Restore status bar S7 home screen

[ifixbax]

I have lost the status bar and notifications on my home screen. This info still appears on every other screen. This happened shortly after the last update. My wife has same phone and update but hers is still visible. One hour with VZW did not help and all they would suggest is a factory reset. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. S7 Edge Android 7.0

 

[pontiac005]

Are you talking security update or Android 7 update? Some users have experienced problems on Android 7 update and had to do a reset to refresh everything to fix it. I would first try to wipe the cache in recovery mode and see if that fixes anything.

 

[ifixbax]

Did that. Status bar still missing on home screen only. Any other options? If I do a simple reset , what will I lose? Thanks for the assistance.

 

[underway99]

You said that you already cleared the cache. As a reminder, the system cache is different from the app cache. People sometimes confuse the two. The system cache can only be cleared when Android isn't running. That's why it has to be done from the preboot recovery menu. Clearing the app cache (that's what you clear from within SETTINGS/BACKUP AND RESET) won't do the job.

You can rule out any kind of third-party app conflict by booting into safe mode. That boots the phone with preloaded apps, default settings, and no third-party apps. None of your apps or data are lost -- they just don't load. If the status bar information is restored, then you have an app or setting causing a conflict. Just reboot to get out of safe mode and back to normal.

If running in safe mode and clearing the system cache doesn't isolate your issue, that leaves you with the factory data reset (FDR). You'll lose whatever is on your phone, so make sure that you back up your passwords, photos, music, documents, etc. That will make your phone like you just removed it from the box, but it will still have Nougat.

 

[ifixbax]

I did the system cache by using recovery mode. I also did try safe mode. Neither worked. Isn't there a "lesser" reset than the full factory reset? I really don't want to go through reloading everything back on my phone. Thanks for your help.

 

[underway99]

I'm afraid that the factory data reset is the next step. If this doesn't fix the issue, then you'd have to do it for Verizon anyway before they will replace the device. They should be able to see that you've already done it if and/or when you call them again.

Before you jump on the FDR, let's try this. Does the status bar show normally when you choose the EASY MODE for TouchWiz (SETTINGS/DISPLAY/EASY MODE)? Or better yet, download a third party launcher like Nova, Apex, Action Launcher, etc. See if the status bar comes back. If it does, then your stock launcher (TouchWiz) or some of its components could be corrupted. Since you've already tried safe mode, which isolates non-default settings and third party apps, an app or setting conflict likely isn't your issue. If the alternate launcher restores your status bar, then try the stock launcher again to see if it was somehow jarred into working again. It could be something as simple as a library file or a service holding bad data that gets cleared out.

If that works, great. If not, then you're back to the FDR. If you have to do the FDR, resist the temptation to restore from your cloud backup and build the phone as though you've never had one. If the issue is a data file or a setting (unlikely in this case), you stand the chance of putting that bad data right back on the phone.

The only other option that I can think of is to reload the OS. This is relatively painless because it just takes a little bit of time plus the rebuilding, of course. If you're not up to it, then perhaps it might be time to ask Big Red to replace the device. Note that it will very likely be a refurbished device.

Reloading the OS may be the answer because it will actually replace the OS on your device, not just clear all the data and apps like the FDR does. If your launcher is bad, it's a good possibility that other features are bad too and you've just not yet noticed. You've got a few options for this. One, use the SOFTWARE REPAIR ASSISTANT feature in the Upgrade Assistant app that Verizon installs on your PC when you connect it to your phone. Two, use Samsung's Smart Switch which does the same thing. Both will download and install the correct OS for your phone. Then you get to load up from scratch.

Good luck.