Samsung Galaxy S5 Problems: Digital Trends found a resolution to Samsung S5 glitches when it is not working as expected. According to Digital Trend's Simon Hill, "With a little tinkering you can probably find a decent workaround or a solution, in fact, that's why we're here."
Following is the list of common Galaxy S5 problems Digital Trends has gathered and the fixes needed to resolve them:
Problem: No Download Booster
A number of new S5 owners are reporting that the Download Booster feature which allows you to download files really fast by using Wi-Fi and LTE together is missing in action because AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint have removed it.
Workarounds:
Switch to T-Mobile or U.S. Cellular and you'll find that Download Booster is present and correct. Keep an eye on XDA Developers for a rooting solution that gets it working again.
Annoyance: Lag or stutter
A casual scan of forums and article comments reveals that lag is the subject of much debate when it comes to the Galaxy S5. A significant number of owners feel that the Galaxy S5 lags when compared to the competition and the blame is generally levelled at Samsung's TouchWiz user interface and bloatware. It is the perceived delays when users load up or exit an app, when unlocking the phone, when tapping the Home button, or perhaps when typing.
Workarounds:
Use a different launcher. Nova Launcher is good, or sideload the Google Now launcher. It may be the animations that are giving the feeling of lag, so turn them off. Tap and hold on a blank space on your home screen and select Home screen settings > Transition effect > None. Go to Settings > Lock screen > Unlock effect and set it to None.
Go further in Settings > About device by tapping the Build number seven times to turn Developer mode on. Now go to Settings > Developer options > Windows animation scale and set it to Animation is off.
The same thing can be done in Settings > Developer options > Transition animation scale and Animator duration scale.
If the delay on the Home button is annoying, then double tap it to fire up S Voice and choose Settings from the menu at the top right then make sure that Open via the home key is not ticked.
Turn off some background data syncing via Settings > Accounts or within the settings menus of individual apps.
To reduce the impact of bloatware go to Settings > Application manager and look at the All tab. Any app that users don't want to use can be turned off by choosing Disable. All disabled apps will be listed in a separate tab, so users can always turn them back on again in the future.
Problem: Water damage
IP67 rating means that it can be submerged in water up to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. It isn't designed to deal with high pressure water jets, and that could mean the water coming out of the faucet.
Workaround:
Don't deliberately dunk the Galaxy S5; the feature is a safeguard against the dreaded toilet drop, or a sudden downpour.
Potential solutions:
Don't try to turn it on. Open it up and dry it off with a towel, then place it in a bowl of rice. Dry bag kits are available online, using silica crystals or isopropyl alcohol, but if it is not available at hand rice is a good solution. Do not turn the phone on for as long as possible (at least 24 hours) to give it a good chance to dry out.
Annoyance: Slow camera
The Galaxy S5 should have a snappy shooter; this may be down to camera settings.
Potential solution:
Fire up the camera and tap on the gear icon at the bottom left then turn Picture stabilization off. It's designed to improve the quality of low light pictures by extending the shutter speed. If lighting is good then no need to turn it on, as it's only going to slow the camera down.
Bug: Camera failed
Some people are reporting that they get a pop-up when they try to start the camera which says "Warning: Camera failed" and the camera won't load up at all.
Potential solutions:
Restart the unit. Hold down the Power button and select the Restart option. The problem may return.
Try going to Settings > Application manager and select the camera app. Tap on Force stop, Clear cache, and Clear data.
Try clearing the cache partition. Hold the power button and choose Power off then press and hold the Volume up key, the Home button, and the Power button. When the phone vibrates, release the Power button, but keep holding the other two. When you see the Android System Recovery screen you can let go. Use Volume down to choose wipe cache partition and press Power to select it then, when it's done, press Power again to Reboot System Now.
There's a chance that an app is causing the problem. Any app that uses camera functions, including flashlight apps, could be the culprit. The fast way to check this is to reboot in safe mode. Hold down the power button and select Power off then hold down the power button to turn it on again and when the Samsung screen come up, release the power button and press and hold the Volume down key. Safe mode in the bottom left corner will be seen. If the camera works then it's definitely a problem with an app you installed. Hold down the power button and choose Restart to get back out of Safe mode.
If using a microSD card to save photos try removing it, save them elsewhere, and see if that makes a difference.
Back up anything important and try a factory reset via Settings > Backup and reset > Factory data reset.
If nothing works Digital Trends suggest contact your carrier, retailer, or Samsung about a replacement.
