close button first.
Then tap the Clear Cache button.
Lastly, tap the Clear Data button. (Please note you will lose your bookmarks and browsing history when you do this).
Tap OK to confirm.
Launch Internet again and see if you’re still getting the same error message.
If so, try wiping the cache partition. If this doesn’t help and you don’t want to perform a Factory Reset, the workaround is to use other browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc.
Related post: Samsung Galaxy S3 Internet Stops Working Error
#8. “Network terminated because internet connection is slow”
Problem
In the last few months, my attempts to connect with my home (and work) wi-fi networks results in an error message: “Network terminated because internet connection is slow”. My phone is running the Android 4.3 system. My carrier is Verizon.
In the past, the phone connected up with my home network with no problems whatsoever. It seems to me that after one of the automatic software updates, the situation changed and now the phone won’t connect to most available wi-fi networks. Any fix for this?
Answer
It’s not a common problem but there is one thing you can do to solve it:
From any Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap the Connections tab.
If necessary, tap the Wi-Fi Switch to On. The Switch moves right and turns green.
Tap Wi-Fi.
Tap the Menu key, then choose Advanced Settings.
Un-check ‘Auto network switch’ option.
Now try to connect to your network.
#9. Phone goes to Safe Mode
Problem
Hi hoping u can help. My phone went into safe mode yesterday and since then lots of apps have disappeared but when I accessed apps they were stated as installed. I cant work out how to take off safe mode even though I tried your info to uninstall new app which was amazon cloud. This was one of apps that had disappeared. Also I don’t know how to reboot my phone. I look forward to hearing from you. Regards. — Carol
Answer
Let’s go straight to the point and here’s what you need to do:
With your phone still on, open the back panel and remove the battery. That’s what you call power-shocking and it often helps.
Without the battery removed, press and hold the Power button of your phone for about 30 seconds. This will discharge stored electricity in the components.
Place the battery back, then close the back panel.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power buttons.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power button but continue holding the other two until Android System Recovery screen appears.
Use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power button to select it.
The phone will reboot automatically after the cache partition was wiped out. Otherwise, highlight ‘reboot system now’ and press the Power button to initiate reboot.
That should do it, otherwise, email us back in response to this post and tell us what happened.
#10. “The process android.process.acore has stopped working”
Problem
Hi there. After the new S3 upgrade, I started receiving messages like “Unfortunately Calendar Storage has failed”. So I disabled that in the app manager. My S3 was also sluggish so I backed up, factory reset & then it was better.
Now I get another message when I was going through my contact list. “Unfortunately, the process android.process.acore has stopped working.” I unfortunately do not know what that means. Please help. Kind regards. — Doug
Answer
That’s unfortunate. The error message “Unfortunately, the process android.process.acore has stopped working” actually means a lot of things because it pertains to applications and services that came pre-installed with the device. But in your case, it is obvious that the Contacts (and could also be the Dialer) app causes the problem. The last time I experienced this problem (the cause was actually the Settings), this is what I did that eventually solved it:
Boot to recovery mode.
Wipe cache partition.
Boot to normal mode.
Browse your Contacts (in my case I went to Application Manager).
If the problem still persists, it means the firmware that’s currently running on your phone either lacks some files or corrupt.
You need to download the firmware to your computer because you will be re-flashing it to your phone using ODIN.
I’m gonna stop here now because I’m not sure if the problem will be resolved by clearing the cache partition, if not, feel free to contact me anytime through email referencing this post so I could give you a guide on how to flash your current firmware.
#11. “Insert SIM card to access network services”
Problem
Good day, I have been searching online for a fix to this problem that I have been having right after I updated my Samsung Galaxy S3 to the latest software (4.3).
Since the update my phone doesn’t even show the phone and contacts icon/apps to make a call or check my contacts and when I turn on the mobile data app I keep getting the “Insert SIM card to access network services” error. Please help me I would really appreciate it. Thanks. — Joel
Answer
Joel, the first thing to is reboot. After the update, the phone would take time optimizing the apps previously installed. It may take several reboots to bring those apps back depending on the number of applications installed. So, please reboot twice or three times…just to make sure there is really a problem with the phone.
Now, if after the reboots you’re still getting the same problems or error messages, at least, we can begin with the troubleshooting. At this point, I would assume that the SIM card is securely, and correctly inserted into the phone. To rule that possibility, however, I would advice you to check the SIM card again. Pull it out, and insert it back, and then reboot.
If the problems stay, please perform a factory reset via the Recovery Mode. Both the phone (Dialer) and Contacts apps are supposed to be included in the stock package; they should come pre-installed. If they are missing and nowhere to be found, it means the package (the update) you installed didn’t actually finish installing, or worse, lacking some files or corrupted.
After the Factory Reset and there are still missing apps, download the firmware again but this time into your computer. You need to re-flash the stock firmware to your phone using ODIN. If you need help with this, email me back and reference to this post.
However, if apps are all complete but you’re still getting the “Insert SIM card to access network services” error message, call your provider and request for SIM card replacement.
Again, if you have other problems, don’t hesitate to email me (us).
Related post: How To Solve Samsung Galaxy S3 “No SIM” Card Problem
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The post Samsung Galaxy S3 Problems After Android 4.3 Update [Part 4] appeared first on The Droid Guy.