It’s easy to fall in love with the Galaxy S6. Samsung’s design is refined, there’s plenty of raw power under the hood, and the feature list is impressive. But as wonderful as it is, you can still find flaws. We’ve been gathering user feedback, checking out complaints, and searching for solutions to the biggest Galaxy S6 problems. Here’s what we’ve got so far: Updated on 11-11-2015 by Robert Nazarian : Added problems with performance, overheating, auto screen rotation, Bluetooth connectivity, and auto brightness. Related: -20 awesome Galaxy S6 tips and tricks Click on a problem-or go to the next page: Problem: Refreshing and restarting apps Issue: Battery life is poor Glitch: Wi-Fi slow, won’t connect or drops Problem: Signal strength is weak Issue: GPS not accurate Problem: Won’t turn on Bug: Flash always on Glitch: Fingerprint scanner not working Issue: Screen sensitivity Problem: Persistent pop-up Glitch: Unfortunately, Contacts has stopped. Problem: Call volume too low Glitch: Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped Bug: Missing quick toggle for mobile data Problem: Email not working properly Problem: Performance is slow Problem: Overheating issues Issue: Screen won’t auto rotate Glitch: Bluetooth connectivity issues Problem: Auto brightness turns off First problem: Refreshing and restarting apps Problem: Refreshing and restarting apps There has been quite a bit of chatter about the Galaxy S6 having poor memory management. A lot of people are irritated to find apps refreshing when they return to them, or apps closing by themselves, despite the device apparently having free RAM. The S6 has 3GB of RAM, and you can get a snapshot of what’s in use by opening up Smart Manager and tapping on the RAM. The cause of the problem is unclear, but you can still try a few things: Workarounds : It’s a good idea for general performance and battery life to disable or uninstall any app you aren’t using regularly. Facebook and Facebook Messenger are known memory hogs. If you can live without them, it will probably make a discernible difference. Use another launcher. TouchWiz is better than it used to be, but it can still be pretty demanding. The Google Now Launcher or the Nova Launcher might help. Potential solutions : This could be some kind of bug in the software. Samsung will roll out updates to alleviate issues like this, if it can, so keep an eye on Settings > About device > Software update > Update now . Next problem: Battery life is poor Issue: Battery life is poor The 2,550mAh-rated battery in the Galaxy S6 is not the biggest battery on the block, and a number of users are having issues with poor battery performance. The phone is quick to charge, but it’s also quick to drain, and a lot of people are not making it through the day without a top-up. The fact that there’s no removable battery makes this a bigger issue for some people. Workarounds : Start by turning off features that you aren’t using, and set the screen brightness as low as you can without making it tough to read. You can check out more general battery saving tips-for the basics. Background syncing is likely to be causing a lot of battery drain. Do you need all that syncing? Check in Settings > Accounts, and turn off anything you really don’t need to sync in the background. Remember that this stuff will still sync when you check it. Some people report an improvement after switching off VoLTE or Wi-Fi calling. It will depend on your carrier whether these are available on your S6, but it’s worth checking. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi > More and turn Smart Network Switch -off. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi > More > Advanced and turn Always Allow Scanning off. Some people report that connecting to a Wi-Fi router on 2.4GHz instead of 5GHz reduces battery drain. Your connection won’t be quite as fast, but it might be a trade-off worth making. Head into Settings > Battery, and you’ll find a Power saving mode that can really boost your battery life. However, there is a cost in terms of reduced brightness, vibration, and performance. Ultra power saving mode is only really suitable for emergencies, because it severely limits your S6 functionality. Consider getting a portable battery charger-as a backup. Potential solutions : Take a look in Settings > Battery and check out Battery usage . You can find power-guzzling apps and replace them, or try to reduce their consumption by turning off notifications. Go to Settings > Application manager and run through the list on the All tab. Any app you don’t use, tap on it, and Uninstall or Disable it. You may as well try wiping your cache partition — It can help sometimes, and it certainly won’t do any harm. Turn your S6 off, then hold down Power , Volume up , and Home together. You’ll get the recovery menu, and you can use the Volume buttons to highlight wipe cache partition, -and then hit the Power button to select it. When it’s done, you want to highlight reboot system now with the Volume buttons, and then press Power to select it. Next problem: Wi-Fi slow, won’t connect or drops Glitch: Wi-Fi slow, won’t connect or drops A lot of people run into problems with Wi-Fi when they get a new phone, and the Galaxy S6 is no exception. There are a lot of potential causes of a Wi-Fi problem. You might find that the connection is slow, maybe it simply won’t connect, or maybe it keeps dropping the connection at random. Potential solutions : Turn your S6 and your router off, and then turn them on again. This often works, but it’s rarely a permanent fix. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, -long press on your troublesome router, then tap Forget network , and try setting it up from scratch. If you’re connecting to 5GHz and there’s a 2.4GHz option, try switching to see if it makes a difference. Use a free app like Wifi Analyzer to make sure that your channels aren’t too crowded. If you find that you’re using a busy channel, then try switching — It could make a huge difference. Check that the MAC filter on your router is off or add your Galaxy S6 MAC address. You should find it listed in Settings > Wi-Fi > More > Advanced . Make sure that Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep is set to Always . You’ll find it in Settings > Wi-Fi > More > Advanced . Make sure that your router firmware is up to date. Check with your ISP or manufacturer about updates. Next problem: Signal strength is weak Problem: Signal strength is weak A few Galaxy S6 owners have been complaining about terrible signal strength and frequent dropped calls. There appears to be a major issue for people on Sprint specifically, but some people with other carriers have also had problems. Potential solutions : Go to Settings > Mobile networks > Network mode and switch to CDMA/LTE , if you’re on Sprint or Verizon. If you’re with a different carrier, then Global might work better. For some Sprint users switching to CDMA only actually resulted in a faster, more stable connection than they could get with LTE. This could be because your local tower is being upgraded. If this is the case for you, then you’ll also want to complain to Sprint about it. Next problem: GPS not accurate Issue: GPS not accurate Most people are finding that the GPS on the Galaxy S6 is excellent, but a few people are having trouble getting accurate positioning. There are reports that it keeps losing the lock, and some fitness apps that track runs are returning odd results. Start by going into Settings > Location , make sure it’s on, and set to High accuracy . Potential solutions : If you have Power saving mode turned on in Settings > Battery, then try turning it off. Now turn your Galaxy S6 off and on again. Go into any app that you are using GPS with, via Settings > Application manager, and tap Clear cache . To determine if you have a real fault, try installing the free GPS Test app. Ideally, compare results with another phone that also has the app running. If it’s not picking up the same satellites, then it may be a hardware fault. Contact Samsung, your carrier, or your retailer to ask about a replacement. You could try a factory reset. Backup everything first, and go to Settings > Backup & reset > Reset device > Erase everything . Now be careful about what you install afterwards, and take note of any app that impacts your GPS performance. Next problem: Won’t turn on Problem: Won’t turn on Some people have gotten a scare when their Galaxy S6 refused to turn on. Don’t panic. There’s probably an easy way around this. Potential solutions : Hold down the Power button for a good ten seconds and you should see the S6 reboot and come to life. Try plugging it in with the original charger and cable it shipped with and leave for at least half an hour, then try holding down the Power button for ten seconds again. See if you can get the recovery menu to come up by holding down the Power , Home , and Volume up buttons together until you see the Android mascot onscreen. Highlight reboot system now using the Volume buttons, and use Power to select it. If your Galaxy S6 still won’t turn on, then it’s time to contact your carrier, retailer, or Samsung. Next problem: Flash always on Bug: Flash always on A few Samsung Galaxy S6 owners reported an issue where the LED flash seemed to be constantly on. It wasn’t full brightness, but looking at it in a dark room it was possible to discern a faint light coming from the LED flash. This sparked natural concerns about it draining the battery as well. Solution : Samsung is aware of this problem and has worked out a solution, which should reach you as an OTA update. You can check in Settings > About device > Software updates . There is no other known fix for this problem. Next problem: Fingerprint scanner not working Glitch: Fingerprint scanner not working There have been a lot of reports of problems with the fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S6. Several owners are reporting that the scanner has stopped recognizing their fingerprints, though it may have been working fine before, and they can’t get access to the phone. If you can’t remember your backup password, there are other ways to get access. Workarounds : After it fails a few times, you should get the option to sign in with your Google account. Apparently, this might not work if you have 2-step Verification turned on. You’ll need to access your Google account on another device in order to turn it off. You’ll find it under My Account > Sign-in & security . Once that’s off, enter the details on your S6 and you should be able to unlock the phone. If you signed up and remember the details, then head to Samsung’s Find My Mobile website. You can use the Unlock my screen feature to get access. You could factory reset your S6, but this will completely wipe all data on the phone, so it’s really a last resort. If you want to do it, then start by turning the S6 off. Now press and hold the Power , Home , and Volume up buttons together until you see the Android mascot onscreen. Use the Volume down button to highlight wipe data/factory reset and the Power button to select it. Choose reboot system now when it’s done and set your S6 up from scratch. Potential solutions : Before you try the workarounds, it’s worth holding down the Power button for ten seconds to get the Galaxy S6 to restart. Try the fingerprint scanner again when the S6 comes back on. Wipe the scanner with a clean cloth. Try pressing firmly and, if that doesn’t work, try pressing very lightly. If you set it up without a case on your S6, and then put a case on, it could be affecting the scanner. Try removing it and see if it makes a difference. If you do manage to gain access, then go to Settings > Lock screen and security > Fingerprints and make sure that you add new fingerprints and delete the old problem ones. Make sure that you move your finger around to cover different angles when you are adding new fingerprints and use all four slots to maximize your chances of it working. Next problem: Screen sensitivity Issue: Screen sensitivity Quite a few reports have surfaced about problems with the Galaxy S6 screen sensitivity. Most people are finding that it isn’t always registering touches, seemingly at random. A few people have found that specific areas of the screen seem to be worse than others. You can test by typing *#0*# into the dialer. Potential solutions : Start by turning it off and on again. If you’re using a case or a screen protector, then it may be worth taking them off to see if it makes any difference. You can check if an app is the likely culprit by booting into safe mode. Turn the phone off. Press and hold the Power button. As soon as the screen lights up, let go of Power and press and hold the Volume down button. It should say safe mode in the bottom left corner. You can reboot to get out of safe mode. If there are no problems in safe mode, then something you installed is probably causing the issue. You can try uninstalling things and testing one-by-one, or opt for a factory reset and install selectively. If you do factory reset, it may be wise not to restore a backup and just set the S6 up fresh instead, as you may reintroduce the problem. If nothing has worked, then it’s time to contact your carrier, retailer, or Samsung and ask about a replacement. Next problem: Persistent pop-up Problem: Persistent pop-up There have been a few complaints about a persistent pop-up relating to terms and conditions for Enhanced features, Profile sharing, and Simple sharing. The problem is, if you decline the terms, they just pop up again later. Potential solutions : If you tap Agree the pop-up will go away, but that means you have agreed to the terms and conditions. You can still turn the features off via the Contacts app, by tapping on your profile, tapping your name, and turning Profile sharing and Simple sharing off. You may be able to avoid accepting the terms by tapping Decline and then going into Contacts, tapping your name under My profile , then tap Profile sharing > Registered information . Tap More at the top right and select Deregister phone number . Some people also report success, without accepting the terms, after a factory reset, but it’s a drastic step to take. Next problem: Unfortunately, Contacts has stopped. Glitch: Unfortunately, Contacts has stopped. This error message commonly pops up when people try to make a call, but it can happen at other times too. It’s not confined to the Galaxy S6, it’s an error we commonly see on other phones too. It should be fairly easy to fix. Here’s what to do: Potential solutions : Go to Settings > Application manager and swipe over to the All tab and find Contacts . Tap Clear cache and Clear data . That should take care of it. If the problem persists, then try Clear cache and Clear data with Dialer in Settings > Application manager > All . Restart the phone afterwards and see if the problem is gone. This message can also be triggered by another app that’s trying to access your contacts. For example, a lot of people associated this glitch with Google+ and found that uninstalling, disabling, or rolling back updates stopped it from happening. You can test whether an app is to blame by going into safe mode. Hold down the Power button and choose Power off . Press and hold Volume down and Power You can let go of Power when the screen lights up, but keep holding Volume down until you see the home screen. It should say safe mode at the bottom left. Test it out, if the problem doesn’t reoccur in safe mode then an app is causing it. Just reboot the phone to leave safe mode and you can test by removing apps one by one, or go straight for a factory reset and reinstall selectively. Next problem: Call volume too low Problem: Call volume too low A lot of Galaxy S6 owners have been complaining that the volume is too low during calls. For some people, the problem is at their end with the microphone, and callers on the other end can’t hear them well. In other cases, people are having trouble hearing the other caller, suggesting an issue with the speaker. Workarounds : Use a Bluetooth headset. This might be a good way to test if you have a hardware problem. If the volume is fine on a Bluetooth headset then there’s a good chance there’s something wrong with your microphone or speaker. If you’re having trouble hearing the other caller, try putting them on Speaker by tapping the Speaker icon at the bottom left. Potential solutions : The first thing to check is that there’s no plastic covering you’ve not removed, or debris or dust stuck in the speaker or microphone. Use a soft brush or compressed air and make sure they’re both clean. If you use a case then you should also try making a call without it on, to see if that might causing your issue. The obvious thing to do is tap the Volume up When you see the volume bar appear on screen tap the gear icon at the right and set all of your volume levels. There is also an Extra volume option during calls. When you’re on a call look for the phone icon in the middle which says Extra volume underneath and tap it. If you’re still having issues contact your carrier, retailer, or Samsung and ask about a replacement handset. Next problem: Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped Glitch: Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped The error message “Unfortunately, the process com.google.process.gapps has stopped” is a fairly common one and it can pop up on Android smartphones from time to time regardless of model. Potential solutions : First of all, make sure that your apps, including the Play Store, are fully up to date. Open up the Play Store, tap menu on the left, and then tap My apps and Update all . You’ll want to be connected to Wi-Fi when you do this to avoid using a lot of data. Try going to Settings > Storage and then tap on Cached data and clear it. If that doesn’t work it’s time to wipe the cache partition. Press and hold Power and then choose Power off . Now press and hold the Power , Volume up , and Home buttons together. You should see the Android mascot and then the recovery menu. Use Volume down to highlight wipe cache partition and Power to select it. Select reboot system now when it’s done. If the issue is still occurring you could try a factory reset as a last resort. Back up your files and check out how to factory reset the Galaxy S6. Next problem: Missing quick toggle for mobile data Bug: Missing quick toggle for mobile data A few Galaxy S6 owners have experienced a weird bug where the quick toggles for certain functions disappear. For most people it was Mobile data that went missing, but thankfully Samsung was quick to release a solution. Solution : Open up Galaxy Apps and look for an app called QuickPanel Restore in Samsung’s store. Install it, open it up and tap the Restore button, and all your missing quick toggles will return. Next problem: Email not working properly Problem: Email not working properly It seems that there are a lot of different issues cropping up with email on the Galaxy S6. Some people report that push email isn’t working reliably, some have found that sync won’t work manually, and there have also been problems with deleting emails. In extreme cases emails don’t seem to be coming through at all. Workaround : Some people place the blame for email issues on the email app. You could try using an alternative. Gmail, Outlook, and Nine could be worth checking out, depending on what you need. Potential solutions : The first thing to try is deleting your email account from the Galaxy S6. Reboot the phone and add it again from scratch. This will often resolve issues. If it’s specifically a work email account that you’re having issues with then talk to someone in the IT department and see if they can help. Try wiping the cache partition. Press and hold Power and then choose Power off . Now press and hold the Power , Volume up , and Home buttons together. You should see the Android mascot and then the recovery menu. Use Volume down to highlight wipe cache partition and Power to select it. Select reboot system now when it’s done. Your last resort is a factory reset, just make sure you back up precious files first. Next problem: Performance is slow Problem: Performance is slow There is nothing worse than a sluggish phone, and the Galaxy S6 isn’t immune to it. If you notice that your Galaxy S6 is taking too long to open apps and transition between home screens, there are a few simple things you can do to rectify it. Potential solutions : A factory reset is probably your best bet to fix lag, but that can be a pain. Here are some simpler things to try first that won’t erase your data and apps. The first thing to do is reboot your phone. Just tap and hold the power button, then select- Restart . A reboot might only be a temporary fix, so if you notice that your Galaxy S6 starts lagging again after a a few days, you might want to try clearing the phone’s cache partition. Don’t worry, the system cache only deals with temporary files created-by apps and the Android system. It has nothing to do with your personal data. Here’s how to clear the system cache: Turn your Galaxy S6 off by pressing and holding the Power button and selecting Power Off . Now press and hold the Home , Power , and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the Samsung logo appears. Tap the Volume Down button a few times until Wipe Cache Partition -is highlighted, and select it by pressing the Power button. Once the process is completed, highlight the Reboot option and press the Power button to confirm a reboot. If you’re still having problems, you can turn down animations: Open Settings and look to see if Developer Options is visible. If not, proceed to step 2, or if so, proceed to step 5. Select About Phone , which is usually at the bottom. Now tap on the Build Number seven times. You will see a message saying that Developer Options is now enabled. Return back to the main Settings screen. Tap on Developer Options and look for Window Animation Scale , Transition Animation Scale , and Animator Animation Scale . These should all be set to 1x by default. You can adjust the settings for each to .5x. If your Galaxy S6 continues to be sluggish after trying all of the above, it’s probably time for a factory reset. You’ll want to make sure that you have all your data backed up before proceeding: Open Settings and select Backup and Reset . Select Factory Reset . Next problem:-Overheating issues Problem: Overheating issues Do you find that your Galaxy S6 is warm or hot to the touch? The processor is probably overworked. This often happens when playing a graphically intensive game. Let your phone rest for a few minutes to give it time to cool down. In most cases, this will solve your issue, but you still might find that your S6 constantly runs hot. Potential solutions : The first thing to do is reboot your phone. Just tap and hold the Power button, then tap on Restart . Unfortunately, a reboot might only be a temporary fix, which means an app could be running in the background that is forcing the processor to run too much. Try deleting the apps that you have installed most recently. While you’re at it, you should also delete those apps that you rarely use. You can always reinstall them at a later date if you find you need them again. Open the app drawer by tapping on the icon of mini squares at the bottom right of any home screen. Long press on any apps that you want to uninstall and drag them to the top left over the word, “uninstall.” Unfortunately you won’t be able to uninstall most bloatware (apps that came pre-installed on the phone), but you can disable them. Open Settings and select Applications . Select Application Manager at the top. Swipe left until you get to the All tab. Tap on an app that want to disable. Select Disable . If you later want to re-enable any of these apps, just swipe to the Disabled tab in the Application Manager , individually select each one, and select Enable . If you’re Galaxy S6 still overheats, then you probably need to do a factory reset. This will erase all your data, so make sure everything is backed up before proceeding. Open Settings and select Backup and Reset . Select Factory Reset . Next problem: Screen won’t auto rotate Issue: Screen won’t auto rotate If you find that your Galaxy S6’s screen won’t auto rotate, it might be a defect in the hardware. Samsung has acknowledged the issue with the Galaxy S6 Edge, but there are some Galaxy S6 owners that have the problem as well. It appears to be an issue with fast charging in that the charging process overheats and damages the gyroscope, which is near the USB port. There’s still a chance that the problem is software related though, so try the potential solutions below. Potential solutions : Make sure that you didn’t accidentally turn off Auto Rotate : Swipe down from the top of the phone’s display to open your notification panel. Samsung’s Quick Toggles are at the top of the panel. Look for Screen Rotation . If Screen Rotation isn’t highlighted in yellow, than it’s off. Turn it on by tapping it. If the Screen Rotation setting wasn’t the issue, try rebooting your phone by long pressing on the Power button and selecting Restart . If you’re Galaxy S6 still doesn’t auto rotate, then it’s likely a hardware issue. You need to contact your carrier or Samsung directly. Samsung’s customer service number in the U.S. is 1-800-SAMSUNG. Next problem: Bluetooth connectivity issues Glitch: Bluetooth connectivity issues Bluetooth connectivity issues plague just about every smartphone, and it’s often very difficult to determine the root cause. Most times it’s the result of a buggy firmware update, and a fix from Samsung could be necessary. There are still some simple things you can try that might get you back up and running though. Potential solutions : If you’re having problems connecting a device you already paired successfully before, then turning off Bluetooth and turning it back on fixes it most of the time. Swipe down to open your notification panel and look for Bluetooth at the top of the Quick Toggles menu. Tap it once to turn off, wait about 10 seconds, and tap it again to turn it back on. If toggling Bluetooth doesn’t work, then try to reboot the phone. Tap and hold the Power button and select Restart . If you’re still having trouble connecting to a previously paired device, than it needs to be paired again. Open Settings , and select Bluetooth . Find your device and tap the Gear icon at the right edge of the screen for that device. Tap Unpair towards the top. Now pair the device again. If you’re having trouble pairing a new device, then restart your phone by tapping on the Power button, followed by selecting Restart . If you still can’t pair a new device, then you should contact the manufacturer of the device you’re trying to pair to. Next problem: Auto brightness turns off automatically Problem: Auto brightness turns off automatically Do you find that you constantly have to turn on auto brightness because it turns off on its own? Potential solutions : There’s a good chance that you installed the Car Mode app on your Galaxy S6. Uninstall it by opening the app drawer, then long press on the Car Mode -icon, and drag it to the top where it says “uninstall.” If auto rotate still turns off on its own, a third party reading app that adjusts the display’s colors and/or brightness could be the culprit. If so, uninstall it by using the same method as uninstalling Car Mode . Return to the first page. Order the Galaxy S6 from: AT&T Verizon Sprint T-Mobile That’s all the Galaxy S6 problems for now, but we’ll be adding to this list as we uncover more issues and possible fixes. Updated on 7-29-2015 by Simon Hill : Added problems with contacts, call volume too low, process com.google.process.gapps, missing quick toggle, and email. Updated on 6-24-2015 by Simon Hill : Added problems with turning on, flash always on, fingerprint scanner, screen sensitivity, and persistent pop-up. Article originally published 5-4-2015.



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