SD Cards failing in Galaxy S3: Samsung's insane response.

**paulnptld** · 01-09-2013, 12:30 PM

I thought I'd share an interesting exchange I just had with Samsung support via chat. Three days ago, my S3 started having issues reading my SD card. I discovered that there seem to be dozens of forums (including this one) that are demonstrating this to be a widespread issue. Here is what Samsung has to say about it:

[COLOR="#0000FF"]Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.

You are now chatting with 'Sherard S'. There will be a brief survey at the end of our chat to share feedback on my performance today.

Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK56402402520X

Sherard S: Hi, thank you for contacting Samsung Technical Support. How may I help you today?
Visitor: Hi there. I own an S3 16gig.
Visitor: A few months ago I purchased a 32gb SanDisk micro-sd card.
Visitor: You probably already know where this is going.
Visitor: Yesterday it started saying the card was unexpectedly ejected.
Visitor: Today it won't even recognize the card.
Visitor: Further, the card is no longer recognized by my computer when I remove it.
Visitor: I searched online for this issue, and it turns out there are dozens of sites now active with this same issue.
Visitor: This was an expensive class 10 card, and I'm really frustrated that my S3 seems to have fried it.
Sherard S: I understand that your phone won't recognize your memory card. Also, the same memory card is not even recognized by a PC. am I correct?
Visitor: I love the phone, but it's becoming apparent that Samsung is having some serious hardware issues.
Visitor: Yes.
Visitor: You're correct.
Sherard S: I am sorry about that. Let me see what I can do.
Visitor: But as of a week ago, no problems.
Sherard S: May I know the model number of your phone? Generally it starts with SGH, SCH, SPH or GT. You can find it in About Phone/Device in Settings on the phone.
Visitor: SGH-i747
Visitor: AT&T.
Visitor: Running 4.1.1
Visitor: Stock. No mods.
Sherard S: Thank you for the information.
Sherard S: We haven't seen this kind of issue with any of our customers. Please do not trust the information which you find in a third party website or forum. The information which is posted in forums or third party website is fake. Those website's or forums or not controlled by Samsung. Due to this, anyone can post anything in those websites/forums.
Sherard S: Did you try using the same memory card in any other phone?
Visitor: You just lost me, man.
Visitor: That's the most ridiculous response I've ever seen.
Visitor: Thanks for your help.

**jamesino** · 01-09-2013, 12:59 PM

My SD card problem perhaps isn't the same as yours, but I just thought I'd share just in case.

I have a 32 GB SanDisk Class 10 card that I bought from Amazon while they were having that sale on SD cards. I have mostly movies and music (mp3, flac, wav) on there. When I listen to PowerAmp music player, sometimes the song just stops playing in the middle of the track and begins to skip songs with the music player saying "Failed to play file." After a while, after too many freezes, the app just freezes and shuts down. However, afterwards, my memory cad frequently becomes corrupted. Songs are deleted, other images and movies I have on the card are also erased.

I got a replacement one from Amazon and the same thing happened.

I'm not sure if this is because of the music player app, PowerAmp, or because of the memory card. Since two identical memory cards have failed, I'm inclined to believe it is the app. However, when I load my 16 GB SanDisk Class 6 card in and play music with PowerAmp, it has never encountered this problem.

So not sure where the problem is, but there is a memory card problem somewhere.

**Suntan** · 01-09-2013, 01:13 PM

No offense, but I've had flash cards crap themselves while in use in a number of different devices. Does that mean each device has an issue? I'm sure you could find all sorts of threads about any popular gadget that uses removable flash cards to support the idea that you want to have.

Personally, I'm big into digital photography, so I've been using flash media for well over a decade with a number I f different devices, it's fairly common for conspiracy threads to gain momentum about a device, just because a couple of people all happened to have bad luck at the same time.

-Suntan

**jodyberry** · 01-09-2013, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by paulnptld

Visitor: You just lost me, man.
Visitor: That's the most ridiculous response I've ever seen.
[/COLOR]

That's HILARIOUS!!! Nice one, man!

.

**paulnptld** · 01-09-2013, 06:36 PM

I see your point. I've used SD cards for ages as well, and have clearly had better luck. That being said, I'd suggest that if you search the topic you'll find that there's definitely something going on here with the S3 and cards. Further, the main point here was the guy's response.

**funkylogik** · 01-09-2013, 08:04 PM

oh man "bet u know where this is going" lol nice :beer:

so the tens or hundreds of people on this forum alone are liars?

this is what ive been saying.. theres CLEARLY a problem with micro sd on the s3 and a problem with bad batches of glass.
why cant a site this prominent come together and do something about things like this instead of bein called liars or thier classic "these sites may look official but arent" lol

youd be aswell going to Chatbot.com lol

Unbranded international rooted s3 with Official 4.1.2 JB. Paisley, Scotland, Western Europe :beer:

**jodyberry** · 01-09-2013, 10:47 PM

So I swapped out my 32 gigabyte SanDisk card that I had in my note 2 with the 16 gigabyte SanDisk card and for the last 6 hours or so I've had no alerts whatsoever.

Sent from my Samung "Brick"

**tinner12002** · 01-10-2013, 08:26 AM

I'm having the same problem with my 32g sandisk card and my sam S3 not reading it. I really don't use this thing to nowhere near it's potental, maybe I'll replace maybe I won't, I guess for now I'll take it out and leave the slot open.

**jay_g** · 01-10-2013, 10:29 AM

He/She/It just started to trouble shoot and you cut them off. Seems you are the one that's insane and not willing to try and figure out what the issue is.

**techjunkie92** · 01-10-2013, 10:53 AM

If I remember reading correctly the newer phones such as the S3 won't read anything bigger than the memory built on the phone.

**worwig** · 01-10-2013, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by techjunkie92

If I remember reading correctly the newer phones such as the S3 won't read anything bigger than the memory built on the phone.

nonsense.

**techjunkie92** · 01-10-2013, 11:50 AM

If it is nonsense then explain why phones that have a set memory won't allow anything bigger than there built in memory?

**Suntan** · 01-10-2013, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by techjunkie92

If it is nonsense then explain why phones that have a set memory won't allow anything bigger than there built in memory?

First explain where this has been the case.

There's multiple posts on the interwebs from people that say they are using 64GB SD cards just fine... What's that tell you?

Personally, when I first got my OTG cable, for giggles I connected an old, 80GB 2.5" drive via USB and it recognized it just fine.

-Suntan

**Ricky Babalu** · 01-10-2013, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by techjunkie92

If I remember reading correctly the newer phones such as the S3 won't read anything bigger than the memory built on the phone.

Incorrect! I have had a 64GB Sandisk card since day one with no issues whatsoever.

**MobileMadness002** · 01-10-2013, 01:30 PM

Been using my 32gb card from my BB 9810 and in my SG3 without any problems at all.

**worwig** · 01-10-2013, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by techjunkie92

If it is nonsense then explain why phones that have a set memory won't allow anything bigger than there built in memory?

There ARE people with 16GB S3s using 64GB cards.

Nonsense.

Now I COULD see where someone is ignorant of the way it works, plugs a 64GB card into say a 16GB unit, and still see only a 16GB SDCARD. Not knowing that it is actually call "extSdCard". That just means they don't understand how it works, not that they don't work.

**meyerweb** · 01-10-2013, 01:43 PM

I have a 32GB Transcend card that's been working fine in my (16GB) S3 since mid-December.

To the OP: No doubt insulting the tech support guy is the best way to get service. I'm sure of it. (Even if he is an *****.)

**GrooveRite** · 01-10-2013, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by Ricky Babalu

Incorrect! I have had a 64GB Sandisk card since day one with no issues whatsoever.

Same here!

**piizzadude** · 01-10-2013, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by techjunkie92

If it is nonsense then explain why phones that have a set memory won't allow anything bigger than there built in memory?

Because that is the size of the chip they put in?

Look at it like a computer. The hard drive is a certain size, but I can add in a 2 terabyte external drive to increase storage.

The sgs3 supports a 64gb card

Sent from the nexus of the Android world, the SGS3.

**AxlMyk** · 01-10-2013, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by techjunkie92

If it is nonsense then explain why phones that have a set memory won't allow anything bigger than there built in memory?

I have a 16g i535 with a 64g SDXC card. Phone reads it just fine.

**socratesman** · 01-11-2013, 10:48 AM

I haven't had my S3 actually ruin any SD cards, but it won't read them most of the time.

**reeneebob** · 01-11-2013, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by Suntan

No offense, but I've had flash cards crap themselves while in use in a number of different devices. Does that mean each device has an issue? I'm sure you could find all sorts of threads about any popular gadget that uses removable flash cards to support the idea that you want to have.

Personally, I'm big into digital photography, so I've been using flash media for well over a decade with a number I f different devices, it's fairly common for conspiracy threads to gain momentum about a device, just because a couple of people all happened to have bad luck at the same time.

-Suntan

Here I thought this was a replay of the great i9000M INTERNAL SD and main board failure that Bell customers endured (which actually was a manufacturers issue). Just the external SD card? At least the phone still works.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

**Suntan** · 01-11-2013, 01:30 PM

Originally Posted by socratesman

I haven't had my S3 actually ruin any SD cards, but it won't read them most of the time.

Are you sure they are getting fully seated?

Not to be daft, but you have to push the cards in until you hear a click. The cards fit a little snug into the slot, the way it rubs against the underlying plastic piece. It can feel like the card is seated even when it isn't.

-Suntan

**gollum18** · 01-11-2013, 01:35 PM

So Samsung's response is to not listen to prominent android sites because they are not "controlled by Samsung". Sounds like they have some trust issues with their consumers or something.

But no this has never happened to me, but I'm always running an aosp ROM, to me it sounds like a bad link between Samsung's software and their hardware.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

**John Tardif** · 01-11-2013, 02:37 PM

I have had my s3 for 3 weeks now. i had the same problem with mine the first week i had my s3 . i Had a 32gb sandisk sdhc class 10 card witch gave me nothing but problem the day after i got my s3. i called sprint thinking it was the phone they said it was must likely the card. so i got me a 32gb samsung class 10 sdxc card and haven't had a problem yet. this is not the first time i have had problems with sandisk cards.