The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (SPH-L900) carried by Sprint currently runs Android 4.3 firmware. While we’ve already heard news of an upcoming 4.4 update, there’s no exact date when it would come. This post will address ten of the problems Note 2 owners asked us about and it is the first of the series. There could be more posts like this because we still have hundreds of emails that were left unanswered on our mailbox.
If you own a Galaxy Note 2 and have some problems you don’t know how to fix, you may want to browse through our Note 2 Problems and Solutions series. I already published 8 parts and answered about a hundred problems.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2: Problems, Questions, Solutions, Fixes [Part 1][Part 2][Part 3][Part 4][Part 5][Part 6][Part 7]
If your problems aren’t mentioned in our posts, don’t hesitate to email us at mailbag@thedroidguy.com. You can also post on our Facebook wall or PM us and I guarantee I would respond as soon as I can. For owners who prefer to use Google+, we also have a Google+ page you could follow. We dedicated a page on our site to guide you how to get support, please head to our Troubleshooting Page for instructions.
#1. Authentication error on Sprint Galaxy Note 2
Problem: I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which is really good performance-wise, but recently I keep getting an error message when trying to connect to my Wi-Fi. It says, “authentication error” and can’t get internet to work on my phone. My phone has Android 4.3 in it and I’m with Sprint. Called Sprint twice already but I haven’t gotten a chance to talk with any of their representatives. I’m hoping you could help me with this. Thank you. — June
Solution: Try to do the basic troubleshooting first because if this problem happened out of the blue, there is a tendency it’s just a minor glitch on the software of your phone or with your network equipment. In your phone, go to Settings > Connections > make sure Wi-Fi is On > Wi-Fi > touch and hold your network > Forget Network > go back to Connections tab and turn Wi-Fi Off.
Now, turn the Wi-Fi back on and let it scan and detect your network. If it can find your network just fine, then continue with the usual process of connecting to it. You may be prompted to enter your password this time so make sure you know the correct one.
If, however, the phone can’t detect your network, try to unplug your router or modem (or both) from the power source. After one minute, plug it back in and allow it to boot completely for about a minute or until the lights become normal. After that, perform the previous procedure of forgetting your own network and letting the phone detect it.
I hope this works. If it doesn’t, then there’s a more serious issue with either your phone or your router. You may email us back making this post a reference so you don’t have to explain your problem again.
#2. TouchWiz keeps crashing on Galaxy Note 2
Problem: Hello guys, I do appreciate all the effort your exert in addressing our problems. Speaking of which, I have one, which started just recently. You see, I updated my phone to Android 4.3 recently and while everything went as planned, I am bugged with a single error: “Unfortunately, Touchwiz Home has stopped.” I don’t know what triggered this problem but I noticed the phone would become so laggy before the error message pops up. If you have any suggestions on how to fix this, I would greatly appreciate that. Keep up the good work guys! — Melrose
Solution: Thank you for your time reading our posts, as long as we have readers sending us their problems, we’ll continue providing solutions and fixes. So, about your problem…well, it is not that common but I know a handful of people who have encountered problems with their Galaxies (not just Note 2 owners). You see, Samsung’s high-end devices run on a custom interface on top of Android. That interface is known to many as TouchWiz. I do appreciate you telling us your observation before the error message window pops up, that makes my job actually easier since I don’t have to assume things.
You said the phone becomes laggy (or may even freeze) before the error message pops up. It means TouchWiz may have some corrupt data that needed clearing and that’s what you need to do, although, there’s a compromise; you may lose your personalized Home screens if you have some as well as your preferred settings. Here’s how you do it:
From the Home screen, tap the Menu key (the one on the left side of the Home button).
Once a window pops up, choose Settings.
You will be brought to another screen. Look at the upper portion of the screen, you can see four tabs: Connections, My Device, Accounts and More. Tap More.
Now tap Application Manager.
On the next screen, swipe to the left to display contents of the All section.
Scroll down and find Touchwiz and tap on it.
Now, find the Clear Cache button.
After that, tap the Clear Data button (please note that you will lose all your custom Home screens when you do this). Tap OK.
I hope this will help you, ma’am.
Also read: Fixing the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 TouchWiz Home Problem
#3. Galaxy Note 2 stuck in Safe Mode
Problem: I just got my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 last week. It’s not brand new but it’s in a really crisp condition because it was from my daughter. She just changed phone and she gave this to me with all its accessories and whatnot. Anyways, I have a question. How come that at the lower portion of the screen it says Safe Mode? Is there something like an ‘unsafe mode’? This is actually my first smartphone so I’m all new to this thing. My daughter’s new phone, Note 3, doesn’t say Safe Mode. When I asked her about it, she said she doesn’t know as it wasn’t displaying when she used it. Is there a way to get rid of it or is it even possible? — Melany
Solution: Android phones often have a Safe Mode as a sort of fail-safe in case one or more third-party apps suddenly turn problematic. When in that mode, the phone will load only apps and services that came pre-installed with it. You can get out of that state by simple turning the phone off and turning it back on. Yes, it’s as easy as that as long as there are no problems with the phone.
The thing is, it may not be an accident that the phone booted up into Safe Mode. If turning off and on doesn’t bring you out of that state, then a third-party app may be causing the problem. Since this isn’t your phone and that you just received it, I assume you still don’t have much data stored in it. Please ask your daughter to help you perform the factory reset to bring the phone back to its working state. That should do it and the phone will be fresher as brand new.
#4. Cannot view pictures and videos on Note 2
Problem: One of the reasons why I got a Galaxy Note 2 on the day it was made available on Sprints shelves is the fact that it takes really great shot and I can easily edit my pictures with it. I wasn’t wrong of that. However, I can’t view my pictures or videos already. I used to see them when I opened the Gallery before but now, I can only see an image icon torn in half. I don’t know what the problem is so if you have ideas, please help me. Thanks a bunch, Jonathan.
Solution: It could be a sign that your microSD card is about to give up or has already given up. The thing is, those files cannot be viewed or played simply because the phone can’t find them. That’s the result of a microSD card acting up. First thing to do is unmount your microSD card from your phone and let your laptop read from it. You could expect two things: either you could still access your files including your photos and videos, or you will be prompted by your computer that the card needs to be formatted.
If you could still access your files, then make a backup of all of them because sooner the card might give up. However, if you were prompted to format it, then if means you already lost all your files in it. If you know someone who could salvage data from a damaged card, then let them do the work but you cannot expect anything from a card that’s already failing. It’s time you bought a new microSD card for your phone. And if you decide to format the card, make sure you choose the FAT32 format.
Related posts:
Can’t Delete Pictures From Gallery On Samsung Galaxy Note 2 [Answered]
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Problem: Photos Can’t Be Opened
#5. Note 2 music app can’t find new music tracks
Problem: Hey guys, this is actually my second email. The first email was in 2013, which you answered and provided me with a solution that fixed the problem. I already trust you when it comes to things Android. So, I have a new problem here; I added new tracks to my playlist but it seems that my phone can’t find them. I added them into the folder where the rest of my music were saved but how come the phone can’t see them? Is this a problem with the music app? Thanks guys! — Toni G.
Solution: It’s good to know we provided you with solutions that actually work. Thanks for dropping by, BTW. It seems to me that this isn’t a problem. I don’t know if you tried opening the music app already or if you’re just using the widget and waiting for the music app to play the tracks you recently added. But please, try launching the music app and instead of going to your playlist, try to find the ‘Recently Added’ tab. You can find all tracks you just added. You can select them and add to your playlist, that way, your phone can play them together with other tracks on your playlist. Also, before I forget, restarting your phone will actually help fix this problem. Have a great day, Toni!
#6. Note 2 reverts to default ringtones
Problem: Note 2 owner here and I’m with Sprint. I know you guys are very busy so I just want to make this quick. My Note 2 keeps on reverting back to default ringtones every time I reboot it. I want to use custom ringtones and when I set my phone to use them, there’s no problem. It’s only after I reboot that the phone would be using the default ringtones again. What’s the matter? Thanks. — Jovi
Solution: The Note 2 is a high-end smartphone but it loads files depending on necessity one at a time during the boot up process and I’m sure this is the reason why it keeps reverting back to the default ringtones every time you restart your phone.
Here’s the easy way to say it so you can easily understand what I mean. When the phone boots up, it loads the most important files first like the ones necessary to run the CPU and all important hardware. Then it will load the operating system (Android) and then other important data including Settings data. Reading the microSD card is the least of the phone’s concerns so if you saved your custom ringtones in the microSD card, then transfer them over to the phone internal storage, specifically inside the ringtones folder.
If the phone can’t find those files during the boot up, it will automatically use the ones set as default. I hope this helps.
#7. Note 2 doesn’t turn on after charging
Problem: I have a really serious problem, Droid Guy. Yesterday, I left my phone to charge and I ran some errands. It was on when I left it but when I came back, the phone was already turned off. I was out for about 3 hours and it always took that long to fully-charge my phone since the day I bought it. I tried to turn it on but it won’t, it just won’t however I try. Are you familiar with this problem? By the way, if it matters, I’m a Sprint customer and I’m thinking I will bring the phone to the store and have it checked. If you have ideas how to fix this, please let me know. Thanks.
Solution: I think there’s no problem with the phone but the charger. When you left the phone to charge, there was still enough power to keep it on and when you plugged the charger, you must have been thinking it was charging.
First thing to do is recharge the phone. If you cannot see any indication that it is charging even if everything is in place, then try to check your charger. If you have a computer, plug the USB cable to it and see if the phone charges. If it won’t, then the problem could be in the USB cable but if it charges, the problem is with the charging unit. Either way, you need to buy a new charger to fix this problem.
You may also want to check on the battery because there is also a tendency that the problem is with the battery or the phone itself.
Related posts:
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Slow Charging Problem [How To Fix]
Additional Solution to Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Slow Charging Problem
#8. Note 2 auto correcting with wrong words
Problem: Hello guys, I own a Note 2 and Galaxy S3 under Sprint but my problem is with the Note 2. I think it was last month that I received a notification saying there was an available update for my phone and I duly downloaded and installed it. Everything was working fine since the update and it was only until recently when I used the Note 2 to send a text message; it has the auto correcting capability, which is a neat feature, but it inserts incorrect words. How do I get rid of this? — Shannon
Solution: I agree, the auto correct is a neat feature but it oftentimes can’t do its job correctly. Fortunately, there is a way to disable it. Here’s how:
From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Choose Settings and tap My Device tab.
Tap Language & Input, then Input Methods.
Inside Keyboards, you’ll see Default and Samsung Keyboard.
Tap the wheel beside the keyboard you’re using.
Below the Predictive text is Auto Replacement, turn that option off.
I hope this could help.
#9. Prioritize Wi-Fi connection on Note 2
Problem: I don’t have an unlimited data plan cause I’m on a tight budget but I can easily connect to our company’s Wi-Fi network when I’m on duty. Since I don’t have Wi-Fi at home, I turn on mobile data on my phone every time I come home. I noticed, however, that when I leave mobile data on when I’m at work, the phone will use it to connect to the internet rather than the available Wi-Fi. How can I prioritize Wi-Fi on my phone? — Johanna
Solution: There’s only one way to do to that and here are the steps:
From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings, then Connections tab.
If necessary turn the WiFi on first, then tap WiFi.
Tap the Menu key, then choose Advanced.
Check the box beside ‘Auto network switch.’
Related posts:
How to Fix Mobile Data problems on Samsung Galaxy Note 2
How To Fix A Galaxy Note 2 WiFi Auto Connect Problem
Troubleshooting Five Signal Problems on Samsung Galaxy Note 2
#10. Note 2 fails to boot up
Problem: It’s about three days now that my Galaxy Note 2 cannot boot up. I updated it recently but I don’t know what happened that it wouldn’t just continue to booting to the Home screen. When I turn it on, it would go pass through all the logos but will stay stuck on a blank screen. I know it’s stuck because I let it stay there for 5 hours today before I decided to just turn it off. Good thing I still have my old flip phone so I can still make calls. Guys, if you know how to fix this, please help me.
Solution: I don’t know the history of your phone so I would assume it was the update that messed it up or a third-party app. First thing to do is to try to boot to Safe Mode. If it can boot successfully, then it’s a third-party app that’s causing this. You can uninstall that app while the phone is in that state.
Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Galaxy Note 2′ appears on the screen, release the Power key. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
‘Safe mode’ will display in the bottom left corner of the screen. Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode.’
If the phone fails to boot to Safe Mode, try booting it to the Recovery Mode. In that state, you can wipe the cache partition, which I think may help solve the problem, or perform factory reset.
Turn the phone off.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
When the Galaxy Note II screen appears, release the Power button but continue holding the other two.
When the Android System Recovery appears, release both the Home button and Volume Up key.
Using Volume keys, highlight ‘wipe cache partition’ option.
Press the Power button to select it.
Highlight ‘reboot system now’ and press the Power button.
Let the phone boot up to see if it can normally do so.
I hope this helps.
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