After fifteen parts and more than a hundred problems addressed, we’re still receiving hundreds of emails from Galaxy Note 2 owners. You might think the phone is problematic because of all these problems but if you read our posts, you will know these problems are minor and most of them are actually misaligned settings or something like that. There is also a huge percentage of ignorance especially owners who are still learning a thing or two about the phone.
In case you have issues with your Galaxy Note 2, browse through this post or the first 12 parts of the series to see if we already addressed them. But even if we did and solutions or suggestions we provided aren’t enough to fix your problems, you can reach us at mailbag@thedroidguy.com but I urge you to please be detailed as much as possible. I don’t care how long your messages are as long as they provide sufficient information that could help us find the appropriate solutions.
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.
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Phone cannot receive messages after the update
Q: Hello Droid Guy, since I updated my note 2 to KK version, I am unable to receive messages. If I insert SIM in some other phone, message is received but not in my phone. I am able to send messages and get delivery reports as well from upgraded Note 2 but cannot receive. Please help with this problem. Regards, Shreya.
A: A lot of things could happen before, during and after an update and it is just one of the those things. We really don’t know what happens or what was messed up so start by doing the master reset. If that wouldn’t work, call your service provider and verify if you got correct settings on your phone. You didn’t specify what kind of messages you weren’t receiving but if they’re MMS, then you need to have correct APN settings for that to work. Also, ask for the SMS center number and have the rep verify if you got the correct one.
Phone can’t get out of the boot loop
Q: I bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 from amazon stores and it worked perfectly for 2 weeks, suddenly, the phone cannot boot now. Once powered on, the Samsung welcome screen comes up and shuts off. Please what can I do now? I love the phone and I need it seriously. I don’t know if the android hard disk is dead or the OS is bad. Please help.
A: First of all, you don’t have to worry about a dead hard disk because the Note 2 doesn’t have one, although it has its own internal storage device. Well, there could be some issues with the OS but before going there, try to open the back panel of the phone while it’s on and remove the battery. Let the phone be without battery for a minute and at the same press and hold the power button to discharge stored electricity. Once you’ve done that, try to boot the phone again to see if it can.
Of course, if the phone can boot up normally after that, the problem is already fixed, otherwise, boot to recovery mode and wipe cache partition from there. Here’s how…
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. You may perform master reset if necessary.
Phone heats up, drains battery fast
Q: Hi, my Note 2 heats up when I am using messaging app like Whatsapp. The heating problem occurs with extremely normal usage like calling…when the call isn’t lasting for more than 3 minutes. When I am normally using messaging app like Whatsapp. Earlier it was only heating up but now it has started excessive consumption of battery. To a level whr a 3100 mah is likely to pull you easily through a day…the heating problem drains it even without usage or lesser than average usage and the battery dies in about half a day.
I feel it isn’t the battery but the four cores of the quadcore chipset which are getting into action more frequently than they are ideally required. I can understand if I am playing real racing 3 and all the four cores come into play. But normal calling or a texting messaging or pic sending over a whats app…just doesn’t make sense. Can’t change the phone…although it is out of warranty. Because all phones after Note 2 do not have FM radio in Samsung series. Please suggest if you have any resolution to my problem. B’rgds, Tejas.
A: I understand your problem is that the phone heats up unusually even if lightly used, and then the battery drains was faster than normal. About the processor, well, there’s nothing we can do about that. The phone was built with it and having such a powerful CPU is a good thing. Besides, the engineers behind the design of this phone should have thought that having a quad-core processor takes up more power that’s why they gave the phone a considerably huge battery to compensate it.
I agree with you when you said that it could be the processor that causes the battery drain but that’s an assumption and will remain as such if not proven. So, try to boot your phone to Safe Mode. That way all third-party apps are temporarily disabled. Try to make a call or send messages using Whatsapp and see if the phone still heats up. I would also want you to observe if the phone drains the battery fast even when in Safe Mode.
If these problems already existed the first you used it, then we could conclude the phone came defective out of the box. You said you’re already out of your warranty so I assume the phone were working just fine until recently.
The odds: its battery may have already been deteriorated, the USB charging port may have been damaged for some reason, or there are already a lot of apps running in the background that are eating up the phone’s RAM so the device is always in overdrive making it hotter than normal and drains battery faster.
The most logical troubleshooting procedure you must do is backup all your data and perform factory reset. If that doesn’t fix the problem, then have a tech take a look at the phone and diagnose it properly so you would know what caused all this.
Phone drains battery faster after KK update
Q: Hi, the moment I upgraded to Kitkat I started facing battery drain issues. I have done everything which I could see on various forums but the issue is still persistent. Although I am a heavy user but the battery once fully charged remains only for 8 9 hours a day and the phone in only 8 months old. The Android takes a lot of battery. Please provide a solution. I have changed to debug mode. Removed Knox (or that’s what I think). *#0228# thing as well. The drain is still persistent. Regards, Jai.
A: We actually received a lot of emails from our readers complaining about faster battery drain issue after the KitKat update. While many reported having the same problem as yours after the update, Samsung didn’t acknowledge there is a problem with the firmware it rolled out for the Note 2. Do you know why? Because majority of those who complained fixed the problem by doing the master reset. So basically, the problem could be caused by minor glitches in the new firmware.
You should try that as well. After all, there’s no other option left for you to do. But don’t forget to backup all your data first. Then boot to recovery mode and perform factory reset there.
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.
When finished, use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’ and press the Power button to select it.
Still use the Volume Down button to highlight ‘delete all user data’ and press the Power button to select the option.
Once the master reset is finished, highlight ‘reboot system now’ and hit the Power button one more time.
Wi-Fi connection drops most of the time
Q: I am using Galaxy Note 2 in India that is updated recently with android 4.4.2. I am facing a problem regarding connectivity of Wi-Fi with my modem and with other modem too. The issue is when I’m trying to connect with Wi-Fi modem display shows wifi connected and internet works but after some time its automatically turns off and on again repeatedly and internet not works properly but sometimes it works just perfect but most of the time its not. To resolve this issue i m using the command of *#0011# and factory reset, but problem is there. What should I do please help me out.
A: I can only think of a couple of things here; either you had a bad update or it’s just a matter of setting the phone to behave properly. Let’s talk about the second possibility first.
Basically, you’re saying that the phone can find Wi-Fi networks, can connect to them but the connection is cut off after some time. I am interested to know when the connection gets cut off because that’s the best way to know how the phone was set.
For example, if the connection gets cut off when the phone’s screen turns off or goes to sleep, then you just have to visit the phone’s Wi-Fi sleep policy and set it to keep connecting even if the phone becomes idle.
From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings and then choose Connections.
Tap Wi-Fi.
Tap the Menu key and choose Advanced.
Then select Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep and choose Always.
This should take care of the problem.
However, if the problem is with the network, there is a possibility that the phone tries to connect to a stronger network. If this was the case, you just have to turn off auto network switching.
From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings and then choose Connections.
Tap Wi-Fi.
Tap the Menu key and choose Advanced.
Tap Auto network switch, and then turn it off.
If these procedures fail, try flashing the stock firmware on your phone using Odin. This would take care of the problem in case the issue was with the firmware.
Getting rid of KNOX from Galaxy Note 2
Q: Hello, my issue is KNOX not to sure if you have discussed this. So I root my phone and found out the hard way that Knox prevents the phone from being rooted. Now I was going to try to unroot the phone when I read a comment that someone tried this and now the phone is bricked. So the issue is how do I get this (knox) off my phone. Knox is preventing me from entering safe mode as well. Thank you, Victor.
A: While KNOX is a Samsung service, it can still be uninstalled from the phone without adverse effects.
From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap KNOX.
From the Knox Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Choose Knox Settings.
Touch About KNOX > Uninstall.
When you uninstall KNOX, you will be asked if you want to back up your KNOX data. The data will be saved during the uninstall process and saved to your device’s KNOX folder. To back up your KNOX data, touch Back up now; otherwise, touch OK.
Enter your KNOX password and touch Continue.
Touch Next. Your data will be backed up before the uninstall is completed.
Touch OK to uninstall KNOX.
I hope this helps.
Phone gives out Camera Failed error
Q: Good evening. I always get “camera fail” message every time I want to use camera.
Always have to use Clean Master to release memory. Then camera will work again. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you, Tjay.
A: This problem can often be fixed by simply clearing both the cache and data of the Camera app. There could be just some corrupt data that hinders the app from operating the hardware properly.
From any Home screen, tap the Menu key.
Choose Settings and the tap the More tab.
Tap Application Manager.
Swipe left or right until contents of the All section are displayed.
Scroll to and tap Camera.
Tap Clear Cache first.
Then tap Clear Data and then tap OK.
If this procedure can’t fix the problem, then I want you to try to wipe the cache partition. If freeing some space in the phone’s RAM takes care of the problem temporarily, then wiping the cache partition should fix it.
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.
Problems with Note 2 screen
Q: I have read through your posts on the Note 2 fixes. Granted I skimmed quickly as best I could. I foolishly tried a diy phone repair as I had successfully changed the screen on my wife’s iPod touch 4g. Overconfident, I guess. I needed to replace the just the glass on my phone, but in the process I believe I broke the LCD. I now have a new LCD/digitizer/screen that I purchased and installed. I am using all other original parts. I could not get the screen to come on. After reading one of your fixes I opened it back up and put it back together. Then by applying pressure in one corner of the face of the phone I was apple to get a screen, but the color/brightness was all wrong. Since then it has gone blank again. How and or what connections do I need to examine to determine my problem? Thank you for any help/advice you can offer. Sincerely, David.
A: Well, phone repair is easy than what most people think. If you know how to remove those screws and components and put them back, you’re good to go. In your case, though, please make sure all connections are correct and screws are tight enough. I once encountered a problem similar to this when I repaired a mid-range Android phone. The screen flickered and went black; tightening the screws fixed it. So basically, it was just a loose connection or something.
The thing is, as long you haven’t damaged any components when you remove the LCD, the phone should be fine. I’m not worried about the digitizer because as long as its cable is well connected to the receptor, touchscreen should work. But you have a problem with the LCD itself, so make sure everything is in place. I think the Note 2 has 11 screws at the back, make sure each one of them is tight enough so as not to cause loose connection.
Galaxy Note 2 WiFi problem
Q:I have used my Note 2 for over 15 months and it always working great until today, here is my description of the problem:
I have a wifi wireless router in my home and it has been working great over 12 months, today I try to connect my Note 2 via the wifi and I got the message “(MyRouter) disconnected. This network has been disconnected. You need to sign-in again” and then I connect to MyRouter by tapping “Connect” in the Wi-Fi networks screen , I received a message “Sign into Wi-Fi network “MyRouter”, after that the wifi connection is connected and working normal, but after about 3-4 minutes, I got a message “MyRouter” disconnected. This network has been disconnected. Your sign-in timed out”, and the connection is dropped.
My Note 2 was working normally and could connect to MyRouter just 2 hours ago today, and I have done nothing to my Router and my Note 2 in this two hour time besides browsing using mobile connection and making calls ,
All my other mobile devices and PCs working normally with MyRouter when my Note 2 failed
I have reset MyRouter but no use
I have tried all following : reset my Note 2 , take out battery when it is power on, and did forget-reset-reenter MyRouter , *#0011# to turn off the wifi power-saving, but all no use
My Wifi setting : Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep – Always, Wi-Fi timer is disabled.
My Note 2 is running Android version: 4.3
Thanks for your attention and your kind assistance. — Simon
A: Odds are if the problem is not with your phone, then it’s with your network. There’s only one way to find out which one–connect to other Wi-Fi networks. If the problem still happens while connected to other networks, then your phone has an issue. The antenna may be messed up or the chip that handles radio communication is busted. The point is, have the phone checked by an authorized technician so you’ll know what the problem really is.
However, if the phone can connect without experiencing any problem to other networks, it means your network or your equipment has a problem. Well, you could purchase a new router or have your network fixed by your service provider.
Volume issue with phones
Q: I purchased a Galaxy S4 at the beginning of the year. Love it save for one issue. I use the Waze app extensively for travel. However, when this app is giving me directions, the first few moments have such a low volume I cannot hear it, but then changes to a higher volume. For example, if the directions are “exit right at exit 242 norfolk”, I may only hear Norfolk. In addition I have this same lag when my phone rings…I can see the phone is ringing and it vibrates but it takes a few moments for the volume to start.
My mom just purchased a note 2 and is now having the same exact issues! I figure since they are both Samsung products, there must be a setting that we need to adjust but is cannot figure out which one! Help! — Jenni
A: If I told you that my Galaxy Note 2 and HTC One shows exactly same problem when I’m using the same app, would you think both of my phones have problems? It’s unlikely, right? The most likely suspect here is the app; perhaps that’s just normal to the app or some of its data are just corrupt that it couldn’t function properly. The most logical thing you could do is clear the apps cache and data or uninstall and reinstall it.
Engage with us
Feel free to send us your questions, suggestions and problems you’ve encountered while using your Android phone. We support every Android that is available in the market today. And don’t worry, we won’t charge you a single penny for your emails. Email us via mailbag@thedroidguy.com any time. We read every email but can’t guarantee a response. Lastly, if we were able to help you, please help us spread the word by sharing our posts with your friends or visit our Troubleshooting Page. Thanks.
The post Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Problems, Errors and their Solutions [Part 15] appeared first on The Droid Guy.