samsung galaxy 3 in hand

Troubleshooting the Samsung Galaxy S3

Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung S3 White Front and Back

Table of Contents

1 – Factory reset

2 – Screen

3 – Phone Number

4 – Volume

5 – Apps

6 – Calendar

7 – Airplane Mode

8 – Picture

9 – Memory

10 – Data/Hotspot/USB/Roaming/Bluetooth

11 – Contacts/Calls

12 – Software

13 – Text Messages


1. How to factory reset my device

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Accounts’
  4. Press ‘Back-up and Reset’
  5. Then tap ‘Factory Data Reset’
  6. Next, press ‘Reset Device’
  7. Press ‘Delete All’

It may take a moment to factory reset the device and will cause a automatic restart.

Warning: There is no method to undo a factory reset. Media, files and data will be erased from the mobile device.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Factory Reset 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Factory Reset (2) 5-6

2A. How to change to a new background image

  1. Option 1:
    1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
    2. Slide and select the ‘Photos’ or ‘Gallery’ option.
    3. Open the desired image to place as the background photo.
    4. Press the ‘Options’ key
    5. Select ‘Set As…’
    6. Choose the desired option of which you’d like to change the wallpaper
  2. Option 2:
    1. Hold down an empty area on the screen
    2. Press ‘Set Wallpaper’
    3. Choose the desired option of which you’d like to change the wallpaper
    4. Choose the desired location in which to find the image
    5. Select the image
Samsung Galaxy S3 Background 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Background 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Background 5-6

2B. How to change brightness

Option 1:

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘My Device’
  4. Press ‘Display’
  5. Press ‘Brightness’
  6. Adjust the brightness as desired
  7. Press ‘Ok’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Brightness (2) 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Brightness (2) 3

Option 2:

  1. Drag down the phones header by tapping it and sliding downwards
  2. Drag it down once more to see more options
  3. Adjust the brightness
Samsung Galaxy S3 Brightness (2) 1-2

2C. How to adjust screen timeout time

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘My Device’
  4. Press ‘Display’
  5. Press ‘Screen Timeout’
  6. Adjust the amount of time desired for the screen to time out.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen Timeout 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen Timeout 5

2D. How to add or remove a widget

To add a widget:

  1. Press and hold on an empty spot on the home screen.
  2. Press ‘Apps and widgets’
  3. Choose the ‘Widget’ tab on the top of the screen
  4. Select the widget you’d like to add. The sizing needed for each one is specified as 1×1 or 1×2 etc.
  5. Drag the widget onto the desired location on the screen.
  6. Moving a widget is done in the same form. Press and hold it and drag it to the desired location.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Add Widget 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Add Widget 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Add Widget 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Add Widget 7-8

To remove a widget:

  1. Hold and drag the desired widget into the recycling can above
Samsung Galaxy S3 Remove Widget 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Remove Widget 3

2E. How to lock device with a PIN

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘More’
  4. Press ‘Security’
  5. Tap ‘Encrypt Device’
  6. Press ‘Set Screen Lock Type’
  7. Choose the desired method of screen lock
  8. Enter the Pin or Password and press ‘Continue’
  9. Confirm the Pin or Password
  10. Press ‘Ok’

To undo the Pin or Password:

  1. Do steps 1-5
  2. Enter the Pin or Password
  3. Select the ‘None’ option

3. How to find my phone number

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘More’
  4. Press ‘About Device’
  5. Press ‘Status’
  6. Read ‘My Phone Number’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Phone Number 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Phone Number 5

4. How to change the volume

Option 1:

  1. Press the volume keys on the side of the device.
  2. Up – higher the volume
  3. Down – Lower the volume
  4. Pressing the options symbol will open more options of different types of volumes you have control over, such as Ringtone, Media, Notifications and System.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Volume (1) 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Volume (1) 3-4

Option 2:

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘My Device’
  4. Press ‘Sound’
  5. Press ‘Volume’
  6. Adjust as desired
  7. Press ‘OK’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Volume (2) 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Volume (2) 5

5. How to add an app or delete it

A Google account must be connected to the device in order to add an app.

Open the Play Store app and it will prompt you to add a google account:

  1. Press ‘Existing’ if you already have a Google account. If not, press ‘Add’.
  2. Sign in by entering your username and password.
  3. Press ‘Ok’
  4. Choose if you’d like to use this account to backup the data from the device as well as to receive communication.
  5. Press the arrow key.

To add an app:

  1. Open the ‘Play Store’ app on the main screen or press the menu key and find the App Store app there.
  2. Search for the app you’d like to add by typing it in the search bar or looking in the categories listed towards the upper half of the screen.
  3. Press on the desired app to learn more about it.
  4. To download, press the 3 dots near the app name and press ‘Install’ or if the app details were opened, press ‘download app’.
  5. Press ‘Accept’
  6. Drag the app to the desired location and screen.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Add App 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Add App 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Add App 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Add App 7-8

To remove an app:

  1. Hold down the app and drag it to the ‘Uninstall’ icon above.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete App 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete App 3-4

6. How to set a calendar event or delete it

To add a calendar event:

  1. Open the Calender app
  2. Press on the day the event will be added to
  3. Press the plus sign on the top right of the screen.
  4. Enter the appropriate information such as a title, from date and time, to date and time, location and any notes applicable.
  5. Press ‘Save’.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Calendar Event 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Calendar Event 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Calendar Event 5-6

To delete a calendar event:

  1. Open the Calendar App
  2. Press on the day that has the event you’d like to delete.
  3. Press the options key
  4. Tap ‘Delete’
  5. Press ‘Ok’ to confirm
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Calendar Event 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Calendar Event 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Calendar Event 5-6

7. How to turn on or off airplane mode

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Connections’
  4. Press ‘More Networks’
  5. Tap ‘Airplane mode’
  6. Press ‘Ok’
  7. To disable: Press ‘Airplane Mode’ once more

Airplane mode will disable data, calling, messaging, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Airplane Mode 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Airplane Mode 5-6

8. How to take a picture

  1. Open the ‘Camera’ app
  2. Point the device towards the object or person you’d like to photograph.
  3. Tap the screen to select the focal point.
  4. Press the camera image button to capture the image
  5. To view the image, press on the image that appears on the top left of the screen.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Take Picture 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Take Picture 3-4

To delete, open the image in gallery and press the recycling bin above. Press ‘OK’.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Picture 1-2

9A. How to see available storage amounts

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘More’
  4. Press ‘Storage’
  5. View the storage amounts available as well as the store amounts used.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Storage 3-4

9B. How to clear cookies and cache

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Chrome’ or ‘Browser’ option.
  3. Press the ‘Options’ Key
  4. Choose ‘Settings’
  5. Press ‘Privacy and Security’
  6. Press ‘Clear Cache’
  7. Tap ‘OK’
  8. Press ‘Clear History’
  9. Tap ‘OK’
  10. Press ‘Clear All Cookie Data’
  11. Press ‘OK’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Clear Cache 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Clear Cache 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Clear Cache 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Clear Cache 7-8

10A. How to see my data usage

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Connections’
  4. Press ‘Data Usage’
  5. View Data Usage.
    • Set the data usage cycle
    • View which apps or systems use the most data
    • View how much each app or system uses up of data within this usage cycle
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Data Usage 3-4

10B. How to tether via USB

  1. Connect the USB cable to the computer.
  2. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  3. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  4. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Connections’
  5. Press ‘More networks’
  6. Tap ‘Tethering and Wi-Fi Hotspot’
  7. Press ‘USB Tethering’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 USB Tethering 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 USB Tethering 5-6

10C. How to adjust USB connection options

  1. Drag down the header and touch ‘Connected as a media device’
  2. Select the desired option.
    • MTP – Allows you to transfer files to and from a computer
    • PTP – Allows you to transfer all files to and from a computer as well as images using the camera software.
Samsung Galaxy S3 USB Connection 1-2

10D. How to reset to default APN settings

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Connections’
  4. Press ‘More Networks’
  5. Tap ‘Mobile Networks’
  6. Press ‘Access Point Names’
  7. Press the Options key
  8. Then, press ‘Restore to Default’
  9. The original APN settings will now restore.

A reset is in order if there is difficulty connecting to the proper network provider.

Phone are often branded to a specific company, so even if they are unlocked you may need to call in to your provider to get the correct APN settings. It is to tell the device to connect to this network and not the one it was originally programmed to work with. Press the plus sign on the top right of the ‘Access Point Names’ screen and add all the necessary information.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 APN 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 APN 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 APN 7

10E. How to use my mobile device as a hotspot

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Connections’
  4. Press ‘More Networks’
  5. Press ‘Tethering and Mobile Hotspots’
  6. Tap ‘Mobile Hotspot’
  7. Press ‘Configure’
  8. Personalize the name of your device hotspot
  9. Personalize the password
  10. Press ‘Save’
  11. Turn on the ‘Mobile Hotspot’ feature in the previous setting

On the devices looking to connect to the hotspot, search for this hotspot name under the Wi-Fi settings. Type in the password and enjoy. Multiple devices can connect to one device hotspot.

Warning: Connect to Wi-Fi or have an unlimited data plan on the original hotspot device to avoid being charged extra costs by the network provider. The devices can connect to the internet using the data of the mobile hotspot.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Hotspot 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Hotspot 5-6

10F. How to to turn on or off Wi-Fi

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Connections’
  4. Turn on the ‘Wi-Fi’ by pressing on the toggle button
  5. Press on the words ‘Wi-Fi’ to see the networks to connect to
  6. Select the desired Wi-Fi network
  7. Enter the Password. To see the password as you type, press on the ‘Show Password’ box.
  8. Press ‘Connect’
  9. Wi-Fi is now connected.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Wi-Fi 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Wi-Fi 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Wi-Fi 7-8

To disconnect from Wi-Fi:

  1. Do steps 1-3
  2. Turn off the ‘Wi-Fi’ by pressing on the toggle button.

To forget a network:

  1. Do steps 1-3
  2. Press on the words ‘Wi-Fi’
  3. Press on the network you are connected to
  4. Tap ‘Forget’
  5. If desired, turn off the ‘Wi-Fi’ capabilities as stated above.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Forget Wi-Fi 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Forget Wi-Fi 5

10G. How to turn on or off roaming

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Connections’
  4. Press ‘More Networks’
  5. Tap ‘Mobile Networks’
  6. Press on the checkbox near ‘Data Roaming’
  7. Press ‘Ok’

Suggestion: Include roaming in your data package if you leave the state/country often to avoid being charged extra for it when the need arises

It is possible that the device may not automatically connect to the correct network (although there is such a setting), so conduct a network search and choose your preferred one.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Roaming 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Roaming 5-6

10H. How to add or remove an email address

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Account’
  4. Press ‘Add Account’
  5. Select the type of account you’d like to add
  6. Press ‘Existing’
  7. Type in the username and password
  8. Press ‘Done’
  9. Press ‘OK’
  10. Adjust details for the new account such as if it should be a backup for your devices data
  11. Press the triangle arrow to confirm
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Email 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Email 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Email 7-8
Samsung Galaxy S3 Email 9-10

To remove an account:

  1. Do steps 1-3 as stated above.
  2. Press on the account type you’d like to remove
  3. Press on the account name
  4. Tap ‘Remove Account’ as is located on the bottom of the screen
  5. Press ‘Remove Account’ to confirm

Please note: All emails and/or data that is associated with the account will be removed from your device. Accessing these details will be possible using a different device or computer.

Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Remove Email 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Remove Email 5-6

10I. How to turn on or off Bluetooth

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘Connections’
  4. Turn on the slider near ‘Bluetooth’
  5. Press on the words ‘Bluetooth’
  6. Check off the box near the phone’s name to make it visible to other devices
  7. Press on the desired nearby device to connect to
  8. Confirm by pressing ‘Ok’ on both devices
  9. They are now paired.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Bluetooth 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Bluetooth 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Bluetooth 7-8

To forget a Bluetooth connection:

  1. Do steps 1-4
  2. Press the settings picture near the bluetooth device
  3. Press Unpair
  4. Turn off Bluetooth by pressing on the slider towards the top of the screen
Samsung Galaxy S3 Unpair Bluetooth

11A. How to enable or disable my own caller ID

  1. Open the Phone app
  2. Press the ‘Option’ key
  3. Press ‘Call Settings’
  4. Then tap ‘Additional Settings’
  5. Press ‘Caller ID’
  6. Finally, press ‘Hide Number’ to hide it from all outgoing calls. To hide it temporarily, press *67 before making a call
  7. To disable this feature, press ‘Show Number’

11B. How to forward my calls to another phone number

  1. Open the Phone app
  2. Press the ‘Option’ key
  3. Press ‘Call Settings’
  4. Then tap ‘Additional Settings’
  5. Press ‘Call Forwarding’
  6. Choose the desired option
  7. Type in the phone number to forward calls to
  8. Press ‘Turn On’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Call FWD 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Call FWD 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Call FWD 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Call FWD 7-8

11C. How to bar certain numbers from calling me

  1. Open the Phone app
  2. Press the ‘Option’ key
  3. Press ‘Call Settings’
  4. Next, press ‘Call Rejection’
  5. Tap ‘Auto Reject list’
  6. Press ‘Create’
  7. Type in the phone number to block
  8. Press ‘Save’

To undo:

  1. Do steps 1-5
  2. Check off the phone number you’d like to un-bar
  3. Press ‘Delete’ on upper right hand corner
Samsung Galaxy S3 Call Reject 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Call Reject 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Call Reject 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Call Reject 7-8

11D. How to add a contact or delete it

To add a new contact to an address book:

Option 1:

  1. Open the Contacts app
  2. Press the Plus (+) sign on the upper right hand corner
  3. Type in the Name, Phone number, Email and any other information for the new contact
  4. Press ‘Done’
  5. Press ‘Save
Samsung Galaxy S3 Create Contact (2) 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Create Contact (2) 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Create Contact (2) 5

Option 2:

  1. Open the Calling app
  2. Type in the number you’d like to add
  3. Press ‘Create Contact’
  4. Press ‘Create Contact’
  5. Add the Name, Email and other information
  6. Press ‘Save’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Create Contact (1) 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Create Contact (1) 3-4

To delete a contact:

  1. Open the Contacts app
  2. Search for the contact to delete
  3. Press on the contact
  4. Press the ‘Options’ key
  5. Tap ‘Delete’
  6. Press ‘OK’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Contact 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Contact 3

12A. How to see my software version

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘More’
  4. Press ‘About Device’
  5. Read the Software information
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Software 3-4

12B. How to update my software version

  1. Press the ‘Apps’ menu option
  2. Slide and select the ‘Settings’ option.
  3. Choose the tab on the top named ‘More’
  4. Press ‘About Device’
  5. Press ‘Software Update’
  6. Tap ‘Check for Updates’
  7. Press ‘OK’
  8. If there is an update, it will prompt you to update it. If there isn’t it will say ‘Current Software is Up to Date’
  9. Press ‘OK’
Samsung Galaxy S3 Screen 1-2 (4)
Samsung Galaxy S3 Software Update 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Software Update 5-6

13A. How to send a text or MMS

To send a text:

  1. Open the messaging app
  2. Press the icon on the top right corner to compose a message
  3. Add the contact to whom the message will be sent
  4. Add the message to the message field
  5. Press the send icon (above the paper clip icon) to send the message.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Send Text 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Send Text 3

To send a multimedia message (MMS):

  1. Do steps 1-4
  2. Press the paper clip icon to attach media to the message
  3. Choose which media to add and from where to find it. In this example we will be doing ‘Image’
  4. Press the location in which the find the image. Press ‘Gallery’ if its an image you photographed.
  5. Open the section within gallery where the image is located
  6. Select the desired images
  7. Press the send icon (above the paper clip icon) to send the message.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Send Text 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Send MMS 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Send MMS 5-6
Samsung Galaxy S3 Send MMS 7-8

13B. How to delete a text or MMS

  1. Open the ‘Messaging’ App
  2. Open the thread in which the message is located
    • Deleting an individual message: Hold down the text to delete and press ‘Delete’
    • To delete the thread: Press ‘Delete’ and the entire thread will be deleted.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Messages (1) 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Messages (1) 3-4
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Messages (2) 1-2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Delete Messages (2) 3

To set up auto delete:

  1. Open the ‘Messaging App’
  2. Press the ‘Options’ key
  3. Press ‘Settings’
  4. Check off the box near ‘Delete Old Messages’
  5. Press ‘Text Message Limit’
  6. Choose the desired limit of texts until they are deleted
  7. Press ‘Multimedia Message Limit’
  8. Choose the desired limit of MMS until they are deleted
Samsung Galaxy S3 Auto Delete Texts 1-2

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