Troubleshooting Samsung Galaxy S II Problems

Common problems with the Samsung Galaxy S II smart phone include unexpectedly being prompted to install drivers for the phone on your computer, apps not working properly, the device freezing up, forgetting the phone's unlock pattern and more. Use troubleshooting techniques to see if your problem is something you can work through on your own without having to go through Samsung's customer support center.

An error message notifying you that drivers for your computer to recognize the connected Samsung Galaxy S II aren't installed may appear if you don't have either Windows Media Player or the Samsung KIES software installed on your computer. Alternatively, not having the most recent versions of these programs installed can also cause this problem. You can download the most recent version of Windows Media Player here and the most recent version of Samsung KIES here.

A variety of things can cause an app on your Samsung Galaxy S II smart phone to act up, such as a glitch with your phone or the app not being installed properly. If you're experiencing problems with an app, try forcing it to close and then reopening it to see if you're still experiencing the problem. If you are still experiencing problems after force closing it, try uninstalling and then reinstalling the app on your device.

Force applications to close by doing the following:

1. Tap "Applications."
2. Tap "Settings."
3. Tap "Running Services."
4. Tap the name of the application you want to force to close and then tap "Stop." Try opening the app again to see if you're still experiencing the same problem.

Uninstall the app by doing the following:

1. Tap the "Menu" icon at the bottom of Samsung Galaxy S II home screen.
2. Tap "Settings."
3. Tap "Applications."
4. Tap "Manage Applications."
5. Tap the name of the application you want to uninstall and then tap "Uninstall." The application will be removed from your smart phone.
6. Install the application back on your Samsung Galaxy S II from the Android Marketplace.

If you forget the unlock pattern, don't worry, you can still unlock your phone without it. If you continue entering the unlock pattern unsuccessfully, you'll eventually be prompted to enter the username and password associated with the Google account associated with your Samsung Galaxy S II smart phone. However, be careful to enter the username and password associated with your Google account correctly, because if you get it wrong you'll need to take the smart phone to an authorized Samsung dealer for the device to be unlocked by someone who'll need to verify your identification.

If you're finding the GPS functionality on your Samsung Galaxy S II smart phone isn't is accurate as it should be, there are some settings on your smart phone that may not be enabled that are likely causing this issue. You can enable the Use Wireless Networks and Use GPS Satellites to improve the accuracy of programs that have GPS capability:

1. Tap "Menu."
2. Tap "Settings."
3. Select "Location and Security."
4. Tap "Use Wireless Networks" until a check mark appears next to that option, indicating that it's enabled.
5. Tap "Use GPS Satellites" until a check mark appears next to that option, indicating that it's enabled.

• Wash your hands to remove dirt, dust or other debris from them, as debris on your hand can prevent your smart phone from detecting the movement of your finger.
• Dry your hands if they're wet. The Samsung Galaxy S II smart phone won't pick up your finger's movement if you have wet hands.
• Try removing any type of cover or case that's on the device. While covers and cases are great for protecting your phone, they may actually be inhibiting the device from picking up your finger's movements.

The Samsung Galaxy S II freezing or locking up can be the result of a number of things, but is most often the result of a software problem or an app not being installed correctly. Often issues related to freezing or locking up can be resolved by updating the phone's software. However, if updating the phone's internal software doesn't work, back up any software on the device (if possible) and restore the phone to its factory settings.

Try updating the phone's software by doing the following:

1. Tap "Menu."
2. Tap "Settings."
3. Select "About Phone."
4. Select "Software Update." If an update is available for your device, install it.

If updating the software on the Samsung Galaxy S II doesn't work, back up your device if you haven't already and then restore it to the factory settings by doing the following:

1. Tap "Menu."
2. Tap "Settings."
3. Select "Back Up and Reset."
4. Select "Factory Data Reset."
5. Tap "Reset Phone" and then tap "Erase Everything." Your phone begins the factory reset process and may restart a few times while this process is happening. After the process is complete, the phone will restart and boot up to the screen you saw the first time you booted the Samsung Galaxy S II up.