Battery & Phone problem - Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini

[AC Question]

Hi everyone,

In recent weeks my battery (Samsung Galaxy S3 mini) has been draining very fast. I tried switching off apps such as Facebook which I don't use, Skype, Google +, S Voice. This made no difference, and I was charging the phone 3 times a day. Then I discovered that 'Talk' didn't work anymore because apparently Google 'could not be found'. I went into the Play store, can't download anything there - can't even do a search for anything. So I tried downloading a software update, and a lot of Apps seem to have been updated, but I have the same problem with Talk - now known as 'Hangouts', where when I try to sign in (I have a Gmail account) it tells me that Google 'could not be found'. And I'm now experiencing even worse problems because the phone will just switch itself off randomly or restart, and even if I had 80% battery before it randomly switches off/restarts, it will then have 'critically low' battery when it comes on again.

Can someone please help me? I can't download anything with the Play store because it can't find Google, I can't sign into 'Hangouts' which used to be 'Talk' and I can't understand why it keeps switching itself off and on again despite seemingly being charged. I tried going to the '3 store' here in Ireland as that is the network I am with and was told that they can't do anything until I finish my contract in 6 months!!!

 

[belodion]

It looks like your battery is failing and will need replacing.

Regarding the other problems, you could try Settings, Storage, Cached Data, open that and clear the cache.

A Cache Partition wipe may also help:

http://cellphoneforums.net/samsung-...emove-apps-using-safe-mode.html#axzz3BVX5WNVK

Please report back if you're still having problems and we'll think of something else.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[thesiren]

Hi there,

Unfortunately I can't find anything to do with cache when I go into settings - storage I did the other thing you mention but when I just went into 'hangouts', yet again it tells me 'couldn't sign in because we couldn't reach google'

This is making me miserable. I know it's only a phone but 'hangouts'/'talk' was the only way I could reach friends/family cheaply as I live hundreds of miles away from all of them. I just do not know what to do.

 

[belodion]

Try Settings, Apps (it may be called Application Manager or something in a Samsung), swipe across to All which is the heading on the right where all your apps are listed alphabetically, scroll down to Hangouts, press to open it, then clear data and clear cache. You can do the same for Google Play Store. You could try doing the same also for Google Play Services, in which you may have to open Manage Space before you reach the clear data and cache options.
It will do no harm, and may help, after doing the above if you perform a Soft Reset....Power Off the phone followed by Restart.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[thesiren]

Hi,I tried that and also drained battery completely and charged it fully... within 30 mins the battery was totally drained and google still cannot be reached for play store and hangouts

 

[belodion]

You're not using some sort of two-step verification or something?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[thesiren]

I can't remember if I ever did that and am not sure how to check, would that be causing this?

 

[belodion]

Probably not, you'd know if you'd done it. See if this helps...I think you can ignore the bit about root:

http://webtrickz.com/fix-google-hangouts-error-couldnt-sign-in-on-android/

Posted via Android Central App

 

[thesiren]

Doesn't work

 

[belodion]

I'm wondering whether the bad battery....assuming that the battery is bad, as on the face of it it certainly seems to be....is hindering matters. Would you be prepared to try another battery before proceeding any further? I can understand that you would probably be reluctant to do so, for a phone that's giving so much trouble, but perhaps you could try one before buying, at a friendly repairer's, say. In fact, if you have the phone on a contract, does not the network provider replace the battery (I don't use contracts so simply don't know this) when it fails?

Posted via Android Central App