Welcome to the 73rd part in our series of troubleshooting articles dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy S4. This phone which was released two years ago was once a flagship model. Despite unable to match current flagship models in the market it can still hold its ground against most of the midrange Android devices.
Originally running on Android Jelly Bean this phone recently got the latest Android Lollipop update. While most users are pleased with the new features the latest software has brought there are others who are facing issues with it.
In this latest installment of the series we will tackle some of the emails our readers have sent us regarding the issues that they have with their phone. Most of the emails are Lollipop related so if you haven’t done an upgrade yet and are planning to do so it’s best to get acquainted with the possible issues you will be facing.
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.
If you would like to browse the previous parts in this series then check out this link.
Aside from sending us an email you may also reach us at our Facebook and Google+ social media accounts.
S4 Lags When Connected To The Internet
Problem: I have a Galaxy S4 Mini that I’ve had for about 6 months. For the past few weeks, my Internet and Internet apps have been very slow and glitchy. It was mild at first, but has slowly been worsening. Things have been happening such as: slow connection, pictures on webpages/Internet apps not loading, and Internet not working at all. This all happens while I’m still connected to wifi sources that seem to work fine on other devices.
Solution: It looks like your phone has accumulated too much cached data. This will usually slow down your phone. If this is the case then you have to 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.
If the issue still persists after this then your next step is to check if your phone has many apps running at the same time. These apps use up RAM and the lesser amount of RAM on the phone the slower it gets. You should try uninstalling some apps that you don’t regularly use and see if this helps.
If the issue persists then you should consider doing 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 All Notifications Showing On Lock Screen After Lollipop Update
Problem: Hi, I recently downloaded the new OS 5.0.1. My biggest issue is that all notifications show up on my lock screen. I only want my text message notifications to show up on the lock screen, like it used to before the update. Any way of doing this? Thank you.
Solution: One of the changes made in the latest lollipop update is that you get all sorts of notifications on your phone lock screen. While this may be good since you will immediately know what new notifications have arrived it also poses a security concern.
You can prevent notifications from other apps from showing by following the steps listed below.
Open Settings
Tap on Sound & notification
Locate and tap When device is locked
Select either Hide sensitive notification content or Don’t show notifications at all
S4 No Network Signal After Motherboard Replacement
Problem: Good day my samsung s4 had issues with its motherboard so I had it changed now there is no network reception instead a crossed out circle appears at d top corner and it indicates searching when I open the notification bar I have tried changing the Os but nothing changed please what could be the problem and is there any solution. Thanks
Solution: Try to insert your SIM in another phone to verify if it works. If your SIM works then this issue may be caused by the motherboard replacement. Bring your phone back to where you had the board replaced and have them check the phone again.
S4 AT&T Contacts Keep On Syncing
Problem: I have a galaxy s4 and for some reason the “AT&T contacts will sync when the device is connected to a mobile network” keeps blinking and flashing on the screen and it’s not letting me go to any apps on my device. I’ve restarted it, I’ve taking out the battery. And it still does it. When I shut off my mobile internet it does this…
Solution: You should try disabling the auto sync feature of the AT&T Address Book.
Open Address Book/Contacts.
Open the Menu and uncheck the Automatic Sync option.
If the message still blinks then proceed with 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.
S4 Contacts Displays Loading After Lollipop Update
Problem: Hi I am wondering if you could help me. I have a samsung s4 and just upgraded to lollipop yesterday. When I go to click on contacts it says loading but never pulls my saved contacts from my google account. The only few numbers in my phone I can see are the few ongoing text messages I have. Thank you.
Solution: The best way to resolve this issue is to clear the cache and data of the contacts app of your phone.
From the home screen, tap Apps.
Scroll to and tap Settings.
Tap the More tab.
Tap Application manager.
Swipe left to view the ALL tab.
Scroll to and tap the Contacts application.
Tap Clear Cache.
Tap Clear Data
You’ve now cleared the application cache and data.
S4 Vertical / Horizontal Lines Appearing On Display
Problem: Hello so I have a problem with my phone. It’s a Samsung Galaxy s4 and I recently got it. So a couple days ago out of nowhere a vertical line appeared on my phone. I haven’t dropped it at all and since day 1 it’s had a screen protector and a phone case on. Then today a horizontal line appeared and yet I’ve done no damage to it. So I’m wondering how I got these lines and if it’s a manufacturing problem?
Solution: You should first determine if an app you installed is causing this issue by starting 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 the issue does not occur in this mode then it’s most likely caused by a third party app installed in the phone. Find out what app this is and uninstall it.
If the issue still occurs in Safe Mode then you will have to perform a factory reset to eliminate any software related causes. Make sure to back up your 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.
If after the factory reset the issue still remains then this may already be a hardware related problem. You will have to bring your phone to an authorized service center and have it checked.
S4 Facebook Photos Not Syncing With Phone Gallery
Problem: Hello, I am having issues getting my photos from Facebook to sync with my photo gallery. It used to be synced back when I first had the phone, but the other day I had to do a factory reset on it. When I go into my gallery settings and try to add my Facebook account it brings me to a log in screen for facebook. At first it would always say “login failed. Try later.” So I uninstalled the app and reinstalled it again. Now it is saying that the account has already been activated, and then boots me back to the main Facebook screen. I have tried deleting my current device out of the Facebook app recognized devices, but that didn’t seem to make a difference either. Just to clarify, I don’t want my phone pictures synced to my facebook, I want my Facebook pictures synced to my phone gallery. I only say this because I know there is an option to sync to Facebook and that’s not what I need. I really hope you are able to help, this is driving me nuts!
Solution: Try uninstalling the Facebook app again and remove it from the phone Gallery sync list. Proceed with 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.
Next, go to the Google Play Store and reinstall Facebook. Login to your Facebook account.
Sync your Facebook photos to the phone Gallery app.
Open the Gallery app.
Tap the Menu key and then select Settings.
Tap the top right corner of the screen and then select Sync apps with Facebook.
Enter your Facebook username and password and then tap Log in button.
You’ll be asked whether you want your phone to post to Facebook for you. Tap OK button if you want or tap Not now button if you don’t. I personally prefer to choose Not now button.
Mark the checkbox besides the Sync Gallery option to allow your phone synchronizes your Facebook photo albums with Gallery app.
Tap Done button. Your Facebook account will be added in the Accounts section in the Gallery app settings and the phone will start syncing. The sync process may take a few minutes or so, depending on how many photos on your Facebook account.
To avoid large data for syncing process, you can set your phone only sync your Facebook photo albums when you’re connected with the Wi-Fi network by turning on the Sync only via Wi-Fi option.
S4 Photos, Music Are Gone
Problem: Today I was on my phone and was going to upload a picture but when I went to my photos, there were none. I also realized that my calendar birthdays from Facebook were no longer there and all my music was also gone! I am furious! When I looked into the sync options, my phone said that sync was experiencing problems and would ve back shortly. Is this the problem? Please help!
Solution: This may just be a glitch in the phone software. The first thing that you should do is to restart your phone.
Turn the phone off
Take out the battery
Press and hold the power button for a minute
Reinsert the battery
Turn on the phone.
You should 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.
If the issue persists then check if you saved your photos and music in your phone internal storage or in the microSD. Use a file manager program to search through both storage spaces.
If you still can’t find your photos and music then it’s time to use Kies. Download Kies from the Samsung website and install it in your computer. Connect your phone using a USB cord to the computer and choose to do a backup of your phone data. If the photos and music still can’t be found then chances are they have been deleted from your phone.
S4 Stuck In Boot Loop
Problem: My phone recently stopped working. All of a sudden the screen just switched to the blank screen with the logo (Samsung Galaxy S4 Gt-19500) and it keeps blinking ever 2 or 3 seconds. I tried removing the battery and placing it back. When I place the battery back on, it automatically starts blinking again. I tried pressing the power button, volume and home button and the custom OS warning shows up, but it lasts only for about 2 to 3 seconds. It goes back to the blank screen with the logo. When I charge the phone, the battery symbol keeps flashing every 2-3s, but does not charge. My phone is about 2 years old now and was working well. Can you please suggest a solution for this issue? And will i be able to recover my data?
Solution: This issue is usually caused by a corrupt software. The first thing that you should do is to clear your phone RAM. To do this you need to turn off your phone and take out its battery. You should also take out the microSD card if one is installed. Now, press and hold the power button for a minute. This discharges your phone and also clears out its RAM. Reinsert the battery but leave out the microSD. Connect the wall charger and let the phone charge for 20 minutes before turning it on.
If your phone still does not turn on then try to wipe 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.
If the issue persists then you will have to perform a factory reset. Unfortunately, this deletes all data stored in your phone. Make sure to only perform this action if you have previously made a backup of your phone data.
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 Conversations Won’t Open
Problem: Hello I have a problem with my Samsung galaxy s4 as i am not able to look at previous conversations on my messages. I press on a previous message but it takes me back to the different conversations available. I have been having this problem for a month now and have tried different methods to do this.
Solution: In cases like this the best thing to do is to clear the cache and data of your phone’s messaging app.
From the home screen, tap Apps.
Scroll to and tap Settings.
Tap the More tab.
Tap Application manager.
Swipe left to view the ALL tab.
Scroll to and tap the Messaging application.
Tap Clear Cache.
Tap Clear Data
You’ve now cleared the application cache and data.
S4 No Display After Accidental Drop
Problem: hi, i have a problem with galaxy s4 handset, Unfortunately i dropped my phone on the wooded ground floor from 1st floor . There is not any damage or crack on the out screen but it’s clearly seen inside lcd screen is damaged and crack. Phone does not display anything else, it’s almost black. if i call from another phone it rings, message comes, but display nothing. Watching a video on youtube i realised i need to replace the internal (digitiser) screen. i ordered a digitiser screen on ebay and replaced it but problem is same, nothing is displaying on screen. so what might be the problem and how can i rid out of this problem? i could really appreciate you for your valuable time and advice.
Solution: There are a lot of things to consider in this case. First, it’s difficult to determine if the digitizer/LCD assembly is indeed working. Second, the way it was installed in the phone also matters. You should check if everything is in its proper place. Third, there’s also the possibility that the motherboard may have been affected.
The best way to proceed is to bring your phone to an authorized service center and have it checked.
S4 Google Services Stopped After Lollipop Update
Problem: Dear Droid Guy, A couple days ago I updated android system to version 5.0.1 on S4 I19505 and google play store just stopped to work – the apps like what’s app, facebook, waze, etc… stopped to work too. When I try to open an app I get the message “The Google services stopped”. I downloaded and installed Google Services and it’s started to work. I had to reinstall all apps too to solve the problem. However, when the battery got empty and I recharged it, the apps that I have installed simply gone… disappeared. Then I have tried the same procedure so many times without any success. Could you help me please?
Solution: The best thing to do in this case is to perform a factory reset since your phone is suffering from several issue after updating the software to Lollipop. Don’t forget 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 Lockscreen Numbers/ Letters Missing
Problem: Hi, I have been having some issues with my lock screen after having updated to Lollipop. I would go to unlock my phone and the keypad on the lock screen would be messed up. The numbers and letters would become censored or something and the only way to fix this is to restart the phone. If I don’t restart it, more letters/numbers would get censored every time i try to unlock it. I have attached a picture so that you can see what I mean. Please let me know if there is a fix or if this is just a glitch that I will have to just have to wait for another update to come out.
Solution: This may just be caused by a glitch in the phone’s software. Wiping the cache partition of your phone is one way to resolve this issue.
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.
If the issue persists then back up your phone data and 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.
S4 Display Damaged
Problem: Hi, Um… I’m Sending you this email regarding my Samsung Galaxy S4 Smart Phone. It was working perfectly fine, until someone accidentally punched it while it was in my pocket. It was in my coat pocket with the Lip Balm “Egg”, and a lip gloss container. When the person punched it, it was a black rectangular figure on the bottom of the screen and I couldn’t see nothing in that area. But later when I got home, I plugged the charger in and the screen lit up, and you could see that the black area had spread. So then the phone screen had become black and blue, but I could still see vaguely through the black and blue. But it was a line on the right side of the phone, from top to bottom, that was very clear and you could see exactly what the screen looked like before the accident, but it was a very thin line. I could still play music, because it would still allow me to put my pass code in, and I could manage my way through the settings, because of that line. But now, that line has faded, the screen is completely black/blank, but you can still see that thin line, cause its still one shade lighter than the rest of the phone. What is the problem with the phone, can you help me?
Solution: The LCD display of the phone is most likely broken. The best thing to do is to bring your phone to an authorized service center and have the display module replaced.
S4 Can’t View Videos On Facebook Messenger After Lollipop Update
Problem: Good afternoon. My girlfriend updated her S4 software and now is having problems with FB messenger. She cannot view videos sent to her in Messenger, if they were made using a phone camera, like Google camera or Motorola camera from Droid Maxx, or videos made with the camera in messenger. Can you give me instructions to help her out please?
Solution: This issue may be caused by a glitch in the data of the app itself. To resolve this, you should first try to clear the cache and data of the messenger app.
From the home screen, tap Apps.
Scroll to and tap Settings.
Tap the More tab.
Tap Application manager.
Swipe left to view the ALL tab.
Scroll to and tap the Messenger application.
Tap Clear Cache.
Tap Clear Data
You’ve now cleared the application cache and data.
If the issue still persists then uninstall the app then get the latest version from the Google Play Store.
S4 Video Crashes After Lollipop Update
Problem: After newest update of android, videos on my phone (samsung galaxy s4) which i watch on internet etc, facebook, twitch or simply on chrome, it crashes. It starts i watch video about 2 minutes and sound goes as it was going, but video stops, and it shows on video time that video started from the begining, if i play video again its goes same. Please help me. I hope you understood something what i just wrote
Solution: Since this issue occurred right after updating your phone to Lollipop the best thing to do is to back up your phone data then do a factory reset. This deletes any old system data that may still be in your phone that is causing conflicts with the new software resulting in you videos crashing. Just make sure to back up your 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 Network Error
Problem: I have had my phone now for a year, the sim card that i purchased always read on the phone until three days ago. My phone for some reason does not want to read it. It says “network error”. However my phone still functions with Wi-Fi. I have tried rebooting my phone several times. Please advise me on what to do.
Solution: Try using a different SIM in your phone and see if the network error issue still occurs. If it does then this problem is most likely phone related. If you don’t have access to another SIM then insert your SIM to another phone and check if it can get a network signal.
If this is a phone related issue then you will have to eliminate any software related causes first by doing a factory reset. Back up your phone data before doing 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 factory reset fails to solve this issue then this may already be caused by a faulty hardware. If this is the case then you should bring your phone to an authorized service center for checking.
S4 Can’t Retrieve Text Message
Problem: I have a question about my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone: Several of my relatives and friends have iphones and when they send me text messages they read something like this:
MESSAGE SIZE: 1 KB
EXPIRES : 6:28 PM, APR 26
(DOWNLOAD)
When I press download it takes several minutes then nothing comes on the screen and there is nothing in my downloads on the phone. In effect, I cannot read their texts to me. How can I get those text messages? Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Solution: If the message requires to be downloaded then you have received a picture message. You should turn on your mobile data then try to download it again. If you still can’t download the message then try to check if the APN settings of your phone matches that of your phone network.
Tap on Apps
Tap on Settings and then tap on More networks
Tap on Mobile networks
Tap on Access Point Names
Tap on the APN your phone is using.
Compare the settings in your phone to that of your phone network and make the necessary changes if you find any differences. You can get your network APN settings from their website.
S4 Lockscreen Freezes
Problem: Hi I’ve been having a problem with my s4 where when I click either my home or power button to wake up my phone the lock screen will appear but sometimes its frozen and I can’t unlock my phone. The only thing I can do to fix it so far is too take the battery out and put it back in. I don’t know if you have had other wonder how to fix it and I’ve been to the Samsung guys at best buy but I can’t seem to figure out why its doing it. Also to note I do have a refurbished phone from Verizon because my first one stopped working.
Solution: If restarting the phone temporarily resolves the issue then this may just be caused by corrupt temporary data. Wiping the cache partition of your phone is a more permanent solution to this issue.
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.
If the issue persists then back up your phone data and do 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.
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