Note4 crashing/rebooting seems widespread

[sparksd]

You can add my Note 4 to the list. Back in May 2016 i purchased 2 note 4's used on ebay, each one had the same exact issue. Battery % would drop suddenly from like 30 to 15 then shut down or sometimes you could be at 40 and it suddenly shuts down. Bought a new Samsung battery as well as an anker, same thing. I then decided to buy a new Note 4 in june after returning those 2. Fast forward to last week, SAME ISSUE! !!!!!

Purchased new batteries again, cleared cache, factory reset, tried the wakelock app and same cr@p! I loved this fone but this shut down issue is no joke. I am no longer using my note 4 as its completely unreliable; had to go with an old Blu fone. Think i may just sell it for parts on ebay and buy another brand. My faith in samsung is gone after having been a loyal customer for many years.

Anyone here know of any good replacements for a note 4? One thats android based. I was thinking about the LG V10 but LGs boot loop issues scare me.

I recently replaced my Note 4 with an S7 Edge and love it. The improved LTE performance alone was enough to justify the upgrade. Plus, it does not have the irritating Bluetooth audio skip problem that my Note 4 does. Gave the Note 4 to my wife to use as a WiFi-only media device (music, books, etc.).

 

[mikegt2]

Thanks for the recommendation! The Note 4 was my perfect phone until this happened. Sucks to have to make the change after only 7 months. 0_o

 

[Firedads]

Just wanted to share a possible solution for those who are about to throw their sprint note 4 against the wall.
In the last 2-3 weeks since Marshmallow upgrade my note has been shutting down ,freezing up and restarting at least 10-15 times a day.
Even after a factory reset and emptying my gallery.
Tonight while again searching for a needle in the haystack solution I came across this suggestion.

Disable/force stop the Look Out app.
As soon as I did this I noticed an immediate change in the function of my Note 4. My old phone is back and I am very happy. Thank you to whoever dicovered this, hopefully I can pay it forward before people toss their Note 4's
Don

 

[LowIQ]

This Marshmallow update has been the worst update since the Froyo of many years ago
I'm certainly no novice when it comes to Android, but this last update made me feel like I was...
We can certainly blame both Google and Samsung for all the problems encountered.

That's not really a fix, but a patch?
I didn't have a problem with LookOut?
But I did with Facebook app in when I had disabled it the same fix was had....
I finally had enough to when I called T-Mobile to ask a replacement phone be given
I did pay a monthly fee for insurance after all?...
The replacement phone did not have all the problems encountered.
It already had Marshmellow loaded on it.

 

[datum9]

Is there a manufacture date that is not affected by this defect? Or are all Note 4 affected?

 

[sparksd]

Is there a manufacture date that is not affected by this defect? Or are all Note 4 affected?

A lot, perhaps, but not all. I've had mine for 2+ years and haven't had an issue.

 

[datum9]

So, how does one go about picking a Note 4 not affected by this reboot?

 

[sparksd]

So, how does one go about picking a Note 4 not affected by this reboot?

There is no way to tell other than through actual usage.

 

[datum9]

If that's true, then I have to rule it out from the list of purchases.

I was hoping there would be an updated version. Perhaps it's called Note 6 or something similar.

 

[sparksd]

If that's true, then I have to rule it out from the list of purchases.

I was hoping there would be an updated version. Perhaps it's called Note 6 or something similar.

The Note 7 is hot

The Note 8 is apparently coming out later this year. Do you need/want a phone with a stylus?

 

[datum9]

Only reason I got a Note 4 is because of the ability to stick in ZeroLemon 10,000 mAh cell that Note 5, 6, 7 lack. If the NOte 8 has that ability, it's a winner, if not, a stupendously dumb move.

 

[riku232]

I've had this problem happen to me a few months ago. I originally had a Verizon Note 4, but our family switched to T-mobile because the representative said everything will be a breeze and that all will work well. Welp he lied! Signals were much slower and I could no longer get/send multimedia messages ever since the switch. For school I really needed some group messaging functionality so I went on craigslist to trade someone for a t mobile version. Everything was well until a recent 6.0.1 update. One day out of nowhere the phone would lag then start to reboot itself. It would eventually go into the odin mode as many people have already mentioned. At first I thought the craigslist user rooted the device and ruined it, but after checking that it wasn't rooted I knew it was a problem with the OS update... T mobile tech said it could be a virus that's within the OS?? I think it's something with Samsung screwing up, though. The only solution was to get the phone replaced under warranty... Only issue was no one could help me replace the device since I was not the original owner of the device. I thought I would have to spend a lot of money until my friend told me about "wakelock" app on the play store. Ever since I got it none of the random reboots would occur again. It doesn't link all the time, but once you get it right it prevents the phone from rebooting as long as the phone remains powered on. Hope this helps even if it's a temporary solution. It's the only one yet if you can't replace it. I'll be waiting for the note 8 since once you go stylus you can't go back!

 

[tripper511]

If you're having the issue where your Note 4 randomly shuts off or when the screen goes to sleep it won't turn back on unless you remove the battery, then there is a solution. Install the app "Wake Lock" from the play store. It will prevent your CPU from shutting down when in sleep mode or ever dipping too low in power that it shuts off the phone. Your battery will only be marginally affected but its better to have less battery time (maybe 1 -2 hours less) then a dead phone.

I've been having this issue with my Note 4 as has my mom who got the Note 4 at the same time I did. It seems because of the issues with the Note 5-7 many people (for the first time) have been holding on to their Note 4's. Because many of us have been using them for so long we are witnessing the true limitations of the phone, and it is very disappointing.

Wake Lock does not require a root, it's free, no ad's and works for any carrier Note 4. So far it's the only thing that has made my phone work. Even after replacing the battery and reformatting my SD Card and phone. When you look at the comments for Wake Lock in the play store you'll see almost everyone is about people who had issues with their Note 4 and using this to fix it. The instructions for using Wake Lock are:

1. Download Wakelock from Play store (on your phone):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.wl&hl=en
2. Open app and click on Partial_Wake_Lock should show a #4 meter
3. Make sure to open options up on app (hold the bottom left sensor button on your phone when the app is open) and check autostart on boot and notification just in case.

You can read the whole thread about it from people having the same issue here:

https://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4-tmobile/general/ddi-mmcread-failed-boot-error-fix-t3434335/page6

 

[Robert Tarver]

I tried this but was told the warranty is void due to a 3mm crack on camera lens, absolutely ridiculous excuse. Going to try with Vodafone but back on my note 2 for now.

Is everybody else getting the 'Downloading, do not turn off target?'.

I did notice it works better on charge, has anyone had luck replacing the battery.

I have gotten that TWICE now. I have also gotten the MMC READ FAILURE screen as well. I do not have a SD card in my note 4. It is randomly shutting down/locking up. I have to remove the battery and reinstall it then boot up to get my phone working again. Sometimes these requires 2 or 3 tries.

Ive had these issues with no SD card at all, is anyone else?

Same here.

I have the lag and restarting issue after upgrading to 6.01, marshmallow. Note 4 on Sprint.

I think disabling these 4 apps helped:

Lookout
S voice
Samsung Milk Music
Samsung +

THINK?!?!?

3.. This is not explained well.
When the app is open, LONG PRESS the "recent apps" button, which is to the left of the home button.
A 2 button menu bar will open from the bottom.
The left button is "Options". The right button is "About"
press "Options"
Check "Autostart on boot
Check "Notification"
Press "Back" button
Press "Back" button again.







I decided today to get to the bottom of this problem with my note 4.

It is not a battery issue
It is not a SD card issue
It is not a corrupted OS issue
It is not a malware issue

It is an OS UPDATE CONFLICT issue

The Note 4 is the last Note to use a replaceable battery. The Note 5 and disastrous Note 7 both have an internal battery only. The Marshmellow 6.0.1 update will fault create a fault in the charging system of a Note 4, causing a standby failure whenever the Note 4 is not in use, ie, random reboot and freeze. This behavior will also happen when it is use. Go figure.

Solution 1
disconnect the charging cable inside the phone. Keep a spare charged battery and swap out when needed.

Solution 2
Install Wake Lock - Power Manager by Darken from the Google Play store.

I have installed the software on my Note 4 and so far, approximately 3 hours, it has worked. Will monitor.

it is an OS UPDATE CONFLICT
Since the Note 4 is the last Note to have a removable battery, the update is causing this issue. Not EVERY note has demonstrated erratic behavior, but as the Original Post suggested, it is wide spread and across all carriers. See last post.

 

[rjchittenden]

I just read through this and a couple of other forums and I installed the Wake Lock - Power Manager by Darken from the Google Play store. It's been several hours and my phone is back to working like new again. When it started to freeze, reboot, freeze, and everything else mentioned here, I did one thing at a time to resolve the issue: SIMM card, removed sd card, factory reset, new battery, removed many programs I no longer used, wipe the cache. It became evident that there was another issue. My fear was that somebody was pushing Wake Lock for personal gain. After much research, including the feedback on the software itself, I had nothing to lose. Following the notations as noted in previous posts here, IT WORKED! I hope it continues, seeing as I just finished paying off the phone. Aside from that, this phone is a power house. Due to the success of the S3, (which I still own both) I stuck with Samsung products. The Note 4 is the last to have the easily removable battery which I install the extended version, (love it!), and the expandable memory.

I hope this helps other followers!

 

[febzz]

I started experiencing this issue since last week. Out of nowhere, my Note 4 started to lag and freeze. At first I thought maybe it was the battery too, so I got myself a brand new Anker Battery. And hey, nope it's not a battery issue. Then I reformatted my phone, and yes, it was still lagging and freezing.

Fast forward to this week, last night, I got the mmc_read failed message. Shoot me.

Now I've been using the Wake Lock app and it's set to Level 4 (Partial Wake Lock). It's been much better with this App running. Of course, my battery takes a hit. But at least the phone is usable, as long as I don't restart the Phone.

My gf's phone is exactly the same as mine, Note 4, and we're exactly on the same firmware version. She has no issue at all. We've switched batteries as well and her phone works fine with any battery.

I never rooted my phone, and I've been using only the original, official firmware pushed by T-mobile. My phone is running the latest firmware (EQB1) released last month. The problem didn't start right after my phone was updated. Only since last week.

Now, I've been scouring the Internet and many say this is a hardware issue, but some say too that this is probably caused by the firmware. Does anyone now know better if this is a hardware or software issue?

I was going to get myself another Note 4 but then if this is a firmware issue, it could happen too to a new Note 4. If this is a hardware issue, then a new Note 4 may not get this problem.

There's also a conspiracy theory saying that Samsung purposely did this so as to force all Note 4 users to upgrade their phones. If this is a firmware issue, can we file a class suit? Sigh.

UPDATE 1:
I just came back from the Samsung Experience Center. I also talked with Samsung, T-mobile over the Phone today.
So basically, from what the guy over at the Samsung Experience Center told me, a few months ago, many Note 4 Sprint users had this exact same issue. Basically the firmware update caused the phone to malfunction. In the end Samsung replaced all the affected phones. I went there, talked to him, and initially I wanted him to reflash my phone but he then told me that this issue was basically a faulty firmware. Reflashing wouldn't really help because the firmware itself is faulty. The firmware could have affected (damaged) the hardware. That this exact same issue has happened in the past with Sprint users.
I then called Samsung hotline up and talked with, fortunately, a friendly and helpful rep who was willing to document everything and escalate the issue on my behalf. She told me that she would call me back in a few days to update me on how the case is going.
At this point, I'll just have to wait and see.

UPDATE 2:
And apparently I just learned that Note 4 in Europe and Sprint here in the US just received a latest firmware update around 300-400mb in size.
"The firmware update description reveals that it brings better stability and performance as well as optimizations for improving battery efficiency. This Galaxy Note 4 update also comes with the March security patch that has 73 fixes for Android OS vulnerabilities and fixes for a dozen vulnerabilities that Samsung found in its own software."

Fingers-crossed, hopefully this update will soon come to T-mobile and other carriers and fix our issue.

 

[Robert Tarver]

My phone Just downloaded the new firmware and appears to operating as it should. I have rebooted it. There was a delay, about 30 seconds, then came on. A few apps hung up after that, but now it seems to be operating as it should. will monitor.

 

[al3azim]

My phone Just downloaded the new firmware and appears to operating as it should. I have rebooted it. There was a delay, about 30 seconds, then came on. A few apps hung up after that, but now it seems to be operating as it should. will monitor.

Please do keep us posted on this - Also is the wake lock app still on?

 

[Robert Tarver]

Unfortunately the new update has been a miserable failure. After a few reboots, the phone began behaving erraticly again, locking up and then turning off. Getting it turn back on requires pulling the battery out and reinserting several times. I now run WAKE LOCK 24/7. Yes, it does run through the battery charge after 8 to 10 hours, but for that time, I have a working phone. This will be the last Samsung phone I buy.

 

[Robert Tarver]

it has taken over 2 hours for this damn note 4 to eve turn on today. LAST SAMSUNG PHONE I WILL EVER BUY. Might be the last samsung ANYTHING I ever buy for that matter. Who builds a better phone?