How to fix Samsung Galaxy Note 5 “Unfortunately Messages has stopped” error after Marshmallow

• Learn how to troubleshoot your #Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (#Galaxy #Note5) that shows “Unfortunately, Messages has stopped” after it updated to Android 6.0 #Marshmallow.
• Know what to do if your phone can no longer send or download picture messages after the update.
• What you need to do if you can no longer attach pictures with your text messages after updating your phone.
• How to troubleshoot your phone that won’t send texts and pictures together.
• What to do if the cursor jumps to the next line while typing a text message.

In this post, I will address one of the most common error messages that came out after the recent Marshmallow update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 that has something to do with the phone’s capability to send / receive SMS and MMS. The error message is “Unfortunately, Messages has stopped.”

POSSIBLE CAUSES OF “MESSAGES HAS STOPPED” ERROR

The “Messages” in the error is referring to the stock or native messaging app. So, basically, it may seem like a normal app crash issue but since it started to come out after updating to Marshmallow, there’s a chance it’s also a firmware issue. That said, here are the possible causes of this error message:

Messages cache and data got corrupted during the update process, which is inevitable considering the phone migrated from Lollip op to Marshmallow.

It is also possible that the error is triggered when the new system attempts to use the cache of the previous system, which is often the case after an update.

The update may have been interrupted or didn’t complete, which may have corrupted both the old and new systems.

TROUBLESHOOTING “UNFORTUNATELY, MESSAGES HAS STOPPED” ERROR

I will first address the error message because I answer some of the questions sent by our readers. Now, to begin our troubleshooting, here’s one message I would like to cite here as it describes this problem well…

“Hi droid guy! I own a Galaxy Note 5, which, after almost a year of use, is still performing better than my other phones except for a tiny problem. There’s an error message that keeps poppi ng and apparently disallowing my to send or read my text messages because every time I open the app, this one shows, ‘Unfortunately, Messages has stopped.’ If I’m not mistaken, it started after I downloaded the Marshmallow update. I’m not used to having issues with this phone so I don’t want to do anything that may make things even worse. That’s why I’m contacting you now hoping you guys can help me. What must I do?”

Since it’s an app issue, let’s begin our troubleshooting from app-level and slowly going up to the firmware-level. I am certain we can fix this issue after doing a couple of troubleshooting procedures.

Step 1: If you haven’t rebooted your phone after the update yet, then please do

The “Messages has stopped” error isn’t really serious. We receive a lot of reports even before the Marshmallow update that indicate pre-installed apps have a tendency to crash without apparent reason. More often than not, minor app crashes can be fixed by a simple reboot. That’s why it’s necessary you reboot your phone if you haven’t already as you may have already known, apps get optimized after a firmware update.

Step 2: Reset the Messages app to its default settings

After several months of use, you may have changed a setting or two in the Messages app. Try to see if works when you reset those settings to factory defaults. Also, you need to clear its cache and data. So try to follow these steps and see if they can make a difference:

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap Settings.
3. Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
4. Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
5. Find and tap Messages.
6. Tap Clear Cach e.
7. Tap Clear Data, then OK.

If this doesn’t fix the problem, then it’s time we step up our troubleshooting to the firmware level.

Step 3: Try deleting the system cache to force the new system to create new ones

The new update is a big one and it totally replaces Lollipop and installs Marshmallow with its new features. More often than not, huge updates such as this one can corrupt the system cache and besides even if the caches won’t get corrupted, the fact that they’ve been created to work with Lollipop is reason enough to have them replaced with caches that will work with Marshmallow. So, it’s time you deleted the old system caches and replace them with new ones. You can do so by following these steps:

1. Turn off your Galaxy Note 5.
2. Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, and Power key.
3. When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
4. When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
5. Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
6. Press the Power key to select.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If this procedure fails as well, then the last one would sur ely fix it.

Step 4: Perform the master reset to bring back the phone to its default settings

Since we already tried wiping the cache partition to fix the “Messages has stopped” error to no avail, it’s time we did the master reset not just to bring the phone back to its default settings by to clear the contents of the data partition. However, before you actually do that, make sure you backup all your data, files, pictures, videos, music, etc. as they’ll all be deleted during the process.

1. Remove your Google account and disengage the screen locks to make sure you won’t trip the Factory Reset Protection (FRP).
2. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
3. Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power keys together.
4. When the device powers on and displays ‘ Power on logo’, release all keys and the Android icon will appear on the screen.
5. Wait until the Android Recovery Screen appears after about 30 seconds.
6. Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option, ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
7. Press the Vol Down button again until the option ‘Yes â€" delete all user data’ is highlighted and then press the Power key to select it.
8. After the reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
< /ol>
Again, this last procedure is what you need to fix this problem. However, due to the fact that it’s very hassling to backup your data, it must be done after you’ve exhausted all procedures that could possibly fix the problem without compromising your files and data.

OTHER TEXTING PROBLEMS WITH THE GALAXY NOTE 5

Since we’re dealing with the Messages app in this post, I will just address some of the problems we received from our readers here.
Q: “Hi guys. After I updated my Note 5 to Marshmallow, I can no longer attach pictures to my text messages. At the same time, I haven’t received any text with pictures since the update. Already called my carrier but the rep just told me to reboot my phone and then reset it without even explaining what the problem is. I don’t want to do the reset as I haven’t backed up my files yet and my computer isn’t with me. So, if you could just help me how to send and receive MMS again, that would be great. Thanks.”
A: There are some reasons why you’re not being able to send and receive MMS after an update and since I don’t know how your phone is setup or have any idea what your provider is, I listed down the things I want you to do to discover what the problem is.
• Verify that mobile data is turned on. It may have been turned off that’s why you can no longer send and receive MMS.
• If mobile data is already on but you still can’t transmit MMS, then it must have something to do with the APN Settings. Call your provider and ask for the correct APN for your device and also ask the rep to walk you through in editing the existing one on your phone or just create a new one.
• If mobile data is already on and you’ve successfully setup the APN but still can’t send / receive MMS, then ask the rep if there are some issues with your account. It might be an issue with your account or even with the network.
After doing all that and you still can’t send/receive MMS, then you really have to do the master reset.
Q: “Was texting a CUSTOMER a long message and attached a picture, when I hit send the picture went and my message disappeared. I clicked CLIPBOARD and it automatically sent my CUSTOMER an inappropriate picture from my phone without me hitting send. I was FIRED from my job the next day because of this. Is there anything I can do about this or am I just screwed?”
A: I’m sorry to hear you were fired from your job because of that. However inappropriate the picture is, that’s not our concern but it seems like you already have copied pictures in the clipboard and when you clicked on it, it was pasted in the text field.
Now, about the long text message that didn’t attach the picture you were supposed to send, I think your phone wasn’t set up to automatically convert SMS to MMS that’s why the text came through but not the picture. You may also check the mobile data if it’s enabled or not.
Q: “When I am texting on the Next SMS, the typing jumps to the line below. For example, if I were to write a long message and had to go back and edit something in the middle, while I would be typing, the texting cursor would jump to the line below, and everything that I would be typing for the line would start to be typed in the line below. It happens quite a few times when I’m texting. Sorry for being redundant. It’s just hard to explain.”
A: Have you heard of an app glitch? It seems like that’s the case when you’re using the app. It might be an app issue so the first thing I want you to do is find out if there is an available update for it by going to the Play Store > My Apps. If there’s an update, download it or if there’s none, then try clearing the cache and the data.
1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap Settings.
3. Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
4. Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
5. Find and tap the app in question.
6. Tap Clear Cache.
7. Tap Clear Data, then OK.
Lastly, if the clearing of the cache and the data didn’t work, then uninstall the app and just install it back. It usually fix issues like this.

How to use the inbuilt Task Manager on a Samsung Galaxy S2

 Weve all become well accustomed to task managers in general, especially Windows PC users who may use it to close programs that arent running properly or have become resource hogs. Due to the fact phones are now mini computers they two have got task managers.

In the past Android users generally relied on 3rd party apps such as "Advanced Task Killer" to close apps that were using up the battery or not running properly. After all this is what PC users were doing at home, the problem was that the "Advanced Task Killer" wasnt actually as good as people thought it was.

With the move from Android Froyo to Android  Gingerbread Google started to include

there own, much better Task Manager. This allowed you to accurately and proper close apps that were draining your resource or had basically crashed. With the Samsung Galaxy S2 you just need to hold the home button for 2 or 3 seconds to get to the shortcut to the Task manager. If you see the image to the top left this screen appears when you hold the home button, if you click on "Task manager" you will get taken to the screen on the right.

From the screen on the right you can see the applications you have open and and the ability to close (or "Exit" them) as well as clearing the memory (click RAM) or checking free storage (click on Storage). This is much simpler and much more effective than "Task Killer" apps youll find on the market and is really where you should head if you feel your app has frozen.

How to stop photos videos auto saving on Viber for Android

By default, photos and videos automatically load on Viber app for Android and iOS devices. While this is not a problem on Wi-Fi, it could get expensive when photos and videos are automatically downloaded when youre using mobile data connection. If you have mobile data on and someone shares a long video or a lot of pictures on Viber message, it may use up a huge chuck of your mobile data package. Fortunately, Viber allows you to stop auto-downloading of media files. With the auto-saving disabled, photos shared on Viber will no longer be saved on your Android Gallery and you won’t have to worry about exhausting your mobile data. Another plus is that pictures from Viber will no longer take unnecessary space on your device storage. Here are the steps to disable auto-saving or loading of photos and videos on Viber messages:

How to disable automatically loading pictures on Viber

• Open Viber app on your Android phone or tablet
• Swipe from left to right to bring up the menu
• Scroll down and select “Settings”
• Go to “Media”
• Turn off “Allow automatic download of photos over mobile networks”

Now you can use your Viber app on mobile data without worrying about data charges due to photos and videos on Viber message. From the media settings, you can also delete old voice messages and restrict data usage to save data on mobile networks.

Turn off auto-save pictures on Viber app for iPhone or iPad 

Here are the steps to turn off auto-save pictures and videos on Viber for iPhone or other Apple iOS devices:

• Open Viber app on your iPhone
• Tap “More” (three dots on the bottom right screen)
• Tap on the Settings or the Gear icon
• Select “Media”
• Toggle off “Save to Gallery” option

Now viber images and videos will no longer automatically save on your iPhone 6s or iPad.

How to move files on a Samsung Galaxy S2

 Sometimes we manage to put things into the wrong place on our phone and need to move them. Whether this is a song in the wrong folder the wrong directory used all together its nice to be able to easily and quickly move files from one place to another with the Samsung Galaxy S2 android smartphone.

For the sake of this guide we are going to move 2 "songs" out of the "Notification" sub folder into a spare "Music" folder, though a more normal task would be moving songs into the "Notification" folder (m ore about this in a follow up guide). To start moving
files about you will need to first open up "My files", you should be able to find this in the Applications drawer.

When youve entered my files youll need to find the specific file you want by looking through the folders (see top right). After opening the correct folder you need to open up the menu (press the menu button) and then click on "More" then "Move".

After clicking on move you will notice that every item in the folder is given a tick box (see the screen shot on the right) allowing you to select the exact files, or folders you would like to move. At this point select all the files you want to move from A to B and select "Move" from the bottom left of the screen.

After pressing move you will be taken back to the list of all your folders and again you will need to search through them to find the one you want to place your files in. For the case of this example Ive opened up a sub-folder called "Music" in the "Samsung" folder. To finish the moving process select "Move here" from the bottom of the screen and the files will have been moved.

One thing to note, Id advise only moving files that are music or pictures files and only moving them to "safe places" (folders used for the same sort of thin). Also note that moving a large amount of files can take some time despite the phones incredible power.

What to do if you inserted the S Pen incorrectly into your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 other related issues

Since the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (#Galaxy #Note5) was released in August last year, reports of broken S Pens flooded the internet after hundreds of owners incorrectly inserted the stylus into their devices. The debacle prompted Samsung to issue an official statement telling the owners to “follow the instructions in the user guide to ensure they do not experience such an unexpected scenario caused by reinserting the S-Pen in the other way around.”

The company then started to change the packaging of the Note 5 and included S Pen warning label to show buyers how to correctly insert the S Pen. However, neither the first nor the second response was a solution to the problem, which angered some of the owners because it seemed like Samsung was hesitant to provide a real solution.

Earlier this year though, reports indicated that the manufacturer started shipping new Galaxy Note 5 units with a new mechanism that allows the owners to eject the S Pen without damaging the device. However, the company didn’t provide sufficient information so as to determine the unit with a fixed detection sensor.

Therefore if you bought a Note 5 and want to know if it still has that old mechanism or the new one, you have two options:

• Open up your brand new phone and see what’s inside, or;
• Insert the S Pen backwards to see if it get stuck.

Now, for owners who bought the “older” variant of the Note 5 and happened to have inserted the S Pen backwards, do not force it. All you need to get the stylus out without damaging it or your phone is a piece of paper.

Youtube user How2Tech prepared a video on how to do this and that’s where this guide is based on. To make it even simpler for you, I’ve outlined the things you need to do:

Step 1: First of all, do not pull the S Pen out because it will surely damage (and I am 100% sure) the detection sensor. You should know that inserting the stylus incorrectly won’t damage it or the phone, it’s only when you forcibly try to take it out that the sensor and the tail (clicky end) of the S Pen get damaged.

Step 2: Get a piece of paper and cut about the width of the S Pen and 6 inches long. The stylus is around 4.75 inches long and you will have to insert that piece of paper that far, too.

< div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">

Step 3: Slowly insert the piece of paper until you reach the point where it can’t go any further anymore. To make sure if the paper reached the sensor, try pulling the S Pen out a little bit and push it back in just to guide the paper in. Do it a few times.

Step 4: At this time, you may try pulling the S Pen out but if you feel any resistance, don’t continue. Instead, continue guiding the paper in a little farther. If the paper reached the sensor, you should feel just a little amount of resistance while trying to pull the S Pen out.

Try doing this procedure over and over until you succeed because at this point, the only option you have is to visit a local shop and let the technician open the phone for you just to remove it. You may also try watching the video below for the actual procedure.

But for those who have been very impatient and pulled the S Pen out with force, then it’s too late for you. It may have already incurred some damage as well as your phone.

OTHER S PEN RELATED PROBLEMS

Q: There always messages comes “S Pen detached” and Air commands appears on screen, whereas Pen is still inside the holder and never removed from holder. This messages come frequently.

A: The detection is either stuck or broken and your problem is actually one of the results when you put in the S Pen backwards and pulled it out. However, if you’re 100% sure you haven’t inserted the pen incorrectly, then it might be just a firmware issue. There might be something that activates Air Commands and since we don’t have any clue what it is, I suggest you do the master reset:

• Backup all your data.
• Remove your Google account.

3. Disengage your screen locks.
4. Remove your Google account.
5. Disengage all screen locks.
6. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5.
7. Press and hold the Volu me Up, Home and Power keys together.
8. When the device powers on and displays ‘Power on logo’, release all keys and the Android icon will appear on the screen.
9. Wait until the Android Recovery Screen appears after about 30 seconds.
10. Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option, ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
11. Press the Vol Down button again until the option ‘Yes â€" delete all user data’ is highlighted and then press the Power key to select it.
12. After the reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.

Q: My S Pen Air Command doesn’t show up on the screen. When I go to settings, S Pen, Air Command, the page is non responsive. Its just color grey.

A: Only a few reported this kind of problem and according to them, their providers see the problem as a “device issue” and replacement is the only viable solution. However, if this problem just started recently or if the page has always been responsive before and this issue started without apparent reason, there’s a chance it’s just some corrupt caches. For that, deleting the system cache may fix it:

1. Turn off your Galaxy Note 5.
2. Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, and Power key.
3. When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
4. When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
5. Press the Volume Down key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
6. Press the Power key to select.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Q: How come Air Command doesn’t pop up automatically when I pull the S Pen out? My Note 5 is pretty new and I’m sure I haven’t inserted the pen backwards so it should be working. But how come it doesn’t work the way it should?

A: Well, may be the S Pen power saver option is enabled; check on that one. It should be disabled so the phone will automatically open Air Commands when the S Pen is pulled out.

Having problems with your phone that won’t turn on?

We can help you troubleshoot. We already published troubleshooting guides for the following devices:

• Samsung Galaxy S2
• Samsung Galaxy S3
• Samsung Galaxy S4
• Samsung Galaxy S5, Android Lollipop edition
• Samsung Galaxy S6
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
• Samsung Galaxy S7
• Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
• Samsung Galaxy Note 2
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Android Lollipop edition
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5 

Samsung Note 4 Shuts Off When Snapchat Is Used

Samsung Note 4 Shuts Off When Snapchat Is Used

Problem: My Samsung Note just shuts off whenever I open the Snapcha t app. And when I try to turn it on, it just keeps shutting off and turning on, on its own. The only time I’m able to fully start it, is when it’s plugged into a charger.

Solution: This issue could be caused by some form of corrupt data in your phone. Try clearing the cache and data of the Snapchat app then uninstall it. Start your phone in recovery mode then wipe the cache partition of your device. Restart your phone normally then download a fresh version of Snapchat from the Google Play Store. If the problem still occurs backup your phone data then do a factory reset.

If the issue remains then try getting a new battery.

How to update your Android Apps

Weve all got apps on our phones that have been outdated, whether its a game thats now got new levels, an application that thats not got a new feature or just something thats had a bug taken out its often best to keep your apps up-to-date. For example if you have the current version of Skype on your Samsung Galaxy S2 youre now able to make video calls through the service.

To upgrade an application you will need to open up the Android market and then press "Menu" on the phone to open up a small menu at the bottom of the screen. One of those options will be "My Apps" which is the one you will need to click at this point to open up a list of all the applications on your phone (below right).

From the list of applications in the "My apps" list you will see a word near each one. You will see things like "Update", "Update (manual)" or "Installed" as long as the app has either "Update" or "Update (manual)" you can click it to upgrade it.

After clicking on an app that can be upgraded you will be met with a screen like this one regarding Skyfire with the option to "update" you will need to click on this and then "OK" on the following screen. After this you may be given a warning about data on the application before being allowed to continue. The updated app will then download (you can see the download in the notification bar).

You will notice some apps will regularly be updated whilst others will almost never be updated, as long as youre comfortable with the application you can often just leave it. Also remember some updates arent always the best. One notable TV application was forced to change for legal reasons, the older versions were significantly better than the updated "stripped down" versions that followed it.

How to fix error code 18 in Google Play Store

There are several methods to fix error -18 in Google Play Store. This error prevents users from downloading or updating Android apps. If you’ve just purchased a new phone and getting this error code while attempting an app installation, you may have set the wrong date/time on your device. In such a case, simply resetting the correct time will fix the issue. Sometimes Play Store error 18 is caused by low storage issue and you will need to make enough space in your device before app installation. Another way to fix Google Play Store error code 18 is by clearing data of Google Play from the app settings. Multiple solutions for app cant install error code -18 in Google Pla y Store are mentioned below:

Method 1: Reset Data and Time

• Go to Settings >> Data & Time
• Check if the time and date is correct
• Unselect “Automatic data and time” and “Time Zone”
• Manually set the correct date and time
• Go back to homescreen
• Again to date & time settings and then enable “Automatic date and time”.

Method 2: Clear cache and data

This is the most used method to fix the majority of Google Play Store error messages

• Go to set tings >> Apps >>All
• Scroll down and select “Google Play Store”
• Tap “Clear cache” and “Clear Data”
• Again from All >> Select “Google Service Framework”
• Tap “Clear cache” and “Clear Data”
• Additionally, clear data for “Download Manager”
• Note: First, backup everything in downloads folder

Method 3: Uninstall Play Store updates

This is another common fix for Google Play compatibility issues with an OS update. Many users of Android 5.0 Lollipop and Android 6.0 Marshmallow have employed the “uni nstalling Google Play Store update” method to fix various error codes.

• Go to Settings >> Apps >> All
• Scroll down and select “Google Play Store”
• Tap “Uninstall updates” >> OK
• Now update or download apps/games from Play Store

The Google Play Store app will be reverted to its original version and it will automatically update to the latest version as soon as you are online.

Method 4: Free storage space

Sometimes the error 18 may appear in Google Play Store if you have very low storage space in your device or microSD card. In such a case, do the following to free the internal or external storage:

• Uninstall unwanted games/apps
• Move all of the photos from your phone to your PC or external harddrive
• Delete system cache, junk files etc using apps like cleanmaster
• Move apps to SDc ard/external storage from app settings. If you have older operating systems you may not be able to do this.
• Wipe cache partition

Read more: How to fix low storage space error in Google Play Store

If all fails, you may have to factory reset your device. But first go to settings >> About>> System update and check if there is a new firmware available. Install the latest firmware for your Android device.

One of the above methods should work for most Android users. However, if you’ve found a better way to fix Google Play Store error code "-18", drop your valuable comment below.

How to fix DNS Server Not Responding Error in Chrome browser

The DNS Server Not Responding error is a Windows error that stops your from viewing webpages of certain websites on Chrome browser. You will have to refresh the webpage several times to make it load. This error can occur despite a good internet connection. So the first step in diagnosing this issue is to check your Wi-Fi or mobile data connection for internet access. The DNS Not responding Error occurs when your Windows Phone or Windows PC cannot connection to the Domain Name Server, which translates a website’s address to let you connect to the website. This can be caused by a server problem, in which case you can just wait for it to be resolved, or it can happened due to corrupt network settings. Here are some quick and easy methods to fix DNS Server Not Responding Error in Windows Chrome browser:

How to fix DNS Server Not Responding Error in Windows Phone or PC

Also used to fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET

The internet is filled with lots of solution and fixes for the DNS Server error, but here I am only posting the ones that have worked for most users.

Method 1: Flushing DNS

1. Press Window s key + R and type cmd and press Enter
2. Type ipconfig /flushdns
3. You will see a message that says Successfully Flushed the DNS Resolver Cache
Check to see if the problem resolved. If it still exists, try the method below.

Method 2: Edit DNS Server address in Network Settings

To manually setup the DNS address, follow these steps:

1. Press Windows key + R and type ncpa.cpl and press Enter
2. Right click on your network connection (Local Area Network or Wireless Network Connection) and select Properties.
3. In the Networking tab, you will see “This connection uses the following items:” list
• Click on “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)”
• Click on “Properties. A new box will pop up
• In General tab, select “Use the following DNS server addresses:”
• Set Preferred DNS Server to 208.67.222.222
• Set Alternate DNS Server to 208.67.220.220 (or 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4)
4. Check if the DNS Not responding error is fixed. If it still persists, set the Alternate DNS Sever to either 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4.

Network Properties: General Tab

Editing DNS Server Addresses in TCP/IPv4 

The above two methods have been the most effective for Windows users affected by the DNS Server Not Responding Error. Did you solve this error? Do you have other alternative methods or solutions for this error? Let us know in the comments.

How to safely disconnect the Samsung Galaxy S2 a USB connection

When youve connected your Samsung Galaxy S2 to a PC or laptop by USB and done all the stuff with either KIES or dragged and dropped all the stuff you need to do youll want to safely remove your phone from your computer. Usually to do this sort of thing you need to click something on your laptop however with the Galaxy S2 things are easier.

Instead of "safely" disconnecting you need to look at your phone and you will see a screen like the one on the left. If you click "Home" on the phone at this screen it will disconnect you from the PC connection. If you wish to leave the phone to charge you can leave the phone physically connected but outside of the "USB connection mode".

Samsung Galaxy S4 Powers Off When In Use

Samsung Galaxy S4 Powers Off When In Use.

Problem: My Galaxy S4 powers off while I am talking on it. It also power s off when I am texting and showing photos.I have changed batteries but it does not help.

Solution: Sometimes this problem could be caused by a glitch in the phone software. Try wiping the cache partition of your phone from the recovery mode then check if the issue still occurs. If it does then I suggest you backup your phone data then do a factory reset.

Fixed Error retrieving information from server RH 01

The Error retrieving information from server. [RH-01] is a server error that mostly affects custom ROMs like Cyanogenmod. It prevents users from updating or downloading any apps from the Play Store. While it’s rare, it may also affect stock android users. For custom ROM users a simple fix is to re-flash the GAPPs package and then wipe cache partition. For others, here are the methods to fix RH-01 error in Google Play Store:

Method 1: Check date/ time

Go to Settings >> Date & Time. If the automatic date and time + Time Zone are incorrect, you will need to manually set it. Uncheck “Automatic Date & Time” and set the correct date/time+time zone.
Now open try downloading an app or game in the Google Play Store.

Method 2: Clear Google Play Store Data

1. Go to Settings >> Apps (Application Manager) >> All
2. Scroll down and select “Google Play Store”
3. Tap “Force Stop” >> Select “Clear Data”
4. Again from Apps >> All >> Select “Google Service Framework”
5. Tap “Force Stop” >> “Clear Data”
6. Again try to download an app in the Play Store.

Method 3: Uninstall Google Play Updates

This is a common method to temporarily fix buggy Google Play updates by reverting the Play Store app to its factory/original version.

1. Go to Settings >> Apps >> All
2. Scroll down and select “Google Play Stores”
3. Tap “Force Store” >> Select “Uninstall Updates”

Method 4: Remove and add your Google account

For Method 4, follow the steps on this post: Fix Google Play Error RPC-S-5 RPC-S-7


Did any of the above methods fix “Error retrieving information from server RH-01” error mess age on your device? Leave us a comment and also suggest if you have a better solution.

Apple iPhone 6s Plus review Software overview 1

Apple iOS 9 - some new features, lots of potential

Sticking to its usual practices, Apple unveiled the new iOS 9 in June, but at that point it didnt cause too much excitement. Looking much like iOS 8 and bringing only a handful of new features, it didnt stay in the spotlight for long.

Now, a few months later things are different - the iOS 9 biggest update wasnt mentioned at the announcement for understandable reasons - its the support of the new 3D Touch display and the API that will be available to game and app developers. Depending on how it goes with the early adopters, this feature alone has the potential to alter the way we interact with our phones the same way the first capacitive display and the multi-touch gestures did.

The support for 3D Touch allows for another level of interaction, press the screen for a bit longer (and harder). This gets you access to extra actions and contextual options and we cant wait to see how say, game developers put that to use in the months to come. Well get back to examining Touch ID and its impact on iOS 9 in a short while, but first lets cover the basics of the new Apple platform.

iOS 9 brings a couple of new apps - News and Notes, while also enhancing Maps with public transit support. Mail and Messages got refreshed and theres a new system font. Meanwhile Siri got smarter, while Spotlight Search expanded its reach.

Visually iOS 9 looks the same as its predecessor. All of your apps are on the homescreen, you can group them in folders and there is the familiar dock that can take up to four shortcuts. System icons, color themes and transparency - everything is like we left it in iOS 8.

The lockscreen hasnt changed much either, but it now supports Live Photo wallpapers - they are either short animations or you can use one of thoseLive Photos that the iPhone 6s duo is capable of capturing. For the animation to activate, you need to press firmly on the screen, which is somewhat counterintuitive and we doubt it will be an oft used feature as nobody would really want to hard press the screen for 3 seconds just to see their lockscreen wallpaper move a bit.

     

The Control Center thats pulled up from the bottom of the screen keeps the same layout of toggles, shortcuts and media controls. The Notification Center drops from the top and features the same Today and Notification tabs. There are no new widgets or notification options.

The task-switcher interface loses its webOS flat cards look and opts for a cooler 3D carousel. Unfortunately, you are still able to only see just three apps, and it takes even more scrolling so were not quite happy with this change.

 

Straight Talk Galaxy Note 5 won’t recognize any SIM card plus other problems

1. Straight Talk Galaxy Note 5 won’t recognize any SIM card
2. How to check if Galaxy Note 5 is original
3. Galaxy Note 5 not reading a working SD card
4. Galaxy Note 5 hotspot not working
5. Galaxy Note 5 freezing, not updating, and showing intermittent errors

Looking for solutions about your #GalaxyNote5 issue? Our post today may give you an idea on what to do. We’ve published many other Note 5 posts before so don’t forget to check them too here.

PROBLEM #1: STRAIGHT TALK GALAXY NOTE 5 WON’T RECOGNIZE ANY SIM CARD

I’m having an issue that I believe it may be SIM related. Ok so I currently have a Galaxy Note 5 & my boyfriend has the same phone. We both got them at the same time. We originally were with T-Mobile but 3 months ago switched over to Straight Talk. We never have had any problems with the phones whatsoever until this morning when my boyfriend’s phone wouldn’t connect to a network. It just said searching where it would normally say Home, which is the name of the network.

So we’ve tried everything â€" restarting power off, wait, power back on, take SIM card out, put it back in, as well as turning mobile data off and on. Nothing has worked.

A few times after restarting phone it would say “Home” as if it were connected then, after maybe 1 second searching, sometimes the little triangle thing where it displays network bars would have no bars, just a little “x” in the bottom right corner. Occasionally it will say (no service) but most of the time say “searching”.

So I called Straight Talk but I don’t know if you are familiar with the service or not but they are so not helpful. There’s not even an actual store that you can go into so basically the guy had me on the phone and had me turn the off and on and restart it a bunch of times. He was completely silent the rest of the time. He pretty much said after about 20 min “well ma’am, the only solution I see is to send your SIM card in because it seems to me it’s an error with the SIM.” Well that would take 4 to 5 days and my boyfriend is a mobile mechanic so his phone being out of service for any amount of time is like out of question.

So after that, I had an idea. Seeing how we both have the same phone same service, same type of SIM, etc., I figured “Ok, let’s swap SIM cards and see if his reads on mine & mine reads on his because if so then we know it’s definitely not the SIM and the problem is something to do with the phone. So we did that & mine would not read on his phone. It did the same exact thing as it has been doing since this morning and his worked. He started getting notifications almost instantly. He made calls received calls, etc.

So, now my question is what the heck do you think could be going on? To me it†™s an even bigger issue now because it would have been a simple inexpensive fix to just buy a new SIM card if that were the problem. However I now am searching around the Internet trying to find anything and everything I can about this type of issue and I came across this and I’m really hoping you are able to help me out. I greatly appreciate it. â€" Nina

Solution: Hi Nina. The way we understand the situation is this: Your SIM card works fine on your phone while your boyfriend’s SIM card appears to be not working on his phone. So you swapped SIM cards and now your boyfriend’s SIM card works okay on your phone while your SIM card no longer works on his phone. That means that your boyfriend’s phone either has a hardware problem (probably a bad SIM card slot), or there’s a software glitch preventing it from reading the SIM card properly to be of use. What you want to do is perform a factory reset on your boyfriend’s phone to see if that will clear any software issue causing this trouble. Here’s how it’s done:

• Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
• Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
• Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
• Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
• The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
• Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Yes â€" delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
• When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
• The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

If factory reset won’t change anything, make sure to contact your wireless carrier to request for a phone replacement. Never attempt to replace the SIM card yourself, especially if the phone is still under warranty, to avoid voiding the warranty.

PROBLEM #2: HOW TO CHECK IF GALAXY NOTE 5 IS ORIGINAL

I bought it from eBay, it got delivered from Taiwan and it has dual SIM. The problem is that the front camera isn’t the same as i compared here in stor es. My phone has much more of a grey color. What can i do?? The submodel is SM-N9208

Is it possible that they build another camera in the Note from Taiwan? Or is Taiwan a trustfully place to buy a Note 5?

Should i go to a Samsung store and ask for help? i don’t know what to do or thing. Please help me the camera is very important for me. â€" Kristina

Solution: Hi Kristina. The SM-N9208, also known as Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Duos, is basically a Note 5 with additional SIM card slot. Everything should feel and look the similar if the two models will be placed side by side. If you notice any dissimilarities like the size and shape of the camera, that may suggest that you have yourself a good knock off. This is not the sole indicator in spotting an imitation though. Try comparing the photos taken from both devices to see any difference. Cheaply manufactured phones tend to use low quality camera and screen photo quality and appearance should be apparent.

You can also check the phone’s IMEI number via the hidden service code. Simply dial *#06# and check the IMEI number against know IMEI databases like this site.

If the website shows your phone information, it means that your phone is original. Otherwise, your phone is probably a fake.

PROBLEM #3: GALAXY NOTE 5 NOT READING A WORKING SD CARD

Hello, I’m having a puzzling issue and was hoping you could help!

About a week ago my SD card in my Samsung Galaxy Note 5 stopped working. Initially an error came up saying it unexpectedly was removed then it just disappeared all together. When I go to storage in my settings it doesn’t even say there’s a card there. Now, I also have a Blackberry and decided to throw the Lexar class 10 32GB card in there and it worked just fine. I’ve had this phone for months and the card has never given me problems â€" until now.

The card isn’t damaged, dirty or broken. The SD card slot in my phone isn’t damaged, broken or dirty, either. I’m totally puzzled why it would just stop working out of the blue.

I wiped my system cache and restarted the phone. Nothing works. My last ditch effort will be to reset the phone to factory â€" but I really do not want to have to do that.

Have you ran into this problem before? Any idea what I could possibly do to solve this incredibly annoying issue?

Thanks â€" much appreciated. â€" Brenden

Solution: Hi Brenden. We hear of this issue happening on all sorts of smartphones (both Android and non-Android) so if you don’t want to proceed to doing a factory reset straight away, you can do two things first â€" reformat the SD card and boot the phone in safe mode.

The first one is to ensure that the SD card is fresh when inserted into your Note 5. The second on the other hand is to help you narrow down the possible causes. There’s a chance that a third party application may have created a conflict with the OS resulting to this problem. Restarting your Note 5 in safe mode is a good way to verify that. For reference, these are the steps how to do it:

• Turn off the phone completely.
• Press and hold the Power key.
• Once ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
• The phone will restart but keep the Volume Down button pressed.
• Once the phone has finished restarting, ‘Safe mode’ will be display in the lower-left corner of the screen.
• You may now release the Volume Down button.

If the issue remains after doing the two procedures above, make sure that you do a factory reset.

PROBLEM #4: GALAXY NOTE 5 HOTSPOT NOT WORKING

Greetings. I have been normally using hotspot until recently when I was using Samsung S5. However now, I’m unable to use hotspot on my Samsung Note 5 phone even though my data plan includes up to 8GB hotspot service. Every time I tap the tethering and hotspot , a message pops up saying , ‘Mobile data not available or invalid SIM’. I contacted my service provider  if there is a problem with the data plan and the answer I was given was my plan includes hotspot. I also navigate with customer service care to troubleshoot the problem but it was to no avail. I personally browsed Internet to look into techn iques to fix this problem, but my effort bred nothing either. Can you help me how to fix this issue?

Thanks. â€" Gegzi

Solution: Hi Gegzi. Was your phone provided by your current service provider or did you buy it separately and inserted your old SIM card to it? If it’s the former, try the basic software troubleshooting and solutions like booting in safe mode, wiping the cache partition, or factory reset.

If the phone was purchased separately though, the answer may lie on the firmware restriction. Unless the Note 5 is an international version, this phone may be running a firmware that prevents hotspot service. Hotspot is a value added service and most carriers lock this feature unless the account using the device subscribes to the said service. If you have an unlocked Note 5 from another carrier, try rooting the device so you can use apps that allows hotspot to work.

PROBLEM #5: GALAXY NOTE 5 FREEZING, NOT UPDATING, AND SHOWING INTERMITTENT ERRORS

Hi. I hope this email finds you doing well. I am writing in regards to an issue I’ve experienced with my Samsung Note 5. I am on AT&T and run Nova Launcher, just for background information.

A few days ago I noticed that my phone was freezing up to where I would have to restart it because I couldn’t activate the screen by touching it. I also have intermittently gotten errors that my apps are not responding, then Nova Launcher will stop responding, forcing me to restart my phone. Since this started there have been a few times where I have had no reception in my house for no reason, and text messages and notifications have been delayed for hours.

Last n ight my clock even stopped updating so when I woke up it still said 11:58 PM and I had to restart the phone. Sometimes my phone works fine, but then after a while it ends up freezing up. I haven’t downloaded any new apps recently.  I’m hoping to avoid doing a factory reset if possible because I have text messages I would like to save. I wondered if you could help me figure out what is wrong with my phone.  Thank you in advance for your time. Thanks. â€" Ashley

Solu tion: Hi Ashley. We understand that doing a factory reset can be a hassle but it appears to be the only effective solution in your case. Your phone may be hosting a virus or malware at this time. The symptoms you mention here are consistent with a virus infection/malware infection problem so unless you want to go through the same problem everyday, we say doing a factory reset is your best chance to restore the normal functions of your Note device.

Sure you can try other software solutions like booting in safe mode (steps provided above) and wiping the cache partition but we doubt they’ll do anything about the problem. Just in case you want to try wiping the cache partition, here are steps to do that:

• Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
• Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
• Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
• Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
• The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
• Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
• When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
• The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

Among the issues that may be fixed by this procedure are:

• Phone got stuck in the logo during boot up
• Device entered the boot loop or can’t boot up successfully
• Phone randomly reboots after an update
• Device can’t get out of Safe Mode
• Phone always freezes, lags, or becomes unresponsive from time to time

---

ENGAGE WITH US

< div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: PT Serif, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6px; line-height: 28.16px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you are one of the users who encounters a problem with your device, let us know. We offer solutions for Android-related problems for free so if you have an issue with your Android device, simply send MSG in this FB Page and we will try to publish our answers in the next posts. We cannot guarantee a quick response so if your issue is time sensitive, please find another way to resolve your problem. 

When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

If you find this post helpful, please help us by spreading the word to your friends. TheDroidGuy has social network presence as well so you may want to interact with our community in our Facebook and Google+ pages.