Problems with the Galaxy S7/Galaxy S7 Edge and how to fix them

Samsung continues to improve on what they started last year, with the latest Galaxy S flagships, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge boasting an even more refined design and build quality, the mandatory bump to the latest and greatest processing package, a better camera, better battery life, and the vaunted return of key features, including expandable storage and dust and water resistance. It’s still early in the year, but there’s no doubt that by the end of 2016, these smartphones will still remain among the best.

• Samsung Galaxy S7 review
• Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review

However, as is the case with most current generation smartphones and tablets, these phones are unfortunately not without their issues. To help you out, we’ve rounded up some of the common problems that plague Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners, and offer potential solutions on how to fix them.

Disclaimer: Not every Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owner will face these issues, and it is actually more than likely that you won’t come across any of the problems listed below.

Problem #1 – Pink line appears on the display

Some users have noticed that a pink line now appears on the screen and cannot be removed.

Potential solutions:

• This is a problem that has been acknowledged by Samsung, and you will be able to pick up a replacement by getting in touch with their Customer Care or try an other solutions they may have available.
• You can try dialing *#0*#, and on the menu that pops up, tap on Red, Blue, and Green. This will reset the individual pixels of each color. Something to keep in mind is that it might take multiple attempts to fix the problem.

Problem #2 – MicroSD card issues

To the delight of many fans, Samsung brought back expandable storage with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. However, users have come across a few issues related to it. For starters, there is no adoptable expandable storage. Secondly, a couple of persistent popups related to the microSD card appear randomly, multiple times during the day. Finally, the microSD card also seems to make the device take a touch longer to wake.

Potential solutions:

• As far as the adoptable storage issue is concerned, there is a useful guide on how to activate this setting, which you can find here. While the phones don’t have to be rooted for this solution, make sure that you follow the steps exactly as stated, and some form of technical know-how is recommended.
• When it comes to the random persistent popups, some users have found the formatting the microSD card to the exFAT standard seems to have done the trick. However, a lot of users have found this to be a hardware issue, and the only option then is to pick up a replacement.
• When it comes to the slow to wake issue, certain brands of microSD cards seem to cause the problem more than others, including Samsung cards as well. Samsung has released a software update this month that fixes this problem, so make sure that your device is updated to the latest software version.

Problem #3 – Buttons and capacitive keys become unresponsive

Some users have found the power button and volume down button to suddenly not be working, and in other cases, the capacitive Recent Apps key and the physical home button seem to become unresponsive as well. The latter is an issue seen mostly with the Galaxy S7 Edge only.

Potential solutions:

• A rogue app seems to be the cause for concern in both cases. Boot the device into Safe Mode (you can find the steps on how to do so below) and see if the issue persists. If it doesn’t, uninstall any apps you added just before the problem showed up, and that should fix things.
• Most of the time, a reset does the trick. Press and hold the power button and volume down button for a few seconds, until the device restarts. In the case of the first issue, even these buttons seem to be unresponsive, this restart method does work anyway.
• In the case of the Recent Apps key and home button not working, a few users have found Car Mode to be the culprit. Turn off Car Mode in the settings, and see if it fixes the issue.

Problem #4 – Distorted audio and “moisture detected” alert

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge come with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, which means that the phones can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for as long as 30 minutes without a negative impact on performance. However, users have found the audio from the speakers to sound distorted. Others have found that there devices refuse to charge, with a “moisture detected” alert popping up.

Potential solutions:

• Both these issues go away for the most part as the device dries up. Make sure that you wipe down the device as soon as it is out of the water, and if you are especially worried, the old bag of rice trick works as well. Avoid using a blow dryer though, as the intense heat may affect the components. The “moisture detected” alert is a useful fail safe that helps avoid any problems when plugging in the device to charge.

Problem #5 – Connectivity issues

A lot of users face connectivity issues with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when they pick up a new phone, and the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are no exceptions. That said, these devices did suffer from a serious Wi-Fi connectivity problem, but that has been addressed with a software update.

Potential solutions:

Wi-Fi connection keeps dropping

• This seems to be a very common issue, specifically with wireless routers that support both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Go into the Advanced settings in the Wi-Fi menu of the phone, and look for Wi-Fi Frequency Band. Change it from the default Automatic selection to 2.4 GHz only, and this seems to fix the problem for most users.

Cannot connect to Wi-Fi

• Turn the device and the router off for at least ten seconds, then turn them back and retry the connection.
• Go to Settings – Power saving and ensure that this option is turned off.
• Use the Wi-Fi Analyzer to check how crowded your channel is, and switch to a better option.
• Forget the Wi-Fi connection by going to Settings – Wi-Fi and long tapping the connection you want, then selecting “Forget”. Re-enter the details and try again.
• Make sure the router firmware is up to date.
• Make sure the applications and software on the device are up to date.
• Go into Wi-Fi – Settings – Advanced and make a note of your device MAC address, then make sure that it is allowed access in the router’s MAC filter.

Bluetooth issues

• Check the manufacturer’s manual for the device and the car and reset your connections.
• Ensure that you are not missing a vital part of the connection process.
• Go to Settings – Bluetooth and ensure nothing needs changing
• Go into Settings – Bluetooth delete all prior pairings and try setting them up again from scratch.

Problem #6 – Device freezing

Some people have found that their device seems to be frozen on the Always On Display screen particularly after it has been left aside for a long time, like overnight.

Potential solutions:

• Some have suggested that this could be an issue with the microSD card. Back up the data on the card if possible and then format it while it is in the device. This seems to have fixed the issue for most users. If the problem re-occurs, you might have to get a new microSD card.
• A rogue app may be also be the cause for concern. Boot the device into Safe Mode (you can find the steps on how to do so below) and see if the issue persists. If it doesn’t, uninstall any apps you added just before the problem showed up, and that should fix things.

Problem # 7 – Text in apps and toggles in the Settings menu are misaligned

A lot of users have found that text in apps are out of position and that the toggles in the Settings menu are out of place. This displacement seems to be more prominent with Google apps, but can be seen in other third-party applications as well.

Potential solutions:

• There is a temporary workaround that has worked for some people. Go to Display settings in the settings menu and there you will find the option to toggle between the three different resolutions. Change the screen resolution to 1080p and set the text and display zoom setting to normal. Restart the phone. Once rebooted, you can go back and change the screen resolution back to Quad HD, but the alignment issues will have gone away.

Problem #8 – “Screen overlay detected” error

Some users have had the “screen overlay detected” error pop up when trying to open certain apps, that are often newly installed.

Potential solutions:

• As the error message says, “to change this permission setting, you have to first turn off the screen overlay in Settings – Apps.” Go to Settings – Applications – Application Manager, and tap More at the top right corner and tap on the option that says “Apps that can appear on top.” Find the app that you were just trying to use and and toggle it to off.
• Keep in mind that there are a few other apps that have caused this issue as well and not necessarily just the that you were trying to open, with Drupe, Lux, Clean Master, and Facebook Messenger (with chat heads enabled) sometimes creating a problem.

Guides – soft reset, hard reset, wipe cache partition, boot into Safe Mode

Soft Reset

• Press and hold the power button and volume down key simultaneously for about 10 seconds until the device powers off. This works when the screen is unresponsive.

Hard Reset

• With the device turned off, press and hold the volume up key, home button, and power button simultaneously.
• When the Samsung logo appears, release the power button, but continue to hold the volume up and home buttons.
• When the Android system recovery screen appears, release all buttons.
• Use the volume down button to toggle the selection to “wipe data/factory reset,” then press the power button to accept it.
• Use the volume down button to toggle the selection to “Yes — delete all user data,” then press the power button.
• Wait for the reset to finish. You will eventually be prompted to “Reboot system now.” Press the power button to continue.
• If the phone is on, go to Settings – Backup & reset – Reset device – Erase Everything.

Wipe cache partition

• With the device turned off, press and hold the volume up key, home button, and power button simultaneously.
• When the Samsung logo appears, release the power button, but continue to hold the volume up and home buttons.
• When the Android system recovery screen appears, release all buttons.
• Use the volume down button to toggle the selection to “wipe cache partition,” then press the power button to accept it.
• When the previous menu returns, go up and select “Reboot system now,”

Boot in Safe Mode

• When the device is turned off, turn the device on again and press and hold the volume down button until a “Safe Mode” button shows up. Tap that button to boot your device in safe mode.

So, there you have it for this roundup of some of the common issues that Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge owners face. If you have come across any more problems, or found alternate solutions, do let us know in the comments section below, and we’ll continue to keep this post updated.

If you are in two minds about picking up either of these smartphones, don’t let this list of issues put you off. More often than not, you won’t have to deal with any of them, and most of these issues will likely be fixed in future software updates. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are both fantastic smartphones, and are the best currently available.

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