Galaxy S6 intermittent 3G 4G connection issue when Wi-Fi is off, other issues

Electronic devices, smartphones included, can encounter problems due to a number of reasons. In this post, we give you some of the #GalaxyS6 problems shared by some of our community members. If you would like to view previously posted solutions for the Galaxy S6 series, make sure to visit our troubleshooting index page for this device.

Below are the specific topics discussed in this post:

1. Galaxy S6 won’t power on
2. Wireless charging on Galaxy S6 not working properly
3. Sprint Galaxy S6 Edge+ unable to connect to LTE in Pakistan
4. Galaxy S6 intermittent 3G/4G connection issue when Wi-Fi is off
5. Replacement Galaxy S6 is not recognized by network

PROBLEM #1: GALAXY S6 WON’T POWER ON

It may be an issue just waiting to happen. Although I’m not sure if it is software or hardware failure. One day, my phone just decided to give up on me and would just not turn on. The only thing that I notice is that when I do plug it in, the red LED indicator is on. When I try to boot it up, the red LED indicator disappears only to come back one a few seconds to a minute later.

I have tried to boot it into recovery, download mode, safe mode, and even simulate the ‘battery pull’ by holding down the volume down button and power button simultaneously.

I believe it is worthy to note that I have dropped this phone once on its side. Could it be that it was caused by that? Now, of course the possibility of a software issue is still plausible. Is it possible for a phone to get soft bricked out of nowhere? Not hardly right? Anyway…

I ‘think’ it charges and I ‘think’ it could just be a display/screen issue, but I find it hard to believe simply because if it was, it should at least still boot all the way to the home or lock screen, and if I blindly press on the buttons or try to unlock it, it should at least make a sound. Or when it boots, it should at least make the boot tone when the Samsung logo comes up. But… nothing. Nothing at all.

It’s hard for me to conclude what is wrong with it.

Anyone can diagnose this for me? Did I give enough details? Please help me, this is a huge investment and now it’s down the drain. I know, a replacement will fix it for sure, but it is out of warranty. Someone help me. Thank you! — Joseph

Solution: Hi Joseph. If you’ve already tried leaving the phone charged for at least 30 minutes before doing any of the mentioned hardware button combinations above without any apparent sign of turning on, then most probably the phone is dead. Samsung and other hardware makers make it a point to give a clue to users if their device attempts to power on by vibrating briefly, or by sounding off. If your phone does not do any of this, then that’s a clear indication that it no longer powers on for some reason. At this point, the best way for you to do is to have it checked for hardware errors. There’s no way for us to know what the exact cause is. The phone needs to be checked physically so tests can be done. The possible causes can range from a faulty battery to damaged logic board. Dropping the phone before may have resulted to a damaged part or circuit which only now have started to actually affected the phone fatally.

We’ve known of some few cases in the past wherein users where able to resurrect their phones by plugging it into their computers. We suggest that you try this to see if it works. What you want to do exactly is to see if a computer can detect the phone. Make sure that you leave the phone connected to a powered USB port of a Windows computer for at least 30 minutes. After that, try to go to Control panel>Hardware and sound>Devices and printer and check if your phone’s name shows in the list. If you can see your device there, right click on its icon and click on “Troubleshoot”. If Devices and printer section won’t show your phone, be sure to bring the phone to a reputable repair shop or Samsung.

PROBLEM #2: WIRELESS CHARGING ON GALAXY S6 NOT WORKING PROPERLY

Hey Droid Guy! I have a charging issue that I haven’t seen on your page yet. When the original charger is hooked up to my phone, sometimes I get the fast charge, and sometimes it is way slow. Today I tried using the charger pad…the pad acknowledged the phone when I set the phone on it, and the phone acknowledged the charger and it gave me every impression that it was charging fine. After about an hour on the pad I checked the phone and the charge had gone down 3%.  When I hooked it up to the charging wire it charged fine.  I’m not REAL concerned because it is charging, but I paid good money for the charging pad and I would like to use it!  Thank you so much for your help and I hope you’re having a Great evening!!  — Steve

Solution: Hi Steve. Fast charging feature on Samsung phones does not always work. That’s a fact. We’ve encountered a lot of similar issues across many devices and you are not the first one to report this problem. There’s no official statement from Samsung as regards how to fix it permanently so the best thing that we can give are potential workarounds only. There are a few things that must be met to make fast charging feature work. Make sure that these tips below are followed:

• Switch the phone or the screen off. Fast charging won’t work if you are using the phone while it’s charging, nor if the screen is ON.
• Use a certified fast charger or the Samsung fast charger that comes with the phone. A Standard charger cannot amplify charging power so it may take a few hours to charge your battery compared to a fast charger.
• Enable Airplane mode. This is a good trick to ensure that your phone is doing as little task as possible when charging. In airplane mode, the phone’s wireless radios and other function are turned off. This means that you will be unable to receive calls and texts but will greatly quicken the charging process for you.
• Turn off some features. IF you can’t put your phone in Airplane mode for whatever reason, make sure that you disable other things like NFC, Wi-FI, or Bluetooth. Closing all actively running apps will also help.

For the wireless charger pad issue, the problem is clearly on the pad so make sure that you have it replaced right away. The pad is easy to use and should work as advertised — simply plug it in and put the phone on top. For optimal performance, your device should be placed in the proper location on the pad. The built-in LED indicator light will alert you if the device is not properly aligned and when a good charge alignment is acquired. If your phone charges fine via USB cable that’s connected to a standard charger, then there’s no reason for a wireless charger not to work.

PROBLEM #3: SPRINT GALAXY S6 EDGE+ UNABLE TO CONNECT TO LTE IN PAKISTAN

Hi. I am from Pakistan and I have a problem with the S6 Edge Plus network settings. The thing is after reading a lot of forums I came to the conclusion that the mobile services here work on GSM hence we need the option of LTE/GSM/WCDMA to have 4G signals as well as mobile reception but I have the SPRINT unlocked version and it does not have any setting that supports LTE with GSM.

It’s either LTE/CDMA or CDMA only or GSM/UMTS.

Now other phones are working fine but I can not get the 4G on my Samsung S6 Edge Plus.

is there any way to put in a system code to access the options in the system instead of the OS itself? Or is there any other solution??

Please reply me as soon as possible as what should I do. Regards. — Umais

Solution: Hi Umais. Although Sprint uses a CDMA network, we know that their Galaxy S6 series phones can use LTE on GSM networks in the US.

This doesn’t mean though that the same will work in other countries. Selecting LTE/GSM/WCDMA option under Network settings should work unless there’s some incompatibility problems.

Mobile phones designed for a certain carrier like your own Sprint Galaxy S6 Edge+ (SM-G928P) can only work on certain frequency band/s. This means that its hardware antenna will only pick up LTE signals that matches the frequency it’s supposed to read. Below are the supported frequency bands of a Spring Galaxy S6 Edge+ phone:

LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700), 20(800)

Do note that if your carrier’s LTE frequency band is outside of these mentioned frequencies, your phone will never connect to an LTE network in your area.

Try to call your carrier and see what their LTE frequency bands are. This will help you determine if:

• there is LTE coverage in your area,
• there are account- or billing-related features that must be attended to before you can use LTE,
• there are any network problems preventing your phone from establishing LTE connection,
• the phone is compatible with your carrier’s network.

PROBLEM #4: GALAXY S6 INTERMITTENT 3G/4G CONNECTION ISSUE WHEN WI-FI IS OFF

Originally purchased Samsung Galaxy S6 and had it for approximately 30 days before it began rebooting every 30 seconds. Unit was replaced with a “certified pre-owned” S6 by VZW. Had the replacement01 for approximately 30 days and it had intermittent “offline” issues where it would not connect to 3G/4G when not on a Wi-Fi signal. Numerous visits to local (contractor) VZW store and numerous tech assistance phone calls resulted in replacement01 being replaced by replacement02…another certified pre-owned Samsung Galaxy S6. Have had replacement02 for approximately 2 days and same intermittent connectivity have occurred and have been in contact with VZW technical support who are “studying” the issue for further corrective action.

As an aside, spoke with a technical manager at Samsung, who, when told of issues with Samsung Galaxy S6, advised that there are NO KNOWN ISSUES with ANY Samsung Galaxy phone…..good one huh? VZW still troubleshooting S6 connectivity issue and my last comment to them was that I wish I had my S5 back.

If problem with replacement02 not resolved will endeavor to get anything other than another S6. — Larry

Solution: Hi Larry. If the problem recurs on multiple devices after some time, that indicates that either:

• a third party app installed after the initial setup may be responsible, or
• an operating system update from Verizon causes a glitch

Try wiping the phone’s cache partition first to see if that will make any difference. For minor firmware-related issues brought by apps and firmware updates, wiping the cache partition often does the trick. It’s because this procedure will literally delete all cached files in the cache partition, which will force the system to create new ones during the next boot up.

This procedure is also very helpful in fixing issues like random reboots, boot loop, stuck during boot up and random freezes after updates. Here’s how you wipe the cache partition on your S6 Edge:

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

Once you’ve deleted the cache, boot the phone in safe mode for at least 24 hours and try to replicate the problem. Keep in mind that while in safe mode, all third party apps will be prevented from running. If the issue fails to occur, that’s your clue to start uninstalling apps until the issue is gone. Here’s how it’s done:

• Press and hold the Volume Down and Power keys for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Once you see the Samsung logo, release the Power key immediately but continue pressing the Volume Down key.
• Your phone should continue booting up and you will be prompted to unlock your phone as usual.
• You will know if the phone successfully booted in safe mode if the text “Safe mode” is displayed at the lower-left corner of the screen.

If these two procedures won’t fix anything, consider doing a factory reset. Simply follow these steps:

• Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
• Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power keys together.
• When the device powers on and displays ‘Power on logo’, release all keys and the Android icon will appear on the screen.
• Wait until the Android Recovery Screen appears after about 30 seconds.
• Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option, ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
• Press the Volume Down button again until the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted and then press the Power key to select it.
• After the reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.

Should nothing change, be sure to work with Verizon or simply secure another phone.

PROBLEM #5: REPLACEMENT GALAXY S6 IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY NETWORK

Hiya. I just received a new phone (Samsung Galaxy S6) and SIM today as I lost my old phone (exactly the same type & model so I know how to use it). The phone was off, I put the SIM in, turned it on, then realized I didn’t have a network or mobile number..

 I tried ringing people and it stated that I was not connected to a network. I also went into my ‘mobile status’ and it told me the phone number was ‘unknown’ even though it is supposed to be the same as my original.

 Then, I tried to manually set the network up by tapping the different networks. The list showed (even though I know that my phone is with virgin media) – all stated that they were ‘Unable to connect. Try later’. I also changed the ‘Network mode’ a few times as I was unsure which one I needed but still – no luck.

 I’ve even resorted to caveman instincts turned the phone off and on again whilst removing and inserting the SIM card.

 Help! Please. Phones were made to call people – Mine can’t even do that!

Thankyou so much in advance. — Laura-Jo 

Solution: Hi Laura-Jo. It can sometimes take a day or two for a new phone to be provisioned by your wireless carrier. That’s because your carrier needs to validate all requests for connection before allowing a device to work on their network. Make sure to call them first to know how long you’re going to wait before all your services can be restored.

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