Performance issues like the phone performing slowly, often freezing, unexpectedly restarts or turns off, error message prompts, as well as inability to install or update apps can be remedied with the following workarounds and troubleshooting procedures.
You can refer to this guide whenever you need it.
A. Remove and re-insert SD card.
Removing the SD card can also help determine whether or not the problem is triggered by the SD card. Follow these steps to safely remove the SD card from your S5 handset:
1. Drag down the notification bar from the Home screen.
2. Tap on the Settings icon.
3. Scroll to and select System.
4. Tap on Storage.
5. Scroll to and tap to select Unmount SD card.
6. Tap OK to continue.
7. Power off the phone.
8. Take the battery off the phone.
9. Remove the SD card from the slot.
10. Wait for a few moments, then re-insert the battery.
11. Turn the phone back on and see if the phone's performance improves.
12. Power off the phone again.
13. Re-insert the SD card.
14. Turn it back ON.
15. Now try to observe if the problems ceased to occur.
If problem persists, then continue to the next method.
B. Check the phone memory.
Performance issues on a device can be due to a low memory. So, try to check your phone's memory with the following steps:
1. Tap on the Apps icon from the Home screen.
2. Scroll to and tap to select My Account.
3. Tap on My Device.
4. Tap Dashboard.
5. Tap Storage to view storage details.
6. Check the Overview section and see if your phone has low memory. If so, then proceed with troubleshooting low memory issues on your S5.
C. Clear Apps Cache
Clearing the applications cache can also help free up some space and enhances performance on the device. Make sure though that you clear only the application cache and not the application data. Because if you clear the application data, personal settings and information stored on the phone like log-in information will be removed or erased.
Clearing of the application cache does not affect or erase your personal settings and information.
Follow these steps to clear apps cache on your Galaxy S5:
1. Drag down the notification bar from the Home screen.
2. Tap on the Settings icon.
3. Scroll to Applications.
4. Tap to select Application Manager.
5. Swipe left to the All tab.
6. Scroll to and tap the app you want to clear cache on.
7. Tap Clear cache to start clearing cache on the selected application.
D. Uninstall/Force Close Apps running in the background
Some applications remain running in the background after you opened them and even when not in used. The more apps running in the background, the more likely they affect the device performance and consume more battery life than others. As a result, the device can be sluggish, often freezes or shuts down unexpectedly.
Follow these steps to force close or uninstall apps on your Galaxy S5:
1. Tap the Apps icon from the Home screen.
2. Scroll to and tap My Account.
3. Tap on My Device to continue.
4. Tap Dashboard to open the dashboard.
5. Navigate to the Power Usage dashboard, then tap Battery Usage.
6. Tap the app(s) you want to force close/stop or uninstall. To close or turn off an app, tap Force Stop. To uninstall or remove app(s) from the phone, tap App Info->Uninstall, then tap OK to continue.
Note: Some pre-loaded apps on the device can't be uninstalled.
E. Check your device software and make sure it's running the latest version.
Generally, software updates are pushed to fix or address existing issues on a device. That's why an upgrade to the latest software version is recommended. Follow these steps to verify if your S5 runs the most recent software version.
1. Tap Apps from the Home screen.
2. Scroll to and tap My Account.
3. Tap My Device.
4. Tap Dashboard.
5. Tap the System Updates dashboard to view system information.
6. Tap Device Software.
7. Tap Check now. If an update is available for your device, just follow the on-screen instructions to install update on your device.
If problem continues after performing all the recommended methods, then please contact your phone carrier to escalate the issue you have with your phone, for further troubleshooting assistance and recommendations.
Performance issues like these are inevitable to any device especially for prolonged usage. So, consider a phone restart or soft reset a part of your regular device maintenance process.
