Welcome to the 68th part in our series of troubleshooting articles dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy S4. This phone which was first released in April 2013 was quite popular then owing to the fact that it was once the flagship model of Samsung.
The latest news regarding this phone is that it’s getting the Lollipop update. In fact, this update was rolled out last January to several regions. If your phone does not have the update available yet then just wait for it as it will soon arrive.
If you own a Galaxy S4 or any other Android device for that matter then 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 however ask that when you do send us an email ty to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.
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S4 Bluetooth Not Connecting To Car
Problem: Hi, My problem is with using the S4 through the car sound system. I have an Acura RL 2005. I have had the car 9 years. Last year, after loading names and numbers into the car so you can ask for a name and the S4 will dial, I now get the confirmation of the contact, ask it to call, and I hear the dial tone & phone start the call, I immediately hear the disconnect beep and the call disconnects. It is the same if I speak the numbers and say dial the way I always did before. The only way I can make the call is to use the phone manually then make the transfer to the car by saying transfer. PS: is there a way to search your S4 site instead of scrolling through all the groups of 10 looking for a problem? Any suggestions.
Solution: Try to unpair then delete the Bluetooth connection from your phone and the car. You should also delete any Bluetooth pairings that may be stored by your car. Go to the Google Now settings of your phone and disable the OK Google detection from any screen. Turn the phone and your car off. After a couple of seconds turn on your phone and your car then pair them both via Bluetooth. Check and see if the issue still occurs.
If the problem persists you should first determine if this is caused by the car Bluetooth system or the phone. If you have access to another phone then try pairing it with your car and see if the disconnection issue still occurs. If it doesn’t then the problem is most likely with the phone.
To troubleshoot the phone you should start by wiping its cache partition.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key
When the phone vibrates, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
Press the Power key to select. The phone will automatically restart after the cache is wiped.
Try starting your phone in Safe Mode then connect it to your car audio system.
Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S4′ 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 disconnection problem does not occur then a third party app installed in your phone may affecting the Bluetooth connection. Find out what app is causing this and uninstall it.
S4 Not Charging With Power Bank
Problem: Hello. I cannot get my 2600mAh power bank to work with my Galaxy S4. Plug it in and nothing happens. Any suggestions.
Solution: Have you tried using the power bank on a different phone? Check if it works on a different phone. If it doesn’t then it may be defective.
If the power bank works on another phone then try to replace the USB cord used to connect it to your phone. You should also check and see if your phone charges using the wall charger.
S4 Keeps On Crashing
Problem: Help! I have a Samsung s4 i9505 running 4.4.2. My problems recently are endless and hope you can help. My phone has been crashing continuously, turning off and on itself and the sound drops all the time when making and receiving calls and text messages and also when using apps which require sound i.e. Spotify, you tube and videos etc. Also with you tube the videos freeze on top of this. I have factory reset about 5 times today. It used to be that if I restarted my phone the sound would come back and my daughter could happily watch Peppa Pig on you tube however that soon became a thing of the past and I had to factory reset. Everytime I reboot my phone it gets stuck on the Samsung logo and goes no further only for me to need to reboot again in the hope I can finally get in. I have the latest software update and I now have zero apps on my phone (apart from those which came with the phone) and so far all seems well but the sound is still not working. Please help. I also do a lot of on calls and my phone is now meaning I miss calls and is rendered useless. Thank you
Solution: If the sound is not working despite doing a factory reset then this may already be a hardware related issue.
Regarding the issue of the phone getting stuck on the Samsung logo when you do a reboot try to take out the microSD card if your phone has one installed then do a reboot. If that does not work then attempt to enter the phone recovery mode and do a factory reset.
S4 Screen Stays On All The Time
Problem: Hi got a s4 about 3 years old. Got problems with screen staying on all the while. Battery does not last.long. have treid different settings but nothing works
Solution: Start your phone in Safe mode and see if the screen still stays on.
Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S4′ 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 problem disappears then this may be caused by an app installed in your phone. Find out what that app is and uninstall it.
If the problem persists then back up your phone data then perform a factory reset.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
If the screen still stays on then you may want to bring your phone to an authorized service center as this could already be a hardware related issue.
S4 Contact Photo Missing
Problem: PLEASE RESPOND. I would greatly appreciate it… I love my samsung galaxy s4 but recently its been driving me nuts! Here goes…You know jow when u text someone u can have a pic for them and a pic for u? Well theirs are always there, but it seems every time i turn around my pic for me is no longer there. Its in my photos but i feel like every time i open my messages my little pic is gone and i have to pick it and save it again. What in the world is going on??? Thank you for being so kind as to allow emails so u can help others when they feel android-illiterate. U are greatly appreciated!
Solution: Try to check first on the settings of the Contacts app and make sure that it is displaying contacts saved on the phone and not on the SIM. To do this open the Contacts app, click on Settings, go to Contact, then on the Contacts to display field you can choose All Contacts or Device.
To troubleshoot the issue further you can also wipe the cache partition of your phone
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key
When the phone vibrates, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
Press the Power key to select. The phone will automatically restart after the cache is wiped.
S4 No Sound When Connected To Gear 2
Problem: Hello guys, Here is the problem. Phone connects to Gear2 with no problems, everything’s working fine except of call sound, I mean can’t hear voice on the Gear2. Checked with another phone, i9505 as well, no problem at all. Would be appreciated very much if you suggest on how to fix. Steps I’ve made are basic – resetting, Android stock 4.3 – 5.01. Nothing helps. By the way same trouble with the car media, plays music over Bluetooth but no voice when calling. Thank you!
Solution: Try to delete the connection between your phone and the Gear 2. Once deleted, restart both devices. On your phone go to the Google Now settings and disable the OK Google detection from any screen. Pair both devices and check if the problem still occurs.
S4 Not Charging After Water Damage
Problem: Hello, 2 days ago my s4 accidently contacted with water, I didn’t realized because i was sleeping. When I got up I saw there was water all over my phone I dismantled all the parts and wiped it with a dry cloth and then shook it for some time to make sure its dry. The problem is when I tried to charge it back it is actually showing the battery symbol but in seconds it is disappearing again, I tried to charge it again and there was a boot symbol and it went off too…now when I am trying to charge again its starting but not charging. Now I left my phone since 12 hours by taking its battery out. Is there any possibility of getting it back to life again? Your guidance would be very helpful.
Solution: Since this is a water related damage the best thing to do is to bring your phone to an authorized service center for checking. There may be some hardware components that got damaged and is causing this problem to occur.
S4 Can’t Take Photos Or Videos
Problem: Hi for the last 3 days my s4 wont let me take pictures or videos i can open the camera but cant click for pictures today i then restarted my phone and tried then i realized for some reason all my pictures dissapered and i dont know were they went and or why i cant take pictures can you help me please also i have only had this phone for two weeks
Solution: Connect your phone to a computer running on Samsung’s Kies software then back up everything on your phone.
Once the backup is successful perform a factory reset.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
If you still can’t take photos or videos then this may already be a hardware related problem. Bring your phone to an authorized service center for further checking.
S4 Makes A Noise When No Signal
Problem: Hi. So the issue I’m having is when there’s no signal, my phone makes a noise as if it’s trying to connect to WiFi or Internet every 10 seconds. It’s quite annoying and drains my battery. I’m wondering if it’s an app I installed that’s trying to get Internet access because it didn’t do this when I first got my phone. I’ve in installed all apps but still does it. It started about a year ago…any idea what’s going on ??
Solution: To verify if this issue is caused by a third party app you should start your phone in Safe Mode.
Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S4′ 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 your phone does not make any noise in this mode then it’s likely caused by an app. You will have to find out what app is causing this and uninstall it.
If the problem persists even in Safe mode then the next step is to perform a factory reset. Make sure to back up your phone data before proceeding.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
S4 Can’t Detect SIM Card
Problem: Hi i have an s4 though att. My problem is this: the phone will be working dine and then just randomly a message pops up on the screen that my phone cannot detect a sim card and therefore needs to restart. I cannot do anything other than press ok and let it restart. When it boots back up it is fine. However this happens randomly all the time. Sometimes 1 time a day and some days 3 or 4 times. I recently replaced the sim card reader and my phone worked great for 3 days. Now it is back to its old habits. I also replaced the sim cars and that did not help either. What do you think? Thanks
Solution: First, eliminate any software related causes by doing a factory reset. Make sure to back up your phone data before performing this procedure.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
If the problem persists then this may be a motherboard related issue. Bring your phone to an authorized service center for further checking.
S4 Not Connecting To Wi-Fi
Problem: Hey guys, how you doing…so I recently bought a Samsung s4…and everything was working perfectly until I got home and it couldn’t pick up my wifi at first I thought it was the router but my brother who owns a s5 mini connects to the wifi perfectly…so I decided to sit closer to the wifi and only than did I pick up the wifi network I have to literally place my phone on top of the router in order to get any network coverage…If I lift the phone about 3 cm off of the router. A message pops up on screen ‘network unstable ‘ and it disconnects from the wifi unless I put it back on the router.
Solution: Try to delete the Wi-Fi connection then pair with it again. If the problem still occurs then wipe the cache partition of your phone.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key
When the phone vibrates, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
Press the Power key to select. The phone will automatically restart after the cache is wiped.
S4 Not Receiving Text Messages From Certain Numbers
Problem: Hi, Trying to help my mum who lives hours away out. Last week she got a galaxy s4 and until yesterday sometime was receiving everyone’s texts without a issue. Now she’s not getting texts either my brother or I send her, but her boyfriend can message her fine. From what I’ve talked her through and got her to check we aren’t blocked at all. My brother has a Sumsung and I have a iPhone. Everyone else seems to be getting and replying to me fine. Thank you.
Solution: Try sending the phone a text message then have your mom check if it goes to spam messages. To do this open the messages app, click on the three vertical dots on the upper right side of the app then click on spam messages. If the messages are there then the number may be blocked.
If the text does not appear in the spam messages then try to have the SIM card inserted on a different phone. Text your mom again and if it your message still does not arrive then this may be an account related issue. You will have to contact the phone carrier regarding this.
If your message arrives while the SIM is inserted in another phone then the problem may be with the S4. Return the SIM to the S4 then boot it in Safe Mode.
Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S4′ 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.
Send a text message again and if it arrives an app may be causing this problem. Find out what that app is and uninstall it.
S4 GPS Very Slow
Problem: Hello, I have a Samsung S4 and want to use it for GPS as I travel. I have found that with google maps app it is VERY “chunky” and slow – if I go to “pinch” in or out there is a delay and it is not smooth and responsive – if I hold with my finger to drag screen it kind of delays then moves slowly or chunky, even the voice activation is delayed, telling me to turn when I am too close to exit or intersection to react safely. I have AT&T service. I also have a company iPhone 5 that I use for everything else. As a test, I tried google maps on the iPhone 5 in same location (also AT&T service) and it was smooth and worked fine like I am used to. Do you have any suggestions for me? thanks.
Solution: The slow issue you are experiencing may be caused by corrupt cached data. Try wiping the cache partition of your phone and see if this improves its performance.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key
When the phone vibrates, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
Press the Power key to select. The phone will automatically restart after the cache is wiped.
S4 Android System Stopped Working
Problem: When I am on Facebook, and I try to play a video or open some thing that someone posted I get the (sorry your android system stopped working), message, then my screen freazes, any suggestions please.
Solution: This error message usually occurs when the phone experiences some conflicts in its data processing. This may be caused by certain apps or even cached data. There are two ways to resolve this issue.
First, try wiping the cache partition of your phone.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key
When the phone vibrates, let go of the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
Press the Power key to select. The phone will automatically restart after the cache is wiped.
Second, if the problem still persists then perform a factory reset. Make sure to back up your phone data before proceeding.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
S4 Reboots When Connected To Internet
Problem: Hi there! I recently performed a Google search to see if I could find a solution to the problem I’m having with my Galaxy S4. I then stumbled on your website. On the website, there’s a part where it says that I can send an email to this address regarding my issue. So here it is: Whenever I turn on the Wi-Fi or activate the mobile data on my phone, the phone first begins to receive the latest messages and notifications from my messaging apps (Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook etc) and then suddenly it will freeze and then power off. The phone will then automatically reboot itself, but then the battery would show 0% and then a message displays: Connect to charger (This is despite the fact that the battery is somewhat charged and definitely not at 0%). Then like a second later the phone will power off again and then reboot itself. This cycle continues until I take out the battery and then leave it out for a while before putting it back in. After some minutes, I have put the battery back in and pressed the power up button. The phone will then boot normally (the battery wouldn’t be showing as 0% anymore) and then I will have to quickly access the menu options and turn off the Wi-Fi or the mobile data before the phone turns off again. Only then will the phone be stabilised and not turning off and on. What this means is that going online on my phone is basically impossible as doing so makes the phone to freak out. It is obviously a huge problem and I would appreciate any help you can offer on this issue. I’ve heard suggestions that it may be some kind of virus, but i’m not too educated on the topic of phone viruse
Solution: This problem could be caused by a weak battery. Try using a new battery on your phone and see if the problem still occurs.
If the problem persists you should proceed with eliminating any software related causes by performing a factory reset. Make sure to back up your phone data first as this will be deleted in the process.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
S4 Stuck In GSM Only Mode
Problem: My Samsung S4 permanently is stuck on the option “GSM only” network mode. I have tried to restart, remove the battery and the sim card but nothing changing. This mode is slow on Internet connection. Permanently it connects with Edge. This has never happened to any of my previous phones that automatically connects to WCDMA.
Solution: Under network mode there should be a setting for you to change this. Go to Settings – More Networks – Mobile Networks – Network Mode. Your phone may be set to GSM only mode right now. From here make sure to choose WCDMA/GSM (auto-connect).
S4 GPS Keeps Turning On
Problem: Hello, Ever since the latest Android update (4.4.4) my phone battery was running down in just a few hours. I figured out it was because the GPS (now showing as Location) was TURNING ITSELF ON, even though I had the toggle turned to off. If I have Location turned to off FOR the phone itself, HOW can it or an app have control to turn it ON? Is it an app, Samsung store or what? I hear my phone beeping that it has a low battery and I see the location has been turned on again. Creepy. Please help!! I already tried SAFE mode procedure.
Solution: If in Safe mode the location service turns itself on then I suggest you perform a factory reset. Since this issue started after a software update then this may be caused by data conflicts which can be resolved by the reset. Just make sure to back up your phone data before proceeding.
Turn off the device.
Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.
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