Android Marshmallow update bricks a Galaxy Note 5, other issues

More and more Samsung Galaxy devices, including the #GalaxyNote5, are receiving the Marshmallow update. Although the majority of users generally find the new Android OS fun and exciting, some are also encountering issues. Some of these issues are mentioned in this post.

1. Galaxy Note 5 not receiving all MMS from iPhones
2. Galaxy Note 5 won’t charge and overheats when charging
3. Android Marshmallow update bricks a Galaxy Note 5
4. Galaxy Note 5 UI is not responding
5. Galaxy Note 5 lag, freezing, and touchscreen problems
6. “System UI has stopped” error after updating Galaxy Note 5 to Marshmallow

PROBLEM #1: GALAXY NOTE 5 NOT RECEIVING ALL MMS FROM IPHONES

Hi, I recently purchased a Galaxy Note 5 (I’ve had an iPhone all my life) and I’m having some issues receiving pictures (solely pictures, and not always) on this new phone.

The people that complain to me about this are all iPhone users (may be a coincidence). Most recently I was told that the iPhone would not send the pictures, but rather gives the user the red exclamation point next to the picture in the text. I obviously have no idea of this on my end, as I never receive the pictures. The strange part is that sometimes I can get pictures, and other times I don’t get them, even if it’s sent from the same person.

At first I noticed it predominantly on group messages (2 iPhones and my Note 5). Both iPhones can see the pictures in the group message, but I get nothing on my end. But once again, this is not always the case. Sometimes I CAN receive the pictures in a group message with the same 2 iPhones and my Note 5.

I already called Apple and had my account removed from the iMessage service. This resolved the text message issue that everyone comments on, but not the picture issue.

Any ideas?  Absolutely anything will help. Thank you so much in advance! Let me know if I can clear anything up. — Joen

Solution: Hi Joen. We’ve heard of conflicts between Android phones and iPhones all the time but the particular issue you’re describing here. You must  try to narrow down the potential causes of the problem first. You can start by calling your wireless carrier technical support team (not their customer support or billing team) so they can give you advice. There may be some network issues that prevents those messages from your friends to be sent or received properly. We doubt you’ll get much help from your carrier in this regard but it is worth giving it a shot.

Another good thing to look into is the messaging app you’re using. Make sure that it’s in top shape by wiping its cache and data. You can do that by following these steps:

• Go to Settings.
• Proceed to Applications.
• Select Manage Applications.
• Tap the All tab.
• Choose the name of the app that has been going rogue.
• From there, you will see the Clear Cache and Clear Data buttons.

If deleting the cache and data won’t resolve the problem, consider using other third party messaging app.

PROBLEM #2: GALAXY NOTE 5 WON’T CHARGE AND OVERHEATS WHEN CHARGING

I’ve bought a new Galaxy Note 5 that worked fine until it completely shut off. It was charging fine with an old charger that came with it until I used the phone until it completely died out (0%). Now, that’s where the problem began.

I can’t charge the phone or boot it and is completely unresponsive. A screen that just reads “0%” or “1hr 44 Min Until Fully Charged” just pops up every time I attempt to re charge it then the screen turns blank. Holding the power button only gives it a slight attempt to flash a Lightning charging symbol along with the bottom buttons then it goes blank. No rebooting methods work. I’ve tried everything. Phone worked fine until I used it all the way to 0%. And when I did charge it via USB the back was very hot and still was unresponsive with the (0%) / “1 Hour 44 Min Until Fully Charged. — Dee

Solution: Hi Dee. You must leave the phone charged for at least 30 minutes if the battery has been fully depleted. If nothing changes after 30 minutes/or if the phone becomes uncomfortably hot during charging, there may be a hardware problem behind the trouble. Keep in mind that your phone won’t charge if the ambient temperature is beyond what the device can tolerate. Your phone is equipped with a heat sensor to do this. That may be the reason why the phone is not charging in the first place. Overheating can be due to a faulty hardware or a shorted component inside.

If your phone remains unresponsive and won’t charge, don’t hesitate to call Samsung or the relevant party so it can be repaired or replaced.

PROBLEM #3: ANDROID MARSHMALLOW UPDATE BRICKS A GALAXY NOTE 5

Upgrading to Marshmallow basically bricked my phone. I can no longer charge regularly (wall plug, car charger or USB), can’t connect it via USB to any computer, can’t run any apps for more than 30 seconds without the VR pop-up, get an error every time I try to install the VR software.  I am still able to make calls, but that is basically it.

If I leave the phone plugged in all day, it will charge very very gradually. I did two full wipes of the phone, and started it “as a new device” and the problems persisted. I brought it to Verizon, and their solution was to send me a new phone, which I should be receiving in the mail today. I am just hoping that it doesn’t come pre-loaded with Marshmallow so I can put off upgrading until these issues are fixed.

Edited to include one other issue. The phone continuously thinks it is connecting to USB even when it isn’t. It turns on the screen and does that little semi-circle animation around the bottom of the screen every 5-10 seconds when not connected to anything. It also pops up continuously with a message that is along the lines of “this charger is not compatible” when connected to nothing. — Jason

Solution: Hi Jason. We are still gathering issues about the new Android Marshmallow and so far the only effective solutions we know at this time includes wiping the cache partition and doing a factory reset. If these two solutions did not work in your device, you made the right call of asking for a replacement phone.

A major Android update like transitioning from Lollipop to Marshmallow is potentially risky due to a number of reasons. Even if the carrier-branded Marshmallow version is properly coded, conflicts can still happen if you have apps not yet optimized to work with the new operating system. Updating the operating system does not mean apps are also updated to work with it. Try doing another round of factory reset and observe how the new operating system works without any apps for a few hours. That way you will know if the pop ups and other issues you mention show up or not. If nothing positive turns out, getting a replacement may be the only chance you got at this time.

PROBLEM #4: GALAXY NOTE 5 UI IS NOT RESPONDING

Well my UI is not responding. I have had 4 replacement device and each one is still the same issue I face after about 2-3 months.

I have done clearing the cache and holding the volume key along with power key an all the above that’s been instructed to do by both parties — the carrier and the device maker.

I need an answer ASAP. Getting a device on this Thursday or Friday and would love to have a resolution by the time I received my new device. Hopefully you can help or come up with a solution ASAP which would be most  grateful for in to getting this corrected.

Again I really hope you can respond to me I’m desperate in your communication for this matter hope you understand this is critical to me. —Everso_humbled

Solution: Hi Everso_humbled. If you keep experiencing the same type of problem on all 4 phones, the solution may not be getting a replacement again. Performance problems on Android devices are sometimes not caused by bad hardware but by many reasons including virus/malware infection, bad apps, low memory storage, faulty SD card, to name a few. To narrow down the causes, we recommend that you do the basic software troubleshooting like deleting the cache partition, restarting the phone in safe mode, or performing a factory reset. For easy reference, below are the  exact steps how these procedures are done.

How to delete a Note 5 cache partition

Regardless whether an app is a pre-installed one or third-party (downloaded), once it crashes the first thing you have to do is clear its cache and data. More often, these files get corrupted so you need to get the system create a new cache. Deleting the data files, however, will reset the app back to its default settings and delete all data accumulated over time.

• From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
• Find and tap Settings.
• Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
• Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
• Find and tap the app that has issues.
• Touch Clear cache to delete its cached files.
• Touch Clear data and then OK to delete downloaded data, login information, settings, etc.

This procedure will fix the following problems:

• App crashes
• Freezing and lagging apps
• Random shut downs and reboots due to app incompatibility
• Sluggish apps
• Other conflicts brought by the new system after a firmware update

How to boot a Note 5 in safe mode

Safe Mode is the first fail-safe procedure you can use to diagnose a problem. Once the device has booted up in this mode, all third-party or downloaded apps would be temporarily disabled leaving pre-installed and core services running.

• 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.

How to perform a Note 5 Factory Reset

If the first two procedures won’t work, make sure that you do a factory reset. It wipes your phone’s internal storage and restores default settings of pre-installed apps and operating system. It almost always work wonders. 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 — 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.

PROBLEM #5: GALAXY NOTE 5 LAG, FREEZING, AND TOUCHSCREEN PROBLEMS

Hi. I have some issues on my Samsung Note 5 and am hoping that you could give me some insights on it.

Recently, my phone has encountered a massive lag and freezes and this is the first time it happened. It disrupts my text messages by freezing from time to time, and the touch screen seems to malfunction. Sometimes when I got a call from another party, which then i would fail to pick up the call. I tried to restart my phone, remove the external SD card but the problem still persist.

There’s quite a number of applications in my phone, and there’s thousands of photos and quite a number of videos in my Gallery and camera applications.

I check for updates regularly, and will update it if there’s a new one available. Do you know what may be the problem?

Best regards. — Javier

Solution: Hi Javier. The symptoms you mention here can come from a software or hardware issue. A good course of action though is to do the basic software solutions first. If they won’t provide any good result, you can safely assume that a hardware trouble is to blame. Basically, you want to wipe the cache partition, boot the phone in safe mode, or do a factory reset (steps provided above).

The touchscreen malfunction is strong indicator of a hardware problem so if the software solutions seem to be ineffective, don’t hesitate to have the phone checked.

 PROBLEM #6: “SYSTEM UI HAS STOPPED” ERROR AFTER UPDATING GALAXY NOTE 5 TO MARSHMALLOW

The problem started after an week of upgrading to Marshmallow, which I received as a software update message. Error message popped as stating “System UI has stopped”.

I restarted my phone but no change. After searching for some solution on Google, I trieď to reset all the apps preferences and it worked fine till the time my switched off and on again. When switched on, it hanged on Samsung screen, and never started.

I tried to wipe cache partition, I tried rebooting; nothing worked. I tried factory reset and it worked. The phone started but the same system error with no apps in it. I factory reseted again and now the phone started with black wallpaper, no status bar, no back option. I gave to service centre they said its a software issue wait till you get full marshmallow upgrade from htc it may take months. Now I have this useless phone with me with not even moving forward from htc one m8 death screen Please help. — Dimple

Solution: Hi Dimple. Please refer to the solutions we provide for Jason and Everso_humbled above.

http://pinkberrylicious.blogspot.com /2016/03/android-marshmallow-problems-and.html" target="_blank">Android Marshmallow problems and solutions

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

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