Hello guys. We’ve been receiving a lot of emails from our readers after the roll out of Android 5.0 Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5 that we spent most of our time this week researching on those problems. That’s why it took us a few days to publish new support articles for the Galaxy S3. For those who asked us about lollipop update for the S3, no, the device won’t be receiving one. But I’m sure some developers out there are tweaking some things just to get Lollipop on an S3.
This is the 62nd part of our Galaxy S3 problems troubleshooting series and I’ve answered more than 10 questions in this post. If you already emailed us, then try to read through this post to see if we’ve addressed your concerns. If not, please bear with us.
Now for those who have just tuned in, please visit our Galaxy S3 Troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed more than 600 problems. I’m sure we’ve covered majority, if not all, of the issues. Try the solutions, fixes or troubleshooting guides we previously provided and if they don’t work for you, email us at mailbag@thedroidguy.com or post on our Facebook wall and/or Google+ page. Please provide all necessary details so that we can accurately assess your concerns and provide appropriate advices and solutions.
Settings Crashed in Galaxy S3
Problem: Hi there, I was following your excellent tutorial on ‘what to do when galaxy s3 settings crash’. Settings still crash when my phone is booted in safe mode, so I’m following your nine steps to clear data for Settings – however I’m unable to clear the data for settings. The ‘clear data’ button is greyed out. Just wondering if you know what this means? Very much appreciated, thank you very much. Best, Ally.
Troubleshooting: Hi Ally. First of all, when the Settings service crashes, it means there’s a serious problem with the firmware in your phone especially that even booting in safe mode couldn’t prevent it from crashing. Secondly, if the Clear data button is greyed out, it means Settings data has already been cleared. The last option you have is to perform full hard reset. It sure will fix this problem but the compromise is that you will lose some of your data considering the fact you couldn’t create backups because Settings crashes.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
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.
Can’t Delete A Music Track With Play Music and Stock Music App
Problem: Hello I have been trying to delete certain songs on play music and just the simple music app. When I try to delete it on play music is just won’t delete at all. When i try the “music” app it will delete but after a while I get on it & the songs will reappear. I’ve been trying to do this for months I really need a solution I’m a huge music person & I also have an SD installed on my phone if that helps any. Please help me thank you so much. — Daniela
Troubleshooting: Hello. I really don’t know how your phone is setup but in order to successfully delete a music track, delete it from the source. For example, if the track is saved in either the phone’s internal storage or microSD card, navigate to the directory where it was saved and delete it from there. Problem solved.
Galaxy S3 Won’t Boot Up After Factory Reset
Problem: I have a question about my phone… I installed to many apps and it started to act really slow, so I chose to erase all my data factory and start a new account. When I did that, my phone did not want to turn on again, 5 minutes past and it turned on but it freezes and says T-Mobile 4G LTE …. It keeps doing that for the past 15 minutes then it turns off, I want to try to fix my phone, what should I do? — Alice
Troubleshooting: Hello Alice. While factory reset will delete all apps, data and settings, there will still be data left in the data partition and most of the time they are already corrupted. The phone couldn’t delete them automatically, instead it will try to load them during boot up. Since they’re corrupted, the device couldn’t boot up successfully. The first thing I want you to do is to perform soft reset just to rule out the possibility that it’s just a minor hardware or firmware glitch:
While the phone is stuck on the splash screen, remove the back cover and then pull the battery out.
Without the battery in the compartment, press and hold the Power key for a minute.
Replace the battery, then the back cover.
Attempt to turn the phone on.
If it still gets stuck during boot up, reset the phone again but this time do the hard reset so that the data partition will be formatted and all remnants of corrupt data will be deleted:
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
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.
Can’t Send / Receive MMS Messages
Problem: Hi just switched my Verizon Samsung Galaxy S3 to straighttalk and I cant get mms messages and straight talk basically said sorry about your luck we have a disclaimer it may not work. any suggestions. Thanks Rick.
Troubleshooting: You’ve gotta be kidding me. They said that? It could have been a lot easier if you were from AT&T or T-Mobile because you could just enter the correct APN to your phone and it should work. By the way, before I proceed, make sure mobile data is enabled in your phone as it is needed to send/receive MMS.
The bad thing when you’re from either Sprint or Verizon is that both of these companies use CDMA technology; you couldn’t just pickup a new SIM card and insert it. In your case, you are left at the mercy of Straight Talk’s representative. If you ported your number, it would take at least 24 hours to get the phone to work under the network. And there’s no one else that could help you except Straight Talk reps, or you may request to get help from a higher tier.
Of course, if they cannot provide a solution to your problem, don’t stick with them. There are other service providers out there that provide smooth and flawless service.
Galaxy S3 Can’t Completely Download Group Messages
Problem: Hello. I need your help. I have a Samsung S3 and whenever I am sent a group text, I only receive a “msg downloading” icon. I click on the msg downloading and nothing happens ~ or I receive a message that there is an error in the download.
Can you please tell me how to set my phone, so I can see the group message sent. My husband has the same phone and doesn’t have this issue. Thanks so much for your help, Cindy.
Troubleshooting: Hi Cindy. This happens when the message your phone is trying to download is an MMS or a text message with a picture (regardless of the size). MMS messages aren’t transferred via cellular network but through mobile data network. Therefore, to fix this problem, you simply need to enable mobile data in your phone. If, however, mobile data has already been enabled yet you’re still getting the same error, call your provider and ask for the correct APN for your phone. That’s all you need to do fix this problem.
Galaxy S3 Shuts Off Within 60 Seconds
Problem: Don’t really have a lot of information… But my Samsung keeps shutting off. After about 60 seconds it will shut off. It will charge and turn back on with no problem it just won’t stay on. I have tried resetting factory settings and it is still doing this. Do you have any suggestions that I can do within the 60 second time frame it is on. — Erin
Troubleshooting: Hi Erin. There are a lot of possibilities here and obviously there isn’t much information. But anyway, if it started without apparent reason, it could be just a glitch. Try pulling the battery out and then place it back in. If the phone turns on automatically even if you didn’t hit the Power button, then the Power key must have been stuck. Try pressing it many times to fix it or to get it out from being stuck.
However, if the phone won’t automatically turn on, there’s possibility the battery is defective already. You already ruled out the possibility that it was just a firmware issue by doing factory reset. Try buying a new battery or you may borrow from someone with the same phone just to find out if it’s really a battery problem. If not, send the phone in for repair as it could be a more serious hardware problem.
Galaxy S3 Screen Turned Green Due to Water Damage
Problem: Hi, I dropped my Samsung Galaxy S3 in water, I didn’t have rice at first so I took a blow dryer to it then I took it apart and wrapped it in rags then after maybe 20-30 mins I put it in the rice, after 3 days of being in rice it turned on the color its supposed to be but then I left it on the charger all night and the next day every thing was green and after a couple of months it hasn’t changed. Can it be fixed? — Kaitlyn
Suggestion: If the phone still turns on, it can be fixed. I think the only component that has issues here is the display, which can easily be replaced. And no, there’s nothing we can do that will fix the problem. You need to have a technician take a look at it, perhaps he can do something, aside from replacing the display panel, to rectify the issue.
Galaxy S3 Error “E:failed to mount /system (Invalid argument)”
Problem: Hi, please help me with my Samsung S3 has not been able to operate as it is hang and stuck with a battery logo as i needed to retrieve my photos from there. Regretted did not do a back up previously.
Please advise. What can i try to do now?
Picture 1 – Stuck at Samsung Logo when powered on
Picture 2 – Stuck at Battery Logo when charging
Picture 3 – Trying to reboot but failed
Do reply me as soon as possible as my concern and priority is to retrieve all pictures saved in the phone. Best Regards, Nicole.
Troubleshooting: Hi Nicole. Your phone is soft-bricked. I don’t know it happened in your case but it can be fixed to restore or reload the stock firmware. I suggest you use KIES in doing so. Here’s a brief troubleshooting guide you can follow:
Turn off the phone, remove the back cover, pull out the battery and jot down the model number and the IMEI.
If you don’t already have KIES in your computer, download and install it from the Samsung website.
After installation, run the program first so that it can update itself to the latest version.
Boot your phone into Download mode by pressing and holding the Volume Down, Home and Power buttons simultaneously. Once the splash screen appears, release them all.
Once in download mode, connect your phone to your computer.
Necessary drivers will be installed and it may take a few minutes to complete.
In Kies, click Tools > Emergency firmware recovery.
Once prompted, enter the model number (in CAPS) and the IMEI.
The computer will download the correct firmware and install it to your phone after that.
After the installation, you can use the phone again but you may lose all your data.
Galaxy S3 Can’t Stay Up More Than 6 Seconds
Problem: Hi. About 3 days ago my Samsung S3 died now it will not stay on for more than 6sec’s. have tried starting it in safe mode but even this will not stay on for more than 6 secs. when i put in on charge it just flashes with the charging sign again for about 6 seconds. is there anything you can send me to help with this problem? also can’t put on pc as without it turning on the pc or laptop will not read it. Thanks. — John
Troubleshooting: Hey John. It looks like the Power key is stuck. Press it many times to see if you can fix it by doing that (it usually does), otherwise, you need to have it fixed by a technician.
Galaxy S3 Reboots If Mobile Data and WiFi Are Enabled
Problem: Dear TheDroidGuy Team,
Since yesterday i am facing an issue on my samsung galaxy s3 – it automatically restarts and then reboots as soon as i turn on mobile data or even wifi on my phone. I tried in the offline mode and then turned wifi on, but the same thing happens – phone restarts by itself. Phone model – GT I9300; My Android version is 4.1.2 .
Now i was thinking of updating to a new OS version and that might solve the problem, but without internet connectivity how is it possible?
This thing is really bothering me and I would be grateful if you could help. If not with a certain solution as i could not find this issue in any other of your forums, if you have any suggestions which might help also please let me know asap. Many thanks, Sameer.
Troubleshooting: Sounds like there’s a problem with the chip that handles radio connectivity. Try wiping the cache partition first to rule out the possibility that it was caused by a corrupt cache:
Turn off the phone completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
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.
Highlight ‘reboot system now’ and hit the Power key.
If wiping the cache partition didn’t fix the problem, you have no other option but to hard reset it. This is in a bid to rule out a possibility that some data became unusable by Android system. Let’s see if bringing the phone back to its factory settings will get rid of the problem, otherwise, you really need to send the phone in for repair.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
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.
Can’t Send / Receive MMS Under Straight Talk Network
Problem: Hello I’ve got an old sprint galaxy s3 byop program with straight talk my mms messages will not go through on this phone… I’ve tried finding apn settings but seems like a dead end. Any help is appreciated! Thanks a lot in advance. — Alyssa
Troubleshooting: Hi Alyssa, call Straight Talk and have them refresh the APN in your phone. I understand you can’t edit the APN because that’s how it works with Sprint and Verizon but your current service provider knows how to go about that. Make that call and have this problem fixed.
Galaxy S3 Can’t Fully Charge Its Battery
Problem: Hi guys, so glad I found your site. I have a 2 year old Samsung S3 which has worked beautifully up to now.
During December the phone wouldn’t charge to full capacity no matter if left to charge the whole night. I switched charger cables with a friend, different model, but that seemed to sort the issue out. For a while. It then started to do the same with the “new cable” I had used, only charging up to 13 – 17% when left overnight.
At one point the phone wouldn’t switch back on again and I had to do your step 4 – boot to recovery mode and clear cache. Managed to switch the phone back on again but still back to max charging up to 13% and no more. Please help! Chat soon. — Mel
Problem: Hi Mel, it’s either there are too many apps and services running in the background that they eat up the battery more than the charger could push in or the battery has simply deteriorated after a couple of years of use and need replacement. Try booting the phone in safe mode and charge it. If there’s no improvement, replace the battery with a new one. If, however, the phone charges fine in that state, backup your data and perform full hard reset.
Galaxy S3 Automatically Turns On WiFi
Problem: I have a straight talk Galaxy S3 and today it started giving me issues. Everytime I try to turn my Wi-Fi off, it comes back on as soon as I lock my phone. How can this be fixed? — Schuyler
Troubleshooting: Hey Schuyler. If there’s an app called Straight Talk My Account installed on your phone, that’s the one causing this annoying issue. You may uninstall it, after all, it’s not that helpful. If there’s no app like that installed, then wiping the cache partition will fix the problem for you.
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Volume Up, Home, and Power
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.
Galaxy S3 Restarted and Won’t Boot Up Completely After
Problem: Hey my phone randomly tried to restart itself last night and now its stuck on the Samsung Galaxy SIII GT-I9300 Screen. I cant turn it off unless i pull the battery which when i turn it back on it gets to the same page and freezes. I have tried volume up power and home but the page wont come on but if i do volume down power home that download page does… I have tried everything the internet has to throw at me about fixing my problem and nothing works! Please SAVE MEEEEE!
Troubleshooting: Have you tried booting the phone in safe mode first? If not, please do…
Turn the phone off completely.
Press and hold the Power button.
When the Galaxy S3 screen appears, release the Power button.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume Down key until the phone finished restarting.
“Safe Mode” will be displayed on the lower left corner of the screen.
If the phone failed to boot up in safe mode, there’s no other option but to restore the stock firmware and it will delete all your existing data.
Turn off the phone, remove the back cover, pull out the battery and jot down the model number and the IMEI.
If you don’t already have KIES in your computer, download and install it from the Samsung website.
After installation, run the program first so that it can update itself to the latest version.
Boot your phone into Download mode by pressing and holding the Volume Down, Home and Power buttons simultaneously. Once the splash screen appears, release them all.
Once in download mode, connect your phone to your computer.
Necessary drivers will be installed and it may take a few minutes to complete.
In Kies, click Tools > Emergency firmware recovery.
Once prompted, enter the model number (in CAPS) and the IMEI.
The computer will download the correct firmware and install it to your phone after that.
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 S3 Problems, Errors, Glitches, Solutions and Troubleshooting Guides [Part 62] appeared first on The Droid Guy.