Welcome to the 71st part in our series of troubleshooting articles dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy S3. This is clearly one of the oldest models that we are still supporting due to the fact that we still receive a lot of email from our readers seeking assistance regarding the issues that thy are facing with this device. Despite the fact that this is a three year old model it still has decent specs and can even compete with most of the midrange models out in the market today.
In this latest installment of the series we will tackle some of the issues our readers have sent us concerning this phone. If you own a Galaxy S3 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 try 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.
S3 Gmail Issue After Android 4.3 Update
Problem: Hi, I’m writing to you because I have this annoying problem with Gmail after Android 4.3 update and I couldn’t find anything on it on your website. So, after Android 4.3 update Gmail app just stopped working, I couldn’t get or send any emails and all I got was “no connection” info. So I surfed the net and followed these suggestions:
Disable auto sync (Settings > Data Usage > Menu > Auto-sync Data).
Navigate to Apps > View all (this means com.**.**.** apps, not just apps you can download).
Find Download Manager: Disable it, and enable it.
Find Google Play Services, clear data & cache.
Find Google Play Store, clear data and cache.
Find Google Service Framework, clear data, and cache, and then disable and re-enable.?
Find GMail, clear cache, and data.?
Reboot your phone.
Open Gmail, get prompted to sync all your data again. I had to manually select Sync Now to get things going. Gmail was the last to sync and somewhat slow, but be patient and hope it works!
Well, in my case it didn’t work :(((, when I open Gmail all I get right now is: in Gmail App – the message “getting your messages” and “Waiting for sync” in Application manager – when I try to re-sync Gmail it just doesn’t work. Last sync was done on 7th May and although I push “resync or sync again” the date doesn’t change. All the other google and non-google apps work just fine. Can you suggest any solution to this problem? Thanks
Solution: You have to ensure first that your phone is connected to a stable Internet connection. If the connection is spotty then Gmail may not sync. Try switching between your Wi-Fi and mobile data connection and see if syncing works.
Since you already performed the preliminary troubleshooting steps to no avail the next step that you should do is to delete your Google account from the phone then add it back in.
If the issue still persists then your next step is to wipe the cache partition of the 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 and wipe the cache.
With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.
S3 Does Not Turn On
Problem: hello, i just wanna ask if you know to how fix a galaxy s3 that wont turn on or charge. my galaxy s3 wont turn, i tried told the power button for 1 whole min and put in the battery but it still didnt work. There is so many thing i tried but still dont work. some times when i press the power button i can hear it turning on but i still cant see.
Solution: There are several possible reasons why your phone will not turn on. Try starting with the battery and charger. Get a new battery and use another wall charger when charging your phone. With the new battery installed, charge your phone for at least 20 minutes before pressing the power on button.
If your phone still does not respond then check its USB charging port and see if there is any dirt. This may interfere with the charging process. If you spot any dirt then clean it out using a toothpick.
If the issue persists then this may already be a hardware related problem. Bring your phone to an authorized service center and have it checked.
S3 Battery Charge Level Erratic
Problem: I was reading your posts on the S3, and wanted to question my issues (I was only able to check part 17, the links to the other pages weren’t working for me). Several times over the last few weeks, my battery has been showing fully charged (the notification as well as a 100% by the battery bar) after charging overnight. Then, when I unplug it, the battery strength drops. Using this moringing as an example, it dropped to 5%. So I plugged it back in. It charged back to about 8%. Then I unpluged it again to see if the % changed. This time it jumped from 8% to 100%. I’ve been using it for a bit now and it seems that the 100% is true as the phone hasn’t shut off yet. I’m guessing this is a battery issue, but wondered if you had any other thoughts. I have a Verizon S3. Thanks.
Solution: When the battery level of your phone is erratic and makes big changes in its capacity then this may either be caused by a glitch in the software or by a faulty battery.
To check if this is a software related issue you will need to perform a factory reset then observe the battery level of your phone. 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 to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
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 turn the restart the device.
If the problem still persists then this may already be caused by the battery. Try replacing your phone battery with a new one.
S3 Stopped Working
Problem: hi TheDroidGuy, im not sure how long it will take for a response but here goes my situation. i have a boost mobile s3 and it randomly stopped working overnight. after opening the interior of the phone and checking out the parts, i came to a conclusion that it does not work, and will turn off while on, right when i insert my memory micro card. if its off and i have it in and try to turn it on, it will NOT turn on at all. so overall, once that memory card is in, its a no go. any solutions? please help! its not fun using a phone without having a memory card. desparately needing help.
Solution: Have you tried using a different microSD card on your phone? The SD card you are using may be faulty causing the phone to turn off.
If the issue still occurs even when you have a new microSD installed then it’s likely that this may already be a hardware related problem. Bring your phone to an authorized service center and have it checked.
S3 Screen Flickers / Act On its Own
Problem: I am using galaxy s3 for last 2 years and i am constantly facing an issue with the touch screen … Mostly the phone seems to be possesed by an evil clown spirit (metaphorically)…. As screen starts to perform actions by itself like drop down of notification panel, enable disable any item or open/close of apps or any options in aps, desktop pages starts to move and flickers. Sometimes, the phone screen becomes dumb and unresponsive .. During both the issues , home key and volume up down key works but the option and back touchpad beside home key doesn’t work … From start i use to lock my phone and unlock it back and it starts to work properly for sometime then again its starts working abnormally. I have rried reset 3 4 times and i haven’t received any updates.
Solution: Since you already performed a reset which didn’t help then this may already be a hardware related issue. The display of your phone may already be faulty or it could also possibly be a motherboard issue. To get to the bottom of the problem you should bring your phone to an authorized service center for further checking.
S3 Keeps Turning Off/ Not Charging Completely
Problem: My Android keeps turning off and on when charging and does nor charge at all or it will charge like 31% the whole night and when i. Take off the charging cord goes down to 5% in less than 10 minutes.
Solution: Your phone battery may already be weak. Try getting a new battery and check if the issue still occurs.
S3 Display Randomly Turns On
Problem: My Samsung galaxy s3 randomly turns itself on every min and the lockscreen basically stays on until I turn it off but eventually it turns itself on again it’s very Annoying because my phone was on 100 before I go to bed then wake up with 5% and the screen turned on which practilly drains and heats up the phone drastically. I’ve took some steps to fixing the issue by turning off WiFi when not in use, deleted several apps, cleared data memory and ram and lower brightness but nothing seems to work … And another is my phone refuses to update to the latest software even when WiFi is turned on so my phone is still outdated and causing me a lot of problems that customer service can’t even seem to address the issues.
Solution: The most likely reason why this is happening is that a certain third party app installed in your phone may be triggering the display to turn on. To check if this is the case you should start your phone in Safe Mode. In this mode only the default phone apps are loaded while apps you installed are disabled.
Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S III’ 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.’
Check if the problem still occurs in this mode. If it doesn’t then it’s likely caused by an app that’s installed in your phone. Find out what app this is and uninstall it.
If the problem still occurs even in safe mode then a factory reset is highly recommended. 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 to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
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 turn the restart the device.
S3 Apps Not Working After Moving To SD Card
Problem: Hi, My dad recommended that I move my apps and pictures/other media to my SD card, and that’s basically what I did – I went to Settings > Applications Manager, and I clicked to “Move to SD” button for all the apps/media that could be moved. I restarted it, now nothing works! I would be using my phone, put it down for less than a minute, then I’d get a “You have missed 16 calls” message. Random apps also started to not work, and I would randomly get messages like “LinkedIn has stopped, ” even though I didn’t use LinkedIn. So, what the heck is going on with my S3? I also can’t access any picture or other media. Oh, and when I tried to restore my apps/media again from Settings > Application Manager, it says that “App cannot be restored as it does not exist.” How can it not exist? It’s driving me crazy. Seriously, if I don’t figure things out soon I will literally throw my phone out. Thanks in advance.
Solution: There are some apps that don’t work well when moved to the SD card. This may be what is happening right now with your phone. The best thing to do is to back up your phone data and do a factory reset. You should also back up the data on the microSD card (photos, music, etc.) then format the card so that you can have a fresh start with 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, 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 to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
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 turn the restart the device.
S3 Display Becomes Blank If SIM Is Inserted
Problem: Hello Team. Just found you online, i have a strange problem with my Samsung s3 i747, when i insert the micro sim and restart my phone, it displays samsung and the screen goes blank. i cannot anything and i have to remove my battery to restart again and same happens if sim is still there in the phone. Phone works fine when the sim is removed, i can use the phone to just view pictures, cant make calls as no sim is inserted.
Samsung Galaxy S3
model SGH i747 [AT&T, unlocked]
Please can you help
Solution: Try inserting another SIM in your phone and check if the issue still occurs. If the problem still occurs then this may be caused by a defective phone SIM tray holder. You will need to bring your phone to an authorized service center and have it checked.
S3 Waze App Not Running
Problem: This seems to download, but does not run. This phone runs Kitkat 4.4.2. I thought I had seen some work around. I am not a real high tech 75 year old, so merciful answer would be appreciated.
Solution: Try uninstalling the app from your phone then proceed with wiping your phone 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 and wipe the cache.
With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.
Go to the google Play Store then install Waze again.
If the app still does not run then try to get the error message that appears then send us an email.
S3 Randomly Turns Off
Problem: Hi. I was wondering if you could help. I have a Samsung s3. It was fine this morning how ever this afternoon it has started to turn its self off and then just flashes the start up screen at me. I’ve taken the battery out but that doesn’t seem to help. When it eventually does turn on it stays on for about a minute and then it just does the same thing again. It has happened before when the battery was swollen so I changed the battery and it was fine until now. I was wondering if you knew what was wrong or how to fix it.
Solution: In cases like this it’s usually the battery that is the problem. Try getting a new battery first then see if the issue still persists.
S3 Display / Battery Issues
Problem: Hello, im hoping that you can help me figure out what is wrong with my phone. I have a galaxy s3 with vodaphone. Recently is has been doing this weird thing where the screens picture looks like its starting to ripple. After it does this it either freezes and I have to take the battery out or it shuts off and the battery can go from 100 percent to 3. Its doing it more and more often and im not sure whats the issue. It does it mostly when im using apps. Any clues? Thanks!
Solution: Try getting a new battery and use it on your phone. This will likely solve the battery drain issue and the screen issue. If the screen issue still 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 to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
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 turn the restart the device.
S3 Mobile Data Connection Error
Problem: On my home screen my phone reads ‘mobile data connection error’. When I click on it , a box pops up that reads, ‘unable to establish a wireless data connection’ MIP: 67. I cannot perform system update, make any calls, send messages, nothing. Can this be corrected? I’ve taken the battery out and left it out for 30 minutes; no change. HELP!!
Solution: If performing the battery pull trick fails to resolve the issue then you should contact your carrier regarding this.
S3 Display Does Not Turn Off Automatically
Problem: My samsung galaxy s3 screen wont turn off automatically. I have to turn the screen of from the power button each time. This is draining the battery very fast. Although i set the screen to turn off after 5 seconds and the phone to lock after 15 seconds. Where is the problem?
Solution: The first thing you should consider is if this issue is caused by a third party app installed in your phone. Starting your phone in Safe Mode is the best way to check if this is the case.
Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When ‘Samsung Galaxy S III’ 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 screen backlight turns off normally in this mode then the issue is likely caused by a third party app. Find out what app this is and uninstall it.
If the problem persists then a factory reset is highly recommended. 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 to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
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 turn the restart the device.
S3 Multiple Issues After Software Update
Problem: I have Galaxy s3 when I recently updated, I am have several issues and want to go back to before the update. My camera says it won’t allow me to zoom because of MODE. I attempt to check the MODE and it won’t do anything. My contacts changed. Example it combined Barb and Barbie. This upsets me because I was texting Barb (I thought) and it was Barb. My reception is VERY poor. Barely one bar. Since the update it keeps telling me there is NO SERVICE! I am sitting directly infront of my wireless access! I have to turn the phone off to get it to reset. After reading the comments when I googled this update, it seems YOUR Company did NOT do your homework on this update and now people are having Issues. I am VERY Unhappy. My cell is my business. You are creating issues for me.
Solution: First, let me just clarify that we have no control over whatever software Samsung releases for their phones. Having said that, let’s proceed with troubleshooting the issue. It appears that all these issues occurred right after the software update. The best way to resolve this is to perform a factory reset. This will completely remove any data from the old software version that may still be in your phone and is most likely causing these issues. 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 to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
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 turn the restart the device.
S3 Camera Failed Issue
Problem: Hi I recently came across this issue and can not seem to fix it. I have tried all of your steps at http://thedroidguy.com/2013/10/samsung-galaxy-s3-camera-failed-problem-fix-76001#WoOuThESsTDxmhVu.97 but these do not seem to be working. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Solution: If the troubleshooting steps you performed failed to solve the issue then this may already be a hardware related problem. Bring your phone to an authorized service center and have it checked.
S3 Downloaded Music Missing
Problem: I have just noticed that I have lost all my downloaded music except for albums that I purchased from amazon. I have spoken to a couple of friends who also have the Galaxy S3 and they have lost their music also in the last week and their SD cards appear to be no longer working. Is there anyway of getting my playlists back?
Solution: What app are you using to browse your downloaded music? If it is a music player then try using a file explorer app and check if the downloaded music can be seen. You can also connect your phone using a USB cord to your computer and browse the internal storage as well as the microSD card for your downloaded music.
If the music files are still present in your phone then the issue may be with the playlist. Try deleting your playlist then recreate it again.
S3 Issues After Android 4.4.4 Update
Problem: Hi there – my phone updated itself and now seems to be running Android 4.4.4 and I have now got numerous issues that I am struggling with and don’t seem to find any help on your site (or others). Since updating the following are my issues on a Samsung S3 (GT-9305) :
When opening any of my contacts, it is no longer the following headings/options :
Ringtone / Message Alert / Vibration Pattern /Notes and most importantly Connections which used to link to WhatsApp and Viber and Skype, etc.
Despite not showing the notes for any contacts, when I search my contact lists and I enter the details that might be in the notes it will show the list of contact/s with those notes, but when I open the notes that section isn’t available to view.
When swiping left to send a message it used to come up with the various messaging options that were available (Email, WhatsApp, Viber, etc) and now it only shows the Android sms option.
When putting a contact widget onto the home screen or into a folder on the home screen, when I used to click on these contacts, it would pull up a window that gave all the options available for contacting that person – normal call, viber call, normal sms, whatsapp, email, etc, etc. Now it only offers normal call and normal sms
The following are also unavailable options on the new platform when it comes to contacts :
No option to link contacts / separate contacts / share name card via / add to reject list / add shortcut to home screen. So I am unable to share any of my contacts which is REALLY frustrating as I now have to open the contact, click on edit and then copy each bit of information and past it into an email or WhatsApp or Viber message. It only offers history, edit, delete and mark as default.
Also some videos don’t play correctly – the screen is blank.
Any ideas on how to rectify these problems and if not how would I roll back to 4.2 which I didn’t have any of these problems with……
Solution: Some of the issues that you mentioned are actually features of the new software version. The best way to proceed with this is to back up your phone data then 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 to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
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 turn the restart the device.
Once you have setup your phone and you till don’t like the new software version then you can roll back to the previous version.
You will need to root your phone for this to work. You also need a copy of the previous firmware as well as a program called Odin installed in your computer. Instructions on how to downgrade your phone software can be found at most of the popular online Android forums.
S3 Can’t Connect To Internet / Mobile Data Network
Problem: A couple of weeks ago I lost the ability to connect to my mobile data network. When attempting Google Search/Google Maps/Google anything, I received a “Can’t reach Google at the moment” error message. When attempting to open the Google app, gray pop message appears, “Network error. Check your network connections and try again.”
I called Sprint. Sprint ran me through ALL the standard network connection fixes. When none worked, they told me to contact Google directly. I called Google. After running through their standard Q&A, Google’s response was I needed to do a factory reset.
I did a soft reset through Settings. No go. With the help of the “best” Sprint repair store in our area, I did a hard factory reset. In the presence of the repair person, the data connected flawlessly…only to repeat the same behavior after returning home and reinstalling all my favorite apps. After stupidly repeating the same hard reset/reinstall routine several times, I remembered a question the Google tech asked me at the very beginning or our conversation…
“have you received any application updates recently?” I couldn’t remember. Who notices such things…there are so many. The important ones are set to auto. So we quickly passed over this to the next question…SO NOW…
As fate would have it, my S3 was in a Factory reset condition with only native apps and their updates. DING! I began deleting all the application updates on my phone starting with Samsung working up through Google apps I do not use. The last was the Google app itself. With some trepidation, I deleted this update, rebooted my phone and, VOILA!!!!!, network connection restored, all Google apps working perfectly. They continue to do so until the next Google update. Each time I delete the update, and things settle back to normal.
My Android version is 4.4.2. My wife has an S4 from the same carrier with the same Android version but different Software, Baseband and Kernel versions. She has not experienced these issues.
Thanks for listening. Maybe this will help you help other S3 owners with similar problems. I have turned off Auto-update for the Google app. I love my S3. It has been incredibly reliable. We have replaced the S4 twice. If you have any advice, other than get a phone upgrade, I would be grateful.
Solution: It appears that the update is causing the connectivity issue. I’m sure this will be resolved during the next app update. Just monitor the Google app for any new updates and check if the updates still cause the same issue. Uninstall the update if the issue occurs again.
S3 Not Getting Latest Software Update
Problem: I just got the Samsung galaxy s3 sas698c white from straight talk. Its a 4.1. I try to update but it keeps saying its up to date. My boyfriend has the blue one from Verizon prepayed and his now runs 4.4. Why can’t I get the updates.? Thanks
Solution: If there are no software updates available OTA then connect your phone using a USB cord to a computer running on Kies.
Once Kies connects to your phone it will automatically check for the latest Android Os version for your phone.
If nothing happens : Pull down the notification area on your phone. If you can see that it says connected as a camera, press that area to change your USB options. Pick the connect as Media device.
S3 Software Update Was Interrupted Error
Problem: Hello…. I’m really hoping you can help me. Everytime I try to do a software update, I get an error message that the “software update was interrupted”. I’ve been trying this for months and I still get the same message. My S3 (AT&T), is currently using the Android version 4.1.2 and I know there have been a few updates since then. Please help me. My phone is slow at times and annoying that the software won’t update. Thank you so much.
Solution: Is your phone rooted? If it is then this may interfere with the update process. You will need to unroot your phone.
There are also cases where the phone microSD card causes issues with the software update. If your phone has a microSD card installed then take it out first before updating your device.
You should also try updating your phone using Kies. Just connect your phone with a USB cord to a computer running on Kies, follow the onscreen instructions if an update is found.
S3 No Longer Supported By Metro
Problem: Hello There, Thank you for your website. I wondered if there is any way to get around Metro’s plan to discontinue supporting this phone. Although a few features of the phone no longer work properly, overall, it is in great shape and to spend $649 on the latest Galaxy is not something I’m prepared to do after only 2.5 years with my current phone. Help if you can! Thank you so much!!
Solution: It really isn’t a big problem if Metro decides to stop supporting the S3. There are tons of online resources available for you to check if you are having issues with your phone.
S3 Google Voice Prompt Activates On Its Own
Problem: Hello, I have had my Samsung Galaxy S3 for a few years now, but just recently (within the last few months) started having a problem with Google Voice prompt activating on its own at inopportune times. Particularly when I am trying to listen to music on Spotify while driving in my car. It happens at other times, too, but the most annoying is when I am driving and Google Voice randomly interrupts my music and starts asking me to, “Say the number” or “I can’t understand you, please repeat your command.” When it does happen, it’s not an easy fix either. When I back out of it or close it and then set my phone back down, it will automatically start again and this usually happens repeatedly until I either exit out of all the apps by pressing the home button and hitting “Close All” or turn off the phone. I really don’t want to buy a new phone, but I have been on the verge of throwing this one out the car window on more than one occasion when this problem occurs. I do not use hands free voice dialing and wouldn’t mind disabling Google Voice altogether if that’s what it takes to make the problem stop. Any thoughts you have on resolving this issue would be appreciated.
Solution: Try wiping the cache partition of your phone first and see if this resolves the problem.
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 and wipe the cache.
With ‘reboot system now’ highlighted, press the Power key to restart the device.
If the issue persists then you will need to disable the Google Voice feature.
S3 Switches Off After Being Inactive
Problem: Found you online at http://thedroidguy.com/2013/07/samsung-galaxy-s3-display-always-on-how-to-fix-69604#DR4P8GhZ7smV4AiZ.97 and wonder if you can help. I have a seriously annoying problem with my smartphone – it will not stay on! In the adjustment options, there is a “Screen timeout” function that can be set from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. I have set it to 5 minutes – but when the screen times out, I have got to log on again to wake up the phone – and meanwhile if you try to make a call to it, you get the message that “this person is currently unavailable”. But the whole point of having a mobile phone is of course that it should be constantly reachable, and not switch itself off after five minutes! Unfortunately I have not been able to find any answer online. But having the phone switching itself off after five minutes inactivity is as maddening as it would be if my computer switched itself off after five minutes inactivity – but with the computer there is no problem setting it never to switch off; there are clear options, both when running on mains power and when running on battery. Any suggestion how to resolve this problem? And of course, while I have been writing this, the dratted phone has switched itself off again! With many thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
Solution: There was a prior software version of this phone that had this bug. If your phone is running on this particular firmware then this may be the reason why your phone shuts down when it is idle. Try checking for any new software updates available for your phone and install it. If no OTA update can be found then use Kies to perform the update.
If your phone is running on the latest software and the problem still persists then proceed with backing 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 to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘delete all user data.’
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 turn the restart the device.
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