My S Finder keeps popping up

[Android Central Question]

Hello

HELP! Even when my phone is left unattended, strange things keep happening... e.g. "S Finder" keeps popping up on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

I have cleaned the screen. How do I tell if I have a virus / PUP?
Or a hardware fault? (e.g. Maybe some water got into the phone??)

As it happens I have a backup Galaxy Note 3. No, if I have a hardware fault, how do I transfer all my data to the other phone?

Many thanks

J

 

[mustang7757]

You could use smart switch or on the phone if logged in to your Samsung account back up..


I'll leave a link to register so you can communicate here , as a guest account you can't.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=409154

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Can you tell us a few other strange things that are happening? Does this happen in Safe Mode as well? https://www.t-mobile.com/support/de...galaxy-note-3/safe-mode-samsung-galaxy-note-3. Or after a cache partition wipe? https://www.t-mobile.com/support/de...-3/wipe-cache-partition-samsung-galaxy-note-3

 

[ship69]

Thanks

> You could use smart switch or on the phone if logged in to your Samsung account back up..
Which is better?

I have now been trying Smart Switch but is there something more clever one can do using Samsung Account that works any better? If so how do I use it?

 

[mustang7757]

Thanks

> You could use smart switch or on the phone if logged in to your Samsung account back up..
Which is better?

I have now been trying Smart Switch but is there something more clever one can do using Samsung Account that works any better? If so how do I use it?

Hi , I use back up cloud more frequently between my Samsung phones it's easier for me then going to the computer

 

[ship69]

> I use back up cloud more frequently between my Samsung phones it's easier for me then going to the computer

I don't even know that means. How do you do that?

 

[mustang7757]

No problem, go I to settings>Accounts >back up.>Samsung tap what u want backed up

 

[ship69]

Ah, OK. I have started a backup - although I hate to think how much data is going to be downloaded & uploaded.
Wait, no it now looks like it tries to run the Backup at night (i.e. when the phone is charging, and is on WiFi, with screenoff for an hour)
Will it tell me when it has completed?

Either way, what will it NOT backup? e.g. What about WhatApp? Last time I changed phone I lost almost all of my historic WhatsApp data.

Will it let me Restore onto two phones at once? Do my phones need to have SIM cards, or is being connected to WiFi enough?

Many thanks

EDIT 01 - My reserve phone has a fast WiFi connection has been downloading Google Play updates to applications etc ALL afternoon.

EDIT 02 - The stupid phone is re-installing all the apps that I asked it this morning to UN-install! It's now 7PM and it's still going strong re-installing all my apps.
And meanwhile, the darned thing has stopped doing the automatic opening up of "S Finder" when left alone. GADS.

 

[B. Diddy]

If it happens again, try Safe Mode and/or a cache partition wipe, as I mentioned above. If the issue is due to some app you installed that's causing instability, or some wonky system data stuck in the cache partition, this might save you the trouble of having to transfer all of your data to another phone.

 

[mustang7757]

Ah, OK. I have started a backup - although I hate to think how much data is going to be downloaded & uploaded.
Wait, no it now looks like it tries to run the Backup at night (i.e. when the phone is charging, and is on WiFi, with screenoff for an hour)
Will it tell me when it has completed?

Either way, what will it NOT backup? e.g. What about WhatApp? Last time I changed phone I lost almost all of my historic WhatsApp data.

Will it let me Restore onto two phones at once? Do my phones need to have SIM cards, or is being connected to WiFi enough?

Many thanks

EDIT 01 - My reserve phone has a fast WiFi connection has been downloading Google Play updates to applications etc ALL afternoon.

EDIT 02 - The stupid phone is re-installing all the apps that I asked it this morning to UN-install! It's now 7PM and it's still going strong re-installing all my apps.
And meanwhile, the darned thing has stopped doing the automatic opening up of "S Finder" when left alone. GADS.

You can have just wifi and 2 phones can do same , Samsung and google , google will back up drive,WhatsApp ect

My screenshot 1 photo Samsung 2nd google

 

[ship69]

OK I have been through both phones (i.e. both my"Current" and "Previous" Galaxy Note 3's) uninstalling apps pretty brutally.
But still SmartSwitch says that there's no space to restore the backup from Current onto Previous.
I guess part of the problem will be the SD card. I only have the one. And it has apps running from it. I'm thinking that things won't go well if I just pull it out and stuff it back into the Previous phone.

What would Wiping the Cache partition do to everything? Is that like a factory reset?

 

[mustang7757]

OK I have been through both phones (i.e. both my"Current" and "Previous" Galaxy Note 3's) uninstalling apps pretty brutally.
But still SmartSwitch says that there's no space to restore the backup from Current onto Previous.
I guess part of the problem will be the SD card. I only have the one. And it has apps running from it. I'm thinking that things won't go well if I just pull it out and stuff it back into the Previous phone.

What would Wiping the Cache partition do to everything? Is that like a factory reset?

Wipe cache in recovery doesn't factory reset or in a app. I wouldn't put also on SD card as you could run into issue if the SD card gets corrupt and caused slow downs as it's not fast as Internal storage . For smart switch say you don't have enough I'm not sure how much it can hold but maybe make couple back up there

 

[B. Diddy]

What would Wiping the Cache partition do to everything? Is that like a factory reset?

It clears out some temporary system data in the cache partition, which can sometimes fix various glitchy behavior. It doesn't affect your personal data, so it's always worth a try if things are acting funny.