Whether you have been using Samsung Galaxy S4 android smartphone from a long time or even if you have just purchased it, this Samsung Galaxy S4 troubleshooting guide can be your exclusive phone troubleshooting resource. If you are frustrated with the glitches of this android phone, then continue reading our detailed step-by-step troubleshooting guide to find out how you can fix some of most common problems faced by Samsung Galaxy S4 users.
1. Samsung Galaxy S4 Smart Screen Not Working
Galaxy S4 smart screen was one of the most advertised features of Samsung Galaxy S4 and smart rotation, smart stay, smart pause and smart scroll were all designed to adjust your phone’s display according to the movement of your face and eyes. However, a lot of users have complained that these features are not working properly and if you have enabled any of these options from Smart screen in the Settings app, then this solution might fix your problem.
Solution to Galaxy S4 Smart Screen Issue
There are not any software problems in this area and the most likely reasons why Smart screen might not be working on your phone is lighting of the room. The phone’s front camera needs sufficient lighting in order to detect your face and your eyes. If the room is too dark, then chances are your phone will not detect your face. In order to check this, you can go outside during the day and use the Smart screen feature.
2. Wi-Fi Not Connecting Or Network Connection Keeps Dropping
This is another common problem experienced by many Samsung Galaxy S4 phone users. Either phone’s Wi-Fi connection does not connect properly or network connection keeps dropping even after establishing a successful Internet connection. Also, network speed might be really low when the Wi-Fi is connected. If other computing devices are working fine in your Wi-Fi connection range, then there is definitely a problem with your Samsung Galaxy S4 Android device. The solutions mentioned below might fix this issue.
Solution 1 – Restart Phone Router to fix Wi-Fi Connection Issue on Galaxy S4
A simple router restart might solve the issue. Also, you can try disabling Wi-Fi and enabling it back through the Quick settings toggle. This might fix the issue.
Solution 2 – Set Wi-Fi On during Sleep Option to Always
Go to Connections in the Settings app and select Wi-Fi. Go to Advanced and set the Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep option to Always.
Solution 3 – Turn off Wi-Fi Power Save Mode
Dial *#0011# in the Dialer app, go to Menu, select Wi-Fi and turn off Wi-Fi Power Save Mode.
3. Samsung Galaxy S4 Overheating Problem
While overheating is a known problem on many Android smartphones, it is quite common in Samsung Galaxy S4. Almost all the Android smartphones overheat, if you are multitasking heavily or playing HD games on them. While Android phone’s overheating is quite normal in such cases, it should not happen all the time. If your Samsung Galaxy S4 is overheating all the time even when you are using it lightly, then there is definitely a problem with your smarphone and the solutions mentioned below are most likely to fix this problem of overheating.
Solution 1 – Update all Third Party Apps to Latest Version
Make sure that all your third-party apps are up to date. You can update them through the Google Play Store. In this way if an Android app has a bug it might be resolved through latest phone updates. If the overheating started after you installed a third-party app, then chances are that app is causing the problem. Uninstall the app and find an alternative app on Google Play Store.
Solution 2 – Format microSD Card to Fix Android Overheating Issue
Your microSD card might also be the culprit. In order to check whether the microSD is causing your android phone to overheat, format the card and delete everything off it. Make sure that you backup your microSD card on your PC before formatting it.
Solution 3 – Get Latest Software Update from Samsung to Fix Overheating Issue
Update your phone with the latest software release. This might be a software bug and Samsung might have fixed it in the latest software update.
Solution 4 – Get Your Android Phone Hardware Checked at Samsung Service Center
If the above solutions didn’t work, then this might be due to some hardware issue in your Android phone. In this case, contact Samsung Service center or your local mobile repair shop in order to get your Samsung Galaxy S4 repaired.
4. Poor Battery Life in Samsung Galaxy S4
While a poor battery life is a problem across various Android phones, you might be facing an issue if your smartphone’s battery drains really quick even when you are not using the phone. If you are playing games and watching videos constantly, then a lower battery life is definitely normal.
Solution 1 – Remove Android Apps Which Are Not Used Frequently
Go to Battery in the settings app and view the battery graph along with the listed phone apps which are consuming the most battery juice. If it is a third-party app that you are not using, then it might be running in the background causing the battery drain. Uninstall the app if you don’t need it.
Solution 2 – Enable Power Saving to Save Battery
Enable Power saving through your Quick settings panel to save battery.
Solution 3 – Reduce Screen Timeout and Reduce Display Brightness
Reduce Screen timeout and lower the display brightness from the Display menu in your Settings app. Keeping a full brightness level will drain a lot of battery juice. You can also checkout some of the best Android battery saver apps if none of these options work to fix your Samsung Galaxy S4 poor battery performance issue.
5. Fix Lag Issue in Samsung Galaxy S4
As the latest Android phones come with top-notch hardware, you can think of lag as a problem of the past and an Android smartphone like Samsung Galaxy S4 should not lag because of its premium hardware. You might face some lag issue, if you are multitasking your Android phone quite heavily but if your phone is lagging even when you are not using any power-hungry apps, then the solutions below might fix your lag issue in Galaxy S4.
Solution 1 – Select Animation is off in Window Animation Scale
Go to Developer options in the Settings app and set Window animation, Transition animation and Animator duration scales to Animation is off. If you can’t see Developer options in the Settings app, go to About device in the Settings app and keep tapping on Build number until you see a pop-up message.
Solution 2 – Set Unlock Effect to None
Go to the My device tab in the Settings app, tap on Lock screen and change Unlock effect to None.
Solution 3 – Disable Open via the home key Option in S Voice Settings
The lag in your Galaxy S4 might also be a result of the S Voice shortcut. Double tap the Home key to launch S Voice, go to Settings and disable the Open via the home key option.
6. Screen Ghosting And Smearing Problem in Galaxy S4
A lot of Samsung Android phone users are facing the screen ghosting and smearing issue on their smartphones and this problem occurs mostly when browsing through something with a black background. The problem can also be noticed when the brightness of the phone is turned down. While an Over The Air update has already fixed the pink and red tint issue, the ghosting and smearing problem isn’t totally fixed in Samsung Galaxy S4.
Solution 1 – Increase Brightness Level to Fix Screen Ghosting and Smearing
Try increasing the brightness. The problem might be a lot less noticeable with a higher brightness level.
Solution 2 – Install Third Party Screen Adjusting App on Galaxy S4
Use a third-party screen adjusting app from the Google Play store in order to change the contrast.
7. Samsung Galaxy S4 Shows SIM Card Removed Error
Some of the Samsung Galaxy S4 users have reported a SIM Card Removed error on their smartphones even when the SIM card is inserted perfectly in place. The phone might not recognize the SIM card at all or the phone connection may be dropping every once in a while.
Solution 1 – Reinsert SIM Card after Cleaning
Remove the SIM card from your phone, clean it and put it back in. Dust might be causing this issue.
Solution 2 – Check your Phone SIM Card for Physical Damage
Try another SIM card on your phone. If it works fine, then your original SIM card is damaged. Ask your carrier to give you a new SIM card.
Solution 3 – Get Your Samsung Galaxy S4 Checked by a Phone Technician
If another SIM card doesn’t work as well, then this might be a hardware issue and you’ll need to get your phone repaired from your local mobile store.
8. Problem With Gallery And Camera Apps in Galaxy S4
A lot of Samsung Galaxy S4 users have reported that the Camera app and the Gallery app are either not working or crashing randomly on their smartphones. Some users have also reported that the Camera app is not taking pictures while the Gallery app is not showing all the photos stored on the phone.
Solution 1 – Clear Cache and Clear Data in Camera Settings
Go to Application manager in the Settings app, select Camera and tap on Clear cache and Clear data. Do the same with the Gallery app.
Solution 2 – Remove MicroSD Card from Android Phone
Try removing the MicroSD card and using the apps. This might fix the issue.
Solution 3 – Try using Third Party Camera App on Your Smartphone
Some users have had success with using a third-party Camera app from Google Play Store even if they remove the app later on.
Solution 4 – Get Your Smartphone Scanned for Hardware Issues
If the third-party camera app is not working as well, then this might be a hardware issue on your Samsung Galaxy S4 and you will need to get it fixed from your local phone store or an authorised Samsung service center.
9. Galaxy S4 Facing Low Storage Space Issue
You might be disappointed if you have a 16 GB Galaxy S4 because there is only 8.5 GB of free storage space. It is just slightly over half of the total storage available in Samsung Galaxy 4.
Solution 1 – Add MicroSD Card to Increase External Phone Memory
Get a microSD card to increase your Android phone’s storage capacity. You can also use cloud storage options in order to save your phone data, such as Google Drive.
Solution 2 – Root Your Samsung Galaxy S4 to Free System Space
Root your Galaxy S4 for removing some of the bloatware on the phone in order to free up some storage space. You can read our guide on how to root Samsung Galaxy S4.
10. Random Reboots Problem in Galaxy S4
This is another very common problem faced by many Galaxy S4 phone users. The smartphone reboots at its own at random frequencies. Some of the below mentioned solutions may help you fix this issue of random reboots in Samsung Galaxy S4.
Solution 1 – Get the Latest Software Update for Galaxy S4
Update your phone. Some users have reported that the problem was fixed after a software update.
Solution 2 – Update all Third Party Apps Installed on your Android Phone
Update your third-party apps. This can be done through the Google Play Store app.
Solution 3 – Remove a particular Third Party App
If the problem of random reboots in your Galaxy S4 started recently, then the installation of a third-party app might be an issue. Remove any third-party apps that you have recently installed on your smartphone and check whether the problem still exists in your phone. You can also boot your phone in Safe Mode and if the problem goes away, then chances are that a third-party app was causing the issue. In order to boot your smartphone in Safe Mode, turn on your phone using the power button. Hold the Volume Down key simultaneously for as long as the Samsung logo appears on screen while your phone boots. Do not release any of the buttons until your phone fully boots up in Safe Mode. You can read my guide on how to turn off Safe Mode in Android device once you are done.
Solution 4 – Remove MicroSD Card to Fix Random Boots in Samsung Galaxy S4
Remove the microSD card from your Samsung Galaxy S4 and check whether the problem still exists.
Conclusion
While the latest Android phones come with premium hardware and software, no phone is flawless and there are bugs and glitches in almost all the Android phone devices. Samsung Galaxy S4 is no different and even though Samsung released several software updates since the phone first came out, there are still some problems which are still experienced by the users of this smartphone.. If you are tired of facing these Android phone problems and planning to buy a new Android based smartphone, use this Samsung Galaxy S4 problems and troubleshooting guide to help yourself out. The list might not include all the problems faced by Galaxy S4 users, but it does includes some of the most common problems faced by Samsung Galaxy S4 users . If you feel that I have left out a problem that many users are facing on their Galaxy S4 or if you have any questions, feel free to mention it in the comments section below. Installing custom ROMs may also help you overcome some basic Android phone problems, so feel free to read about our best custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S4.
