The stunning Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is still one of Samsung’s best smartphones, even though it has long been replaced by updated models. It’s powerful, comes with a great camera, and even enhanced the Note’s signature feature: the S Pen. But it is not perfect and every device has its share of problems and problems.
If you run into a problem, don’t cry and don’t throw your phone in the trash — we’ve found some of the most common Galaxy Note 9 problems and issues, as well as the bug fixes that keep your device running smoothly.
General Solutions to Most of Most Problems
The Note 9 can fall victim to a variety of problems, but many of those problems can be solved with some pretty general advice. Rather than listing them for every problem, here are some general solutions you can try to fix any problems you may have.
Restart your phone. Restarting your phone can fix minor issues you may encounter such as slowed-down apps.
Make sure your phone is up to date. Updates can fix various software issues and can even fix battery draining or charging issues. Go to Settings > Software Update > Download and Install to check for updates.
Hardware issues can be more difficult to fix, but if your phone is new, contact your carrier or the store where you bought your device. Having a warranty is a great way to replace or repair a broken device.
Otherwise, if your device is getting pretty old or out of warranty, it might be time to consider upgrading. Check out our list of the best smartphones to get you started on which devices are worthy of your attention.
Problem: Phone no longer fast charging
Smartphones like the Note 9 can be charged at a high speed, so it’s a shame if the function does not work or does not work properly. Users reported that their Note 9 is not fast charging even though normal charging still works. There is no such thing as a finite solution, but here are some means that can reach the goal.
Possible solution:
Make sure your charging brick and cable are compatible with fast charging. The kit that comes with your Note 9 has an adaptive fast charging feature, but wear and tear can lead to loss of functionality. Then it might be wise to invest in a new USB-C cable.
It also helps to clean the charging port. It is best to spray the opening with a compressed air vacuum, followed by light brushing with a cotton swab.
You can also clean it with rubbing alcohol – just make sure you use at least 99% alcohol to get a little water into the port as possible.
Your culprit could also be the fast charging setting itself. Go to Settings > Device Maintenance > Battery > Charging and make sure Fast Charging is turned on. Plug in a fast charger to see if it works.
Problem: Discoloration of the screen after the update
Thanks to consistent software updates, the Note 9 will still be a smartphone beast in 2020. While the goal is to improve performance, many users have reported issues with screen discoloration after upgrading. What looks like a permanent blue light filter fills the Note 9’s display and is not removed by a factory reset.
Possible solution:
Although there is no official solution, users have had success by wiping their phone’s cache partition. Make sure your data and files are backed up beforehand. Turn your device off and then on again by pressing and holding the Power + Volume Up buttons. Release it when you see the Samsung boot logo and you should see a list of options. Navigate down by pressing the Volume Down button and select Wipe Cache Partition by pressing the Power button. Choose Yes > Reboot the system now.
Samsung has suggested that users experiencing the screen issue should have their phones replaced at a local service center. While this will most likely fix the problem, it will cost you time and money.
Problem: Note 9 Overheats
Samsung fans are understandably concerned that their phones will heat up after the Note 7 debacle. But that doesn’t mean overheating shouldn’t be taken seriously. Quite a few Note 9 owners have found their devices overheating significantly. This seems to be accompanied by other issues such as a reduction in battery life. At worst, people complain that the phone is too hot to hold because the back and sides get extremely hot.
If your phone gets hot while playing games and performing intensive tasks, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem – after all, the Note 9’s cooling relies on moving heat from the inside of the phone to the outside – it shouldn’t be uncomfortable to hold.
Solution:
Contact Samsung or your dealer immediately. While phones can get warm during fast charging and intensive tasks, they shouldn’t get too hot to hold, nor should they do so outside of those activities. If your phone is constantly overheating, it could indicate a battery problem and faulty batteries could pose a serious fire hazard.
Bug: Navigation Bar Still Appears When Gestures Are Used
An Android 9.0 Pie UI has added many useful features to the Note 9, and gesture control is one of them. However, some users find that after enabling the new controls, the software keys do not disappear as they should. While it’s nowhere near a phone destruction complaint, it’s certainly annoying. Fortunately, it seems easy to fix.
Solution:
Samsung suggests wiping your cache partition to fix this kind of problem. To do this, turn off your device and then press and hold the volume and Bixby button. Then press and hold the power button as well. When the Android logo appears, release all three buttons. When the Android recovery system appears, use the volume keys to select Wipe cache partition and tap the power button to select it. This shouldn’t erase your personal data but we still recommend that you backup your phone before you start just in case.
Problem: The Camera Hums While Zooming
The Galaxy Note 9 has an extraordinary array of snappers, but that doesn’t mean it’s without issues. Complaints about the camera freezing and lagging have disappeared but have been replaced by another problem. Users complain about a buzzing noise when using their camera, and it seems to be related to using the telephoto lens. While some say the noise is just a nuisance, others have found that the problem is also related to focus problems when using this lens.
Solution:
Unfortunately, this appears to be a hardware issue so there’s not much you can do but return your device to Samsung or take it to a third party for repair.
Problem: Volume drops while playing media
Some users have found that the video volume drops after a few minutes while playing media. The problem occurs on YouTube and other video apps including Samsung’s own video app and it doesn’t seem to happen until a few minutes after playing. The problem persists in safe mode – suggesting that the problem is not caused by a third-party app.
A now-deleted post on the Samsung forum suggested that a software update might fix the problem, but this contradicts other advice from another deleted post where one of Samsung’s official moderators recommended a replacement device. Unlike some other issues, the Android 9.0 Pie update doesn’t seem to have fixed this issue.
Solution:
While Samsung has not officially acknowledged the issue, it appears that one user has discovered the issue: Dolby Atmos. If you’re having issues with sound attenuation, go to Settings > Sound & Vibration > Advanced Sound Settings > Sound Quality & Effects, and make sure Dolby Atmos is turned on.
Problem: Silent Notifications
Many have expressed concerns that the Note 9’s ringtone and notification volume is quieter than other similar phones, especially when compared to last year’s Galaxy Note 8. It seems that while the listener is picking up music and videos, only the bottom speaker is used for notifications and ringtones.
A temporary solution:
Some users have suggested using an app to turn up the volume. Volume Booster GOODEV is recommended.
Possible solution:
A user claims that the silent speaker is a hardware error. According to Eritrea. hamarimuskan, both of your Note 9’s speakers flash during notifications while headphones are connected to the phone, but only the bottom speaker flashes without headphones. One speaker is clearly quieter than two and is probably the culprit of the problem. However, this particular user had some trouble getting a Samsung representative to accept the error but they recommend that you do the headphone test if you are experiencing this issue. You may be able to use it as leverage on Samsung for a replacement device.
Problem: Top Speaker Is Inconsistent During A Call
The Note 9 uses a speaker on the bottom and the earpiece on top of the phone to deliver stereo sound. Unfortunately, the earpiece on top of the phone seems to work inconsistently for some users when making calls in hands-free mode. According to some reports, the top speaker sometimes works when the phone is moved but turns off at other times.
This is a particularly interesting issue because, as some users have pointed out, the top speaker is for music and videos only and should not be enabled for speakerphones at all. It seems that the sensor on the top of the phone turns off or lowers the earpiece speaker when blocked. While this may seem annoying, other users have highlighted this as a safety feature as the top earbud is a full-fledged speaker and when the proximity sensor detects something it thinks is an ear, the volume is turned down for safety reasons.
A temporary solution:
Try to keep objects away from the top sensors of your phone and try not to move them.
Possible solutions:
Samsung claims that clearing the cache of the device could solve this problem.
It’s also probably worth checking out Samsung’s speaker troubleshooting guide. It may or may not work, but it’s worth a try.
Some users have found that disabling a setting in call recording apps also solves this problem.
Problem: S Pen not registering in certain parts of the screen
The S Pen is a great tool for the Note 9, and it comes with some great features. But it’s just one part of the phone that can go wrong, and some users are having issues with the S Pen not working on certain parts of their Note 9’s screen.
Possible solutions:
Are you using a protective cover with a magnet? Many wallet cases use magnets to keep the case closed, and those magnets can interfere with the S Pen and Note 9. Try removing the case and try again.
Samsung has several solutions you can try if your S Pen is not working properly:
- Perform a soft reset by pressing and holding the volume down button for 10 seconds. Then press and hold the power button while continuing to keep the volume down until your phone reboots.
- Make sure your S Pen is connected properly. Go to Settings > Advanced Features > S Pen > S Pen Remote and make sure the switch is turned on.
- If that doesn’t work, you may have a faulty screen or S Pen. Contact Samsung for a replacement.
Problem: Navigation Buttons Don’t Respond
Some users report that the software-based navigation buttons at the bottom of the Note 9’s screen get stuck and unresponsive. Users have said that the problem occurs intermittently, but when it does occur, it can take up to 10 to 20 taps to push a command – and often the problem doesn’t go away until the user reboots the phone.
It seems that the problem is fairly localized to devices with Samsung’s default Samsung Experience launcher. One particular user commented that the problem started after opening the home page of their Note 9 while using Nova Launcher.
The problem is not caused by the Note 9 itself; It is actually linked to a recent update to Samsung Pay. Another update might fix the root of the problem.
A temporary solution:
It seems that restarting the phone will fix the problems for a while.
A user reported that changing the theme of their Note 9 through the Samsung Themes app solved their problems. This is very anecdotal, but worth a try if you keep getting the problem.
Solution:
Oftentimes, Samsung Pay may experience a brief outage or outage, causing an invisible window to appear on your screen. It can block your entire on-screen keyboard. Fortunately, the cause is simple; This error occurs when users have not fully set up the program. After you configure your device, this problem should go away.
Some consumers found that the update to Android 9.0 Pie fixed the bug. We recommend that you keep your software up to date to resolve these issues.
Problem: Camera Freezes
Several people on official Samsung forums and XDA developers have reported that there are complications with their Note 9 camera. They reported that the camera would randomly freeze regardless of whether they were shooting videos or photos. When the camera crashed, some users also received the “camera failed” message. Several users tried clearing the cache, swapping the microSD card, and turning their device off and on but none of these methods seemed to stop the freezing issue.
Solution:
Users have found that updating the Note 9 fixes the issue.
