This is the 8th part of our Samsung Galaxy S4 problems and solutions series and it answered ten questions/problems our readers sent us through email. There are still hundreds of emails to be answered in our mailbox so please bear with us.
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Now, for those who have problems, you may email us at mailbag@thedroidguy.com or post on Facebook and Google+ pages. We actively interact with our readers through Facebook so don’t hesitate to post your questions. And before I forgot, browse the first 7 parts of this series to see if your problem has already been addressed.
Samsung Galaxy S4: Problems, Questions, Solutions, Workarounds [Part 1][Part 2][Part 3][Part 4][Part 5][Part 6][Part 7]
#1. Galaxy S4 clock and alarm problems
Problem 1
I updated my Galaxy S4 software recently and since then the phone is lagging, takes at least 10-15 seconds to update the time on the lock screen and the alarm clock has stopped working. It will work if I set it for about 30 minutes but if I set it a night for the morning it never goes off and the clock icon that is on when it’s set turns off. — Veronica
Problem 2
Hi, I have a question on my AT&T Galaxy S4. The weather clock has the time on lower right of it and never reads the actual time to the top left of it. Is there any fix because I have to keep refreshing the weather to read correct time as the one to upper left. — Steve
Answer
If you installed a task killer app, uninstall it because that’s often the cause of clock-related issues including the ones you’re currently experiencing.
Now, go to the Application Manager of your S4 and find Clock.
Tap on it and then Force Close it.
Once done, tap both Clear Cache and Clear Data buttons.
After that, remove the Clock widget from your lock screen.
Reboot your phone.
Add the clock widget again.
Now observe if it’s still delayed.
As to the alarm not going off at specified time, well, I think it should work after you’ve resolved the main clock issue.
#2. Galaxy S4 keeps restarting
Problem 1
Hi, I am using a Samsung Galaxy S4 for the past 6 months. I am having a problem which is my phone keep restarting even if I’ve already taken out my battery and put it back. I also want to know whether there is any international warranty in Australia for Samsung Galaxy S4 bought in Malaysia. — Lee
Problem 2
Dear Sir,
I need help I bought a Galaxy S4 about 4 months ago. It was working fine until last week, when it started restarting automatically.
It happened for the first time when my little sister was playing candy crush with it. It just restarted and kept restarting over and over again. Finally, I could use my phone. It happened once more when I set a live wallpaper. So I thought maybe the problem is with graphics, animation or something. But then again, it happened when I was just scrolling the pages. My phone just kept restarting, the Samsung logo showed up and then it restarted again. Another odd thing is that when it turns on after restarting, the batter percentage is reduced to 0%, although it was 80% before getting shut down.
So I decided to reset my phone to factory settings. But it didn’t help as well! It’s much better now, but the problem is not solved. Do you know why this is happening Regards. — Mehraj
Answer
It could be just a third-party app causing the reboots. So, the first thing to do is boot the phone to Safe Mode to disable all third-parties and run only the pre-installed apps.
If the phone doesn’t reboot in Safe Mode, then you just confirmed a third-party app is causing the problem. You need to trace or remember the apps you recently installed that may have caused the issue and uninstall it.
In case the phone still reboots even if you’re already in Safe Mode, it means a core application or service is not working as it should. You need to try wiping the cache partition via the recovery mode and if it doesn’t work, perform a factory reset (still in recovery mode because you don’t know when the phone would reboot).
As to your question about “international warranty,” you can always bring the phone to an authorized Samsung service center so that technicians could diagnose it. You may also contact Samsung about it and inquire if you could claim warranty even if you’re no in the country where you purchased the phone.
#3. Lock screen will not come on right away
Problem
Hi! First, thanks so much for all your great tips, they are so helpful. I have a small but annoying issue regarding my Galaxy S4. When I want to use it after its been idle, the lock screen will not come on right away. It stays black for a few seconds? It happened after the update. Anything I can do? — Arzin
Answer
I have a couple of suspects. The first is the power saving mode. If it’s enabled, the phone will go to a deep sleep whenever it becomes idle. So, when the time comes you wake it up, it will take a little more time to do so.
The second suspect is the S Voice. If the double-tap option was enabled to launch S Voice using the Home button, you will notice the phone will not respond right away when you press the Home key because it will wait for the second tap to initiate S Voice.
So, check the settings of these two features and set them appropriately.
#4. Bluetooth disconnects automatically
Problem
Hello, Since upgrading to the 4.4.2 KitKat on my Sprint Galaxy S4 – When I’m on my Bluetooth and go to the web or Youtube, my Bluetooth disconnects and goes to phone speaker. When I leave web or Youtube and go back to phone it automatically reconnects to my Bluetooth. I’ve had no issues before upgrading and Bluetooth works just fine. — Malcum
Answer
It could be just a minor problem with data already cached before the update. We need to replace those, so boot your phone to recovery mode and choose ‘wipe cache partition’ option. This will delete all caches in your phone’s memory but don’t worry, it will cache newer and fresher sets of data when you use your apps. After doing this, check if the problem still persists.
There is one workaround in case the problem still exists after the procedure above: download and install A2DP Connect app from the Play Store. It makes Bluetooth connection more stable. [link here]
#5. Can’t add new contact
Problem
Hi, just stumbled across your website when searching for answers to the problem I’m having with my Galaxy S4. So far, haven’t found the exact problem I’m having so thought I’d try sending my enquiry to you.
I just tried adding a new contact to my phone today and when I tapped on the “+” to add a new contact, the phone went back to the home screen. I’ve tried turning off and turning back on my phone, but that didn’t help. Any hints or suggestions? Thanks so much for your help. — Heidi
Answer
It could be just a minor software glitch, Heidi. Follow these steps please:
From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Touch Settings, and then More tab.
Touch Application Manager.
Swipe to the left twice to select All tab.
Scroll to and tap Contact.
Tap the following buttons in the same order: Force Close, Clear Cache, Clear Data.
Now, find Dialer on the list of the apps.
Tap both Clear Cache and Data buttons.
Let me know through email if this works.
#6. S4 stopped making / receiving calls
Problem
Hi, my S4 is working perfectly – except that it has suddenly stopped making and receiving phone calls! Texts, emails and WhatsApp are absolutely fine. People can dial in to my phone – it will start to ring and show the caller, but I cannot swipe to access the call. When making a call it has no dial tone and then ends the call. Any ideas are very welcome. — Megan
Answer
Megan, the problem you have right now may be just because of a minor glitch in the Dialer app. I will not assume it’s a serious problem, so I will provide you the safest and the easiest way to address it. However, after following the steps below and the problem persists, do let me know.
From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Touch Settings, and then More tab.
Touch Application Manager.
Swipe to the left twice to select All tab.
Scroll to and tap Dialer.
Tap both Clear Cache and Data buttons.
Again, email us back in case this solution never works.
#7. Apps deleted after the update
Problem
Hi sir, I found your site/forum and I was wondering if you could help. Last night I updated my software in my Galaxy S4 and many of my apps were removed including Skype, viber, ob wheel. There are many spaces where other apps should be but I don’t even know what those were as I must not use them often.. but now all my messages from viber friends are gone since the update deleted it entirely. Also, in my home screen I used to have my lock screen page at the top and now it disappeared. What can I do? Hope you can help! — Cynthia
Answer
After the update, the phone is supposed to optimize apps and services that were installed prior to the update to make them compatible with the system and architecture. Depending on the number of apps, the phone might leave off some and continue booting up for the first time since the update. So, the advice I could give you is to REBOOT your phone.
There were reports from other owners who said they had to reboot their devices several times to get back what was missing. So, try that first because that’s the easiest way to retain your apps. After several reboots and you still lack a lot of apps, email us back and I will tell you what you need to do to fix it.
#8. “Unfortunately, Settings has stopped working”
Problem
Dear Droid Guy, I just recently updated my galaxy s4 to KitKat and now my phone won’t open the settings menu. Every time I try to it says “unfortunately, settings has stopped working”. I’ve tried to Google search it but nothing pertaining to my problem pops up. I looked through your questions, solutions and workarounds but didn’t see anything either or maybe just skipped past it. If you have dealt with this issue or know of a different way to enter settings please let me know, thanks. — Jeffrey
Answer
Jeffrey, before anything else, I want you to boot to Safe Mode. This will tell us whether the problem is caused by a third-party or pre-installed apps. When in Safe Mode, go to the Settings menu and see if you the same error message.
If the error message DOES NOT come up, it means a third-party app caused the crashes. You need to search for that app and uninstall it. That would solve the problem.
In case the error message still pops up even in Safe Mode, it’s either the Settings app or the Application Manager that’s causing it. There’s no other option but to do a Factory Reset. But you need to backup your data first as they will be deleted along the process.
#9. Randomly turns on the screen
Problem
Dear Droid Guy,
Over the past couple of weeks, my Galaxy S4 (Verizon Android 4.3) has begun to randomly turn the screen on. It doesn’t turn on with the lock screen all the time, but with whatever app I happened to be using before I turned the screen off. As you might imagine, this eats up battery time and presents the possibility (risk?) of inadvertently doing something on the open app that could cause problems.
I have cleared the cache, talked twice with Samsung support (They’re best advice was a factory reset), uninstalled apps that I don’t need, changed notification settings, and looked online for solutions. I have enjoyed your postings that I’ve read through Drippler and thought you might have some ideas. Now I turn to you. Any thoughts? — Jeff
Answer
Sir, I’m sure it’s just a third-party app that’s waking your phone every now and then. It is easy to fix this problem but difficult part is finding what the app is. Try remembering the most recent apps you installed, or at least, the ones you installed prior to this problem.
I had this problem before and I employed the help of a popular free app called Wakelock. It would tell you the apps and services that are waking your phone so you could disable or uninstall them. I recommend you install this app if ever you find it difficult to locate which app causes all this trouble.
#10. SD card randomly unmounts
Problem
Hi, I have an AT&T Galaxy S4 Active and I recently purchased a 64GB sandisk micro sdxc card. When I am using the phone and I do anything that involves the card, I get a notification saying “sd card unexpectedly removed” and then it will prepare the sd card like I just inserted it. This happens at random times as well. Just wondering if you had any suggestions? Thanks. — Daniel
Answer
Daniel, please observe the SD card more closely if it keeps getting un-mounted randomly. In 2013, SanDisk honestly admitted to have produced problematic 32GB and 64GB cards. But the company was quick enough to address the issue. In case the card you have is totally defective, you need to contact SanDisk so it would be replaced.
Here’s the news we published last year about this problem: SanDisk Says Some 32GB And 64GB microSD Cards May Be Malfunctioning.
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