Welcome to the 41st part in our series of troubleshooting articles dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy S4. In this installment we will be answering some of the latest emails our readers have sent us ever since the last part was released. If you have been following this series you may notice that most of the new issues we are answering are somewhat similar to the previously sent issues. This is because we aim to provide a more personalized approach in providing solutions to our readers.
If you own a Galaxy S4 or any other Android device for that matter feel free to send us an email at mailbag@thedroidguy.com. We will be more than happy to assist you with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We do however ask that when you send us an email try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and a correct solution can be provided.
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S4 Camera Photos Are Blurry
Problem: I’m having an issue with the focus on my S4. It seems to try to focus numerous times & usually fails, resulting in blurry pics. Any ideas or suggestions?
Solution: There are various causes as to why your photos may turn out blurry. You might want to try checking out the rear camera lens if there are any smudges or grease present. The lens should be clear so that the camera can take clear photos. If there are any visible smudges present then try to blow on it first to remove any dust particles then clean it using a microfiber cloth or a lens paper cleaner (you can get this at any camera shop). Don’t try to clean your lens with just any cloth available as this may scratch your lens.
Once you have finished cleaning the lens try taking a photo again and see if it is blurred. If it is then the next step is to check on the camera app settings. You will want to enable the anti-shake feature of your phone. This feature allows you to take photos that aren’t blurred even if the camera is moving.
Open the Camera app.
Tap the Menu key and then select Settings.
Under the Camera tab, scroll down, tap Auto night detection and then select Off to disable this option.
Now, the anti shake option should be available.
To enable Anti shake, tap Anti shake and then select On.
After the anti-shake feature has been enabled try taking a photo again. In most cases the pictures will now appear crisp.
If the anti-shake feature does not solve the problem then you may want to clear the cache and data of your camera app. This eliminates any bad data that may be residing in the app cache which could possible cause the problem.
From the home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap the More tab.
Scroll to and tap Application manager.
Swipe left to the All tab.
Scroll to and tap the Camera application.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data.
Try taking a photo and see if it is still blurry.
If your photos are still blurry then try to check if your phone is using the latest software update. A new update comes with improvements and fixes that may solve this issue.
One final troubleshooting step that you can do is to perform a factory reset on your phone. This eliminates any software related concerns that may be causing the problem. Make sure that you back up your data first as this will be erased in the procedure.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select it.
Using the Volume Down button again, highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press the Power key to select it.
Once the reset is complete, choose ‘Reboot system now.’
Press the Power button to restart the phone.
Your photos should not be blurry by now. If it is still blurry then there might be a problem with the focusing hardware component of your phone. In this case you will have to bring it to an authorized service center for checking.
S4 USB Connection, Screen Zoom In Issues
Problem: Hi, I have two problems, 1 major & 1 minor. 1. The major one is probably the most common. My PC cannot see my USB connection. When I follow YouTube root instructions, I end up on the “Downloading…Do not turn off target” page indefinitely. I’ve tried different ports and cables – none of them work. I’ve downloaded the latest Kies and drivers – still nothing. 2. The minor problem is that when running various apps, the screen will zoom in and stay that way until I quit the app. Pointing in any helpful direction will be very much appreciated.
Solution: For your first issue you mentioned that you have already tried different ports as well as different cables but then your phone still can’t be detected. Does your phone charge when you connect it to your PC? If it does then the cables and the port are good and the problem may be with the drivers in your PC.
To troubleshoot driver related issues restart your PC. Once your PC is fully booted go to the device manager and uninstall everything related to Samsung. Download a fresh copy of Kies then install it in your PC. Run Kies then using a USB cable that is known to work connect your phone to your PC. It should be able to detect your phone.
For the second issue you can turn off the magnification gestures of your phone so that your apps will not zoom in. When magnification gestures is enabled triple tapping the screen will zoom in or zoom out the content on the display.
Go to Settings.
Tap My device tab.
Scroll down to find Accessibility, then tap it.
Scroll down to find Magnification gestures, then tap ON/OFF switch to enable or disable this option. When the switch is on the right or shows green means the option is enabled.
S4 Battery Is Draining Fast
Problem: Hi Droid Guy, I have a problem, I don’t know if the problem was solved, but here is it: I charge my SGS4 to 100%, I disconnect the charger after that, I turn off all things like Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, GPS, Air commands and all features and in like 30 minutes my phone has like 90-93% without touching him! And the battery is draining quite fast. I know it’s a software problem, but can be this solved? And another thing, I’ve installed BatteryGuru for SnapDragon, will this help? Thank you in advance, hope you’ll answer!
Solution: Since you have already turned off all unnecessary services but still your battery is draining quickly what you need to do is to check what service or app is using up the most battery life. Go to settings and check your battery statistics usage. You will find certain apps or services that will be using up battery life. If you find a particular app that you are not using but is draining your battery then you might want to uninstall it. You may also find certain services that you are unfamiliar with that may be draining your battery life. If you spot services such as mediaserver using up your battery life then the quickest way to resolve this issue is a factory reset. Just make sure that you back up your data first.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select it.
Using the Volume Down button again, highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press the Power key to select it.
Once the reset is complete, choose ‘Reboot system now.’
Press the Power button to restart the phone.
Once your phone has rebooted try to observe its operation and see if the battery life improves.
If you are still not getting any improvements in your battery life then it might be time to replace your battery with a new one. Just make sure that you get an original Samsung battery.
As for your other question regarding BatteryGuru, yes this is a good app that helps in managing the battery resources of your phone.
S4 Connection Time Out In Google Play Store
Problem: Hello, I have purchased recently a Galaxy S4 with Jelly Bean 4.3 OS Almost every time going to play store then click on an app error message says connection timed out what can I do ? Also how do I delete photos in my Gallery? Thanks in Advance for Your help.
Solution: A connection time out error occurs whenever there is a problem with the Internet connection. However, if this error only occurs when you are trying to access the Google Play Store then there are other reasons why this is happening. Below are the recommended troubleshooting steps that you need to do to resolve this issue. Make sure that you phone is running on the latest software updates and has the correct time and date settings before proceeding.
The first thing that you should do is to try to clear the cache and data of the Google Play Store app. The app may have some corrupt data that’s causing this issue and we need to remove this data.
From the home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap the More tab.
Scroll to and tap Application manager.
Swipe left to the All tab.
Scroll to and tap the Google Play Store application.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data.
If you still can’t connect to the Play Store then uninstall its updates then update it.
From the home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap the More tab.
Scroll to and tap Application manager.
Swipe left to the All tab.
Scroll to and tap the Google Play Store application.
Tap Uninstall updates
If the problem still occurs then try to log out of your account from your phone. Log in using a different Google account and check if you can connect to the Play Store.
One final troubleshooting step that you can perform is to do a factory reset. Just make sure to back up your phone data first before proceeding.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select it.
Using the Volume Down button again, highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press the Power key to select it.
Once the reset is complete, choose ‘Reboot system now.’
Press the Power button to restart the phone.
S4 Freezes When Headphones Connected
Problem: When I connect my earphones to (4 month old Samsung Galaxy S4) phone it freezes the screen. Also when headphones are plugged into phone while listening to any radio shows, the phone shuts down and tries to reboot over and over again. When headphones are removed the phone reboots and operates just fine. Could this be a problem with the headphone connection? Thanks for any help about this problem
Solution: From the way you describe the problem this could be a grounding issue. Try to use another headphone in your phone and see if the problem still occurs. If it doesn’t then the problem is with your original headphone. If the problem still occurs then check your phone’s headphone jack and see if there are any debris present. If you find any debris then take it out using a toothpick. You might want to send your phone to an authorized service center for checking if the problem persists.
S4 Can’t Access Internet Using Mobile Data
Problem: Hi guys, I just got a Samsung galaxy s4 phone, I can browse with wiFi but cannot browser with mobile data network. Need your help on how to resolve this.
Solution: Since you just got a new phone there is a possibility that the mobile data settings haven to been setup properly to work with the network that you are using. Contact your network provider and have them check on your account first if it can connect to mobile data. Once you have verified that your account can connect then ask for the correct mobile data settings .If possible have them send the settings to your device.
S4 Storage Space Is Running Out
Problem: hey a message popped up on my phone yesterday saying my storage space has/is running out and has erased my contacts and won’t let me send messages. i have deleted all my messages pictures and apps of the phone thinking this would free space however it still says that it is full. When I delete an app it says i have more space in my device memory however when i reopen my device memory it has filled up again for no reason. I have also tried following the memory instructions on the android guy page and that didn’t work either. It also keeps switching itself on and off all the time. What shall I do? Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks
Solution: What you need to do is to back up your data using Kies then do a factory reset on your phone. This is the quickest way to solve any storage space issues on a device.
To back up your data using Kies (make sure you have the latest version installed in your PC)
Connect your device to your computer.
Open Kies and click the Back up/Restore tab.
If necessary, click Data backup.
Mark the checkbox next to the content you want to back up. You can select all content by marking the checkbox next to Select all items. Click Backup.
Click Complete when the backup is finished.
To a factory reset
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select it.
Using the Volume Down button again, highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press the Power key to select it.
Once the reset is complete, choose ‘Reboot system now.’
Press the Power button to restart the phone.
Your phone is now back to its state when it was new. Verify if the error still occurs. It should be gone by now. You can start restoring your data to your phone.
To restore data
Connect your device to your computer.
Open Kies and click the Back up/Restore tab.
Click Restore data.
Select the backup file to restore to the device from the drop-down. If you cannot find the restore file in the drop-down, scroll to the bottom and click Find file and select the file.
Mark the content you want to restore from the backup file, and click Restore.
Some items may require additional settings. Choose the desired option and click OK to continue.
Click Complete when the restore is finished.
S4 Damaged During Drop
Problem: Hi, I have a question about my s4. It fell out of my pocket, and the top left part of the screen cracked. Since then, I have only been able to hear 1 phone call, and no voice mails. I can’t hear on speaker either. I can hear music, videos, etc. I was wondering if this is something that is repairable, or I need to start shopping for a new phone. Any advice you have would be great! Thanks.
Solution: Your phone can still be repaired. You will have to send it to an authorized service center first and have them check which parts needs to be replaced and ask how much it is going to cost you. If the amount is more or less the same as getting a new phone then I suggest just getting a new phone.
Before bringing your phone to a repair center make sure to back up your data first using Kies.
Connect your device to your computer.
Open Kies and click the Back up/Restore tab.
If necessary, click Data backup.
Mark the checkbox next to the content you want to back up. You can select all content by marking the checkbox next to Select all items. Click Backup.
Click Complete when the backup is finished.
S4 App Transfer To SD Card
Problem: Hi, whenever I try to download some apps they work fine. Next few days they are now showing as in my sd card. Try to open it and says failed. Go to app manager open app and try to move back to phone says can’t be done. Uninstall the app and try again same thing happens. Only happens to 2 apps so far Shell fuel and a command game. Any ideas? My first thought would be to hard reset and try again. Seems strange that it’s only these 2 apps. Only has the S4 less than 2 months. Regards
Solution: This is a unique issue. Normally apps don’t transfer all by themselves from the internal storage of the phone to the SD card. Have you checked if it might just be the data of the pap that is stored in the SD card? If this issue keeps on occurring then a factory reset is highly advised. Make sure that you back up your data first.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select it.
Using the Volume Down button again, highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press the Power key to select it.
Once the reset is complete, choose ‘Reboot system now.’
Press the Power button to restart the phone.
S4 Swype Typing Issues
Problem: When using the SWYPE keyboard on my Galaxy S4, I have inadvertently hit the (blue) suggestion for the lower case letter i. Now, every time I’m swyping, when I hit the “i” by itself, it comes up lower case by default. Then I have to go back and edit it, correcting the case. I have not been able to find the “delete”, “purge” or “forget” option for that individual letter, in the swype dictionary and it doesn’t seem to be in the help or on any forum. Help, please! I’d rather not completely reset the phone just for a lower case “i”. As a side note, I have found a temporary workaround. If I type a space after hitting the letter “i”, it will capitalize it, but this impacts the overall speed, as well as my level of frustration. Do you know of a way to reset that letter without going erasing the entire phone? Thanks in advance.
Solution: The quickest way to solve this issue is to clear the cache and data of the Swype app
From the home screen, tap the Menu key.
Tap Settings.
Tap the More tab.
Scroll to and tap Application manager.
Swipe left to the All tab.
Scroll to and tap the Swype application.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data.
S4 Pictures Won’t Load After Update
Problem: Hi, I recently updated my phone to 4.4.4 After the update, my gallery stopped working. Pictures won’t show up. Some pictures show up, but it is really blurry. It is just not right. All I see is grey box instead of my picture. When I click on one of the box, I either see a very blurry (bad quality) picture or a loading icon that never finishing loading my pictures. This never happened before. I’ve tried restarting my phone and restarting the app. But it did not work. Please help. Thank you!
Solution: When you phone is experiencing some issues after a major software update it is always a good idea to do a factory reset. There may be data from the previous software version in your device that haven’t been completely removed yet. This data can cause a conflict with the new software version causing all sorts of issues. A factory reset will delete this data. Be sure to back up the contents of your phone before proceeding.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select it.
Using the Volume Down button again, highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press the Power key to select it.
Once the reset is complete, choose ‘Reboot system now.’
Press the Power button to restart the phone.
S4 HDMI Output Not Working
Problem: hi i found this email address on google while i was looking for solution samsung galaxy s4 hdmi to tv. my friend got adapter from ebay n i also bought 1 exactly the same product n i connect my s4 to my LG tv n i seems like nothing happining then i thought i got the faulty adapter until i tried it on my friends phone. his phone works on my tv with my adapter but not with my phone and also we both have samsung galaxy s4. i dont understand why it works on his phone but mine?? and also phone settings are exactly the same as each others. can u please help me about this problem many thanks…
Solution: Verify first if your phone is running on the latest software update. If it isn’t then update your phone. These updates usually comes with improvements and bug fixes that may help resolve the issue.
Once you have verified that your phone has the latest updates and the HDMI output is still not working then do a factory reset on your phone. Make sure to back up your data first before proceeding.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select it.
Using the Volume Down button again, highlight ‘delete all user data.’
Press the Power key to select it.
Once the reset is complete, choose ‘Reboot system now.’
Press the Power button to restart the phone.
If the HDMI still doesn’t work then this might already be a hardware issue. In this case you will have to bring your phone to an authorized service center for checking.
S4 Won’t Turn On
Problem: Good morning, my wife has a samsung s4 that appears to have died last night. The phone had a moderate fall off a table (around 3ft) to a hard floor. It was inside an otterbox defender case so nothing appeared to break but this morning the phone will not turn on. When you remove the battery & reinstall the logo flashes and phone vibrates but then it turns off a second or two later. Tried to boot but no luck same shut down. Any suggestions or just take it to warranty?
Solution: Try removing the battery again but this time press and hold the power button for around 3 minutes with the battery removed. This removes any corrupt data in the RAM of your phone that may be causing the problem. If you have a microSD card installed in your phone then remove it as well. Reinsert the battery then try to turn on your phone.
If your phone does not turn on then try to leave it charging with its original charger for two hours then turn it on again.
If the problem still persists then verify if you can access the Recovery Mode of your phone and wipe its cache partition (this does not delete the data stored in your phone).
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
Select “Wipe Cache Partition” among rest of the options. Press Power button to select the option and Volume buttons to scroll.
Reboot phone
S4 Not Playing Flac Music Files
Problem: Hi, recently i’ve had a few problems with my phone . These consist of not playing .flac files, and the whole phone being very slow. It sometimes doesn’t react to me putting my headphones in the headphone-outlet, so I have to try several times until the icon appears. A little more about the flac issue: it says it can’t play this kind of file, but it has previously, and sometimes, if I’m lucky, it may play some of the files (the app might also crash). This happens in google play and music. I’ve looked around some, and didn’t find anyone with similar issues. Is there anything i could do to fix this issue? I hope this is just a simple problem.
Solution: While the Galaxy S4 can support flac files there are instances where it can’t play certain flac music files. To solve this issue most people try to use other third party music players that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
Regarding your headphones issue not being immediately detected try using another headphones and see if the issue occurs. If not then the issue is with your original headphones. It may have some loose wires inside of it.
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The post Samsung Galaxy S4 Problems, Errors, Questions and Solutions [Part 41] appeared first on The Droid Guy.