What’s up loyal subscribers? Another continuation of our Samsung Galaxy S5 troubleshooter series is here!
If you have other concerns regarding your Samsung Galaxy S4, don’t hesitate to shoot us an email at mailbag@thedroidguy.com and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can. We will appreciate it very much if you can provide as many details as possible. If you are getting error messages on the screen, or have observed unusual phone behaviors, kindly include them in your email. The more information you can provide, the easier for us to assist you.
Should you prefer to contact us through social network sites, you can also engage us by visiting our Facebook and Google+ pages.
——————–
Samsung Galaxy S5 missing notifications on screen lock
Problem: Hello. I downloaded this software last night March 24th. I have now realized since this software upgrade I do not get any notifications at the top when my phone is in ‘screen lock’ mode. By this I mean if there is a text or a voicemail, the little envelope or spool does not appear along side the clock/signal strength etc at the top until I unlock the phone. So if I do not hear the phone or the text coming in, I don’t know unless I unlock the phone. Annoying to say the least. Any solutions would be grateful. Thanks. — Dave
Troubleshooting: Hi Dave. The new Lollipop notification scheme has received mixed reactions from users so it’s no wonder that you are finding it a little challenging tweaking the settings. Lollipop has brought significant changes to how Android now looks, including how a mobile notifies a user of messages, alerts, etc. We suggest that you revisit your notification settings by going to Settings. then, Sounds and notifications. There are new ways of keeping your personal data private as well securing the lock screen under this menu.
You also want to customize your notifications. For the uninitiated and new to Android environment, setting up notifications can become a chore as Lollipop introduces more ways to notify you of alerts for every app and not for everything. However, Lollipop also offers those who wants to assign special notification setting for an app with its new Priority interruptions. Notifications under this places alerts for a particular to the top of the screen while the device continues to provide vibrate or sound alerts for the rest of your apps. There are 3 options under interruptions–Always interrupt, Allow only priority interruptions, and Don’t interrupt. The first one, Always interrupt, lets a user receive all types of notifications. Allow only priority interruptions only allows a particular set of notifications like messages, calls, reminders, and events. Under each app, you can pick whatever alert you want. Don’t Interrupt, as the name suggests, does not allow any type of notification.
We recommend that you simply reconfigure all things under Sounds and notifications to fix your issue.
——————–
Samsung Galaxy S5 suffers setbacks after Lollipop update
Problem: Hi. My name is Phoebe Stone. I have a Samsung Galaxy S5 and am now having issues with it after the Lolipop’s update. The “Cooling Down” notification will pop up and then will not go away. My phone heats up much quicker than it used to, but even after cooling down the sign remains up.
Also, my contacts will randomly shut down. I get a white box on the screen notifying me of this frequently.
On top of these bugs I used to be able to transition from one app to another seamlessly but now it’s taking longer to load and is even crashing at times when it finally loads. It’s extremely irritating because I miss my old phone…. It worked flawlessly and now it just crashes so frequently. HELP… please…Blessings. — Phoebe
Troubleshooting: Hi Phoebe. After several weeks of observation, we can say for a fact that Android Lollipop has not been working as previously advertised. Thousands of users can attest that they experienced more problems with this new operating system compared to the older KitKat. Sadly, we have no answer to any specific issue that may arise at this time. There is a sweeping solution to most problems arising from Lollipop update though and that is by simply resetting the phone back to its factory defaults. If you don’t know how to do it, just follow this link for instructions.
Doing a factory reset is normally recommended if a user experiences multiple issues after a major software update. This is also a recommended step by Samsung and Google whenever a user suspects that a major software glitch is the main cause of the problem.
——————–
Samsung Galaxy S5 not showing the status bar after changing the lock screen
Problem: Hello. I just switched over to fingertip swipe to open my phone. While looking around, I know I changed a few settings, but now I don’t see the notifications (on the very small bar across the top where it shows battery life, Wi-Fi, alarm, and network icons) showing up like text, email, missed calls, etc.
Where and HOW do I change this? I need to see at a glance what is waiting for me, and I don’t always have the time to actually unlock my phone to see these notifications. PLEASE HELP!
I also came across this on your webpage, but it didn’t tell me how to change/fix the problem:
Problems: Hello! I am Hoping you can help. Recently updated my Galaxy S5 OS to Lollipop. Since the update, I no longer see message notifications on my lock screen. I am actually hoping it’s a bug and will eventually be fixed, and not a new feature of the OS.
With Kit Kat, a text message would “wake” my sleeping phone, opening it to the lock screen where a notification of an incoming text message would posted. Since Lollipop, when I receive a text, the phone remains sleeping. Should I happen to hear the alert and check the lock screen for the notification, it’s not there. Well it’s not open anyway. There are cards on my lock screen. But text messages and emails are contained in a separate card that looks more like a secondary notification bar. I need to touch it to open the notifications within. I’ve attached a picture in hopes of clarifying (Secondary notification bar below two clock).
I’ve searched my settings to make sure I don’t have some privacy settings preventing the message notifications from showing on my lock screen, but have come up empty.
Greatly appreciate any suggestions you may have. Thanks. — Jay
Troubleshooting: Hi Jay. Not everyone is fond of the new Lollipop update and that includes you, we think. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for you, your observation about the new lockscreen is not a bug. This is how Lollipop OS notifies users of all sorts of messages from their apps.
The good thing about the new lockscreen feature is that a user can now select what type of notification to display and hiding notifications from apps you tag as “sensitive”. This means that you can tweak a setting of any app to set its notifications as sensitive, preventing the phone from displaying sensitive contents of a notification text on the lock screen. This does not mean you will not be receiving notifications anymore for, say, email. Rather, what you’ll still get notifications about incoming emails but they will not display the subject lines of those messages.
Eternally grateful if you can fix this!! — Sheila
Troubleshooting: Hi Sheila. If you are missing the icons that would show in the status bar (where you see the symbols for Wi-Fi, missed calls, time, battery level), you have to go back to the settings of the particular apps that are missing the notifications and change them accordingly. For example, in order for your phone to show if a text message has been received in the status bar, you have to change the settings of the messaging app itself by tapping on the three dots near the top right part of the app. Once you have access to settings, you have to go to Notifications so you can check the box for Status bar. Doing this allows the phone to show the text message icon at the status bar regardless whether the screen is locked or not.
We hope this resolves the issue. Let us know in another email if we fail to deliver a solution for this one.
——————–
Problems after a Samsung Galaxy S5 was dropped
Problem: Hello. So my experiences with the Galaxy have not been great. My first S5 worked fantastically for the first couple of months, but then it experienced its first drop and started glitching out. I brought it to the Verizon store and they told me to get a new one since I was still under warranty. So I got my second S5 just about 2 weeks ago, and it has been running okay. It has had very small glitches, but nothing major. Well today, this new phone just experienced its first minor drop (like very minor) and now it refuses to run. It starts up, runs for a couple of seconds, then crashes. Sometimes when I start it up, it does not make it past the Galaxy S5 screen before it quits. There are also times where the startup fails and it tries again to start up about four or five times in a row before it seems to just give up. I don’t think my warranty will give me a third phone, and I have a phone interview in a couple of days so I really need my phone to work. Can you help me? — Carter
Troubleshooting: Hi Carter. A drop is one of the worst things that can happen to a phone and for a reason. Like any electronic device, dropping your S5 can potentially spell a devastating effect on a range of components inside. Most of these components are not designed to be shock resistant so we can fairly say that an S5 (or any other smart device nowadays) to be relatively fragile. The point is, if the phone starts to give problems after a drop, there is no other means to fix it than by going for a replacement or by having a certified technician physically check the phone.
We don’t offer hardware or parts troubleshooting in this blog so please bring the phone back to Verizon and ask for a replacement, or to a local shop so a technician can repair it.
——————–
Samsung Galaxy S5 unable to connect to data after disconnecting from Wi-Fi
Problem: Hi guys. Since the latest Android update I’ve noticed 2 problems. I presume it hasn’t effected just myself the way these things work.
The appearance of a new logo intermittently at the top of my screen. It’s a horizontal telephone handset with a signal/Wi-Fi logo above it. This does not seem to affect the functionality however. No online user guides include this particular symbol.
When I’ve been in a Wi-Fi area such as my work or home then leave for a non-Wi-Fi area, my handset could not connect automatically to 4G or any mobile Internet. Turning mobile data off then on does not resolve this issue. The only solution I can find is switching my phone off then on.
I presumed both above errors may relate to the handsets ‘smart switch’ function but the errors occur regardless of having ‘smart switch’ off or on.
Have you guys heard of such problems from other users or is my handset buggered? Yours faithfully. — Darren
Troubleshooting: Hi Darren. We really can’t figure out what status bar icon you are referring to. The symbols on the status bar vary depending on your carrier and installed apps. We suggest that you call your carrier first and ask them about it because it may be specific to a service they are providing you.
For your second question, you are right–that it’s still connected to an unresolved bug for Smart Network Switch. Although we have received a decreasing number of issues from other readers related to this feature, we are confident that it is the cause why your phone is unable to establish data link after disconnecting from a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Try to do a factory reset and see how it goes afterwards. We are yet to get an official word from Samsung whether there is now an available fix for Smart Network Switch bug. Until then, let’s do what we can by making sure a factory reset has been performed.
——————–
Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 fixes itself after another update for Lollipop
Problem: Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5, post Lollipop update. Hi again. I just thought I’d pass along some news, since you have helped out so much. I received another update over the weekend from Samsung that said it was to improve the function of the phone after the Lollipop update. The first day after was a bit rough, but functionality is definitely improved now. Not long after the 2nd update, my phone was running hot, and I actually got a pop up box telling me that my phone was trying to cool itself down. That was the only time it has happened, and I was surprised that it told me that phone was in cool down mode.
Thanks again for all your help and info. — Bonnie
Troubleshooting: Hi Bonnie. We appreciate the effort of letting us know that we are of help. We are also glad to know that your device is now up and running. Keep us posted if you have other issues!
——————–
Samsung Galaxy S5 unable to send messages, receive calls
Problem: Hi there. I have a smart phone. I have had Samsungs multiple times and after a few months they all start doing the same thing from having great service at home to all of a sudden having nothing–not being able to send messages or make calls. Also, I have Wi-Fi at home but still the internet and apps most of the time will not load or let me use them my phone freezes and my touch screen keyboard likes to not work most of the time. I have now had more than enough dramas and want to get a phone that actually work. I don’t know if there is anything you can do to help me. I hope you can but at the moment all i want now is to be able to send it back and get an iPhone. — Amber
Troubleshooting: Hi Amber. We are sorry to hear about recurring problems for your devices. Have you tried checking with your carrier about your phones unable to make calls or send messages? Most of the time, issues like being unable to make or receive calls, or send or receive text messages can be resolved by your network technical team as they offer full support for their devices. There’s only a small chance that it may be a Samsung issue.
For the other issues you mentioned, they may actually be related to the first ones or totally separate problems on their own. Because you have several issues at once, please do a factory reset to ensure that there is no software bug causing these glitches. If you haven’t done a factory reset for an S5 before, please follow the directions in this link.
If these issues remain after a factory reset, please make sure to contact your service provider and ask for a replacement phone.
——————–
Samsung Galaxy S5 SD card and Smart Network Switch problems
Problem: Hi. I have read your blog at http://thedroidguy.com/2015/02/samsung-galaxy-s5-problems-glitches-questions-errors-and-solutions-part-32-103386#uB8QjA1EoBUmHvyi.97 and there was one person saying that he or she (Thanasi) solved the overheating problem simply by removing the SD card. I think we are on to something here. I have similar problems, and I also used an SD card that I bought from Frys for a vey good price ($29 for 64G). Before Lollipop, I was disappointed because I couldn’t copy files and create directories to that SD card directly from the phone, but the new OS lifted that restriction, and probably created this huge problem with overheating.
When I read what Thanasi had to say and your response, I thought I will try that solution too. But how do I move the SD card contents to the phone when maybe those folders were generated by other apps, and interference from me would probably mess the behavior of those applications? I went to the app manager, and one by one I looked at the details of each app I had installed. Most of the apps don’t use the external SD card to store data. There are a few that do, and Kindle and Flipoard are massively using the SD storage (more than 100M). I often use the Flipboard app to browse the news, and the performance of that app was deplorable lately. The screen of my phone was heating a lot to the point where the app wouldn’t react to touch screen gestures anymore. When I tried to share articles by mail, after pushing “send” the phone wouldn’t return to Flipboard, and the “sending…” message wouldn’t disappear, and the phone looked like frozen. Every time I had to power cycle the phone to get out of that situation. Every time it was burning hot in my hands.
I wrote to the Flipboard team, letting them know about this issue and asked them to verify this situation. Their cache size is set by default to 128M and also set on “external” storage. Of course I found a way to the settings of that app and changed the cache settings to 32M (minimum) and internal.
Possible data traffic from external storage to RAM and back, with high speed and volume will cause heating, especially in such tight enclosure as the cell phone. I have removed my SD card and will monitor the heating and battery consumption patterns to make sure that this is actually the problem. Access to SD storage should not be by default, but rather on demand, with the user intent or at least knowledge. This is probably where Lollipop missed the mark.
Another thing that I noticed, relative to the smart network switch is that with that switch disabled, and while connected to a Wi-Fi network, and with the Wi-Fi calling enabled, the Lollipop sometimes enables both radios: the Wi-Fi and mobile network as well, showing both 4G and Wi-Fi icons in the status. The previous OS was turning off the 4G whenever the Wi-Fi was on. Also, when the Wi-Fi calling feature was enabled, the cell signal bars were grayed out in the previous OS, and now in Lollipop the cell connection is still active. For what purpose, I don’t know. But the thing is that the phone is with all radios on now, and if the cell network is weak, it will probably search it like crazy and battery usage will be high. The only thing I was able to do was to turn off the cellular data usage from settings; manually (no such luck with the phone mobile network). There is no shortcut for turning off the 4G, you cannot place that yellow icon from settings into the quick settings menu, so it kind of sucks. And yes, the Wi-Fi scanning for networks over and over and over and over again is another of those “features” of the Lollipop (funny name, huh? destined for such great product…) no matter if you are already connected to a network with strong and stable signal. Why would they do that without giving the user an out? Beats me. Regards. — Sorin
Troubleshooting: Hi Sorin. Good insight you have here regarding a possible overheating issue due to a read-write glitch scheme of the phone when accessing an external storage device as well as the Smart Network Switch feature. The first issue about an S5 becoming warm to touch possibly because of an SD card needs to be observed further because it looks isolated from our standpoint at this time. So far, our record shows that we have only Thanasi and your case. Your observation though is interesting and we also think that an S5 may have some compatibility issues with certain SD card brands at this time. It is worth knowing that not all SD cards have the same specifications. As you may have already known, SD cards vary by physical sizes, capacities, and speed classes. The first two (physical size and capacity) do not usually matter much in your case but the third, speed class, may. Older generation SD cards may become not fully compatible with your device simply because of their speed class, which, in return, can cause the issue you are facing right now. Try to do a little research about the SD card that you have to determine if our hunch is right. Your smartphone does not need the fastest SD card available but it also does not mean you have to use the slowest speed class for it. You can visit this website for help in explaining all things SD cards.
For the Smart Network Switch issue, this is still a work in progress. There has been no official word from Samsung when this issue will be patched. We are still receiving issues about it months after Lollipop was released so we can park it for now. You are right though. It appears that the device leaves the chip for Wi-Fi enabled even after a user turns the Wi-Fi button off, causing the phone to constantly cycles between data and Wi-Fi modes. This process is power intensive and resource demanding for the processor that results to the phone becoming overheated.
Connect with us
We are among the very few people who offer free Android support online and we are serious about it. If you happen to have an issue you want to share, kindly ensure to provide details of the problem as well as a short background or the things you were doing prior to noticing it. Feel free to contact us regarding your concerns, questions and problems. If you are getting error messages on the screen, or have observed unusual phone behaviors, kindly include them in your email. The more information you can provide, the easier for us to assist you.You may reach us at mailbag@thedroidguy.com or post on our Facebook and Google+ pages.
The post Samsung Galaxy S5 Problems, Glitches, Questions, Errors and Solutions [Part 50] appeared first on The Droid Guy.