Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

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sampedrena
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Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby sampedrena » Fri Jul 13, 2018 3:34 pm

I have a Samsung A3 (2016) using the Android system and until today it has been fine. I have always used the Home screens to organise my Apps and then the All Apps button if I wanted to add something extra. Today - within the space of about 2 hours while not using it, the Home Screen totally changed! On it now - is just a Weather / Time App (which I don't like!) and the basic bottom few - Phone, messages, etc.
My son showed me how to find my other Apps by swiping upwards and I spent a happy (!!) half hour putting all the Apps I wanted to use on my Home screen and arranging them as I wanted to. To check - and it being Fri 13th - I switched it off and on again and (guess what!) again I was presented with just one page of the Home Screen - all my re-arranging had been done away with!
Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can put this right? I've searched online to see if it could be an Update and if anyone else is suffering - but it seems not.
Hope someone on here can help! Many thanks
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gerryh
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby gerryh » Fri Jul 13, 2018 4:37 pm

I'm guessing that somehow you have set your phone to Easy mode.
So to check and change it to standard mode:-

Go to "Settings"
then "Display"
then "Easy mode"
If Easy mode is selected then select "Standard mode"
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Gerry
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sampedrena
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby sampedrena » Fri Jul 13, 2018 4:50 pm

Thanks for the reply Gerry - much appreciated. However, I've just been into Settings - Display, as suggested - but Easy Mode is disabled and Standard Mode is selected. So I seem to have drawn a blank there - though it was certainly worth a try!
Any other ideas? Many thanks
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Enrique
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby Enrique » Fri Jul 13, 2018 7:22 pm

Hi sampedrena,
Try setting Home screen back to Factory Default..........depending on Operating system (OS) version see.........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0FohSi4moc

Once you have done that put back just two of your favourite Apps and see how things go with a power off /on.

Or just give it to your lad and get him to sort it................ :angel:
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby gerryh » Fri Jul 13, 2018 7:36 pm

This is a slight longshot.
Go into Play store search for "touchwiz"if you get a scrren saying "Ununstall" and "Open" then tap "Uninstall" to get rid of it.
If the screen only shows "More Info" and "Install" then don't do anything.
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sampedrena
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby sampedrena » Fri Jul 13, 2018 8:26 pm

Hi Gerry
Have had a look and Touchwizz only has the option to Install - so I have left well alone!

I did wonder about doing a factory reset - but very reluctant, as presumably I'd then have to reinstall and sign in to each individual App that I use. That sounds a bit of a job!

Any further thoughts - please keep them coming! Many thanks
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Enrique
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby Enrique » Fri Jul 13, 2018 8:40 pm

Hi,
:!: :!: YOU have misread.................its not a Factory Reset of the Phone.......... its just the Home Screen............ :!: :!:
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby markwilding » Fri Jul 13, 2018 8:41 pm

I remember helping someone with Android. Quite often your phone backs up all your apps on Google drive so you can reinstall them all from there if you do a factory reset or when you sign into your phone after the reset, the phone automatically reinstalls them
Last edited by markwilding on Fri Jul 13, 2018 8:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby Beachcomber » Fri Jul 13, 2018 8:41 pm

I have never had a Samsung phone preferring Motorolas but every time I buy a phone or tablet the first app I install is Nova Launcher. It is highly customisable and works flawlessly. If all else fails you could try it. If you don't like it just uninstall it.

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gerryh
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby gerryh » Fri Jul 13, 2018 9:22 pm

Had a look at the link Enrique provided.
Yes, this will take your home screen back to it's original setting.
You will then have to add the short cuts the the apps you want access to onto the home screens.
Not a clue how you managed to get the home screen into it's current state. :think:
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Gerry
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sampedrena
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby sampedrena » Sat Jul 14, 2018 9:42 am

hi All
Thanks for the replies - I am going to have a try at some of the suggestions - and will definitely read a bit more carefully in future! Only excuse is that I saw ReSetting and jumped to the wrong conclusion! Fortunately I've not done anything - so your warning came in good time: Many many thanks!!
(I don't know either how I've managed to "mess up" the Home screen - the only thing I can think of is that perhaps it started to do something while we were up at El Chorro - doing the Caminito del Rey on Thursday - and maybe it began downloading something which then stopped when I left the hotel)
The only thing I did do yesterday on arriving home was to Allow use of Location to check the weather - It seemed to go wrong from there!
Will report back on how I get on.
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby elusive » Sat Jul 14, 2018 1:36 pm

Have a look in settings and the software update section. Try to update it and see what happs. Also go into the about phone section. It will tell you when your last update was or give you an idea

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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby gerryh » Sat Jul 14, 2018 4:01 pm

Do you run any apps that are designed to free up space by deleting temporary files/ "unwanted" data etc?
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Re: Samsung A3 2016 Android phone

Postby sampedrena » Sat Jul 14, 2018 4:06 pm

Hi All
Great News! I think you've solved it for me!
I viewed the YouTube about how to re-set the Home screen (first checking on my version - which seems to be 7.) and then I followed the instructions carefully!
I'm not sure that it actually put the Home screen back to exactly how it was "out of the box" but it must have done something important - as when I added a few Apps from the App Drawer to the Home screen, as suggested, they have stayed there even after switching off and on again. So, I added a few more and again they stayed there after switch off / on. That wasn't happening yesterday - so the re-setting must have been the key to it.
I'm keeping everything crossed that it continues to work properly and want to thank all of you so much - I would never have been able to do it without your help. I really do appreciate it.
Once again, many many thanks. (Here's hoping I'm not on again tomorrow asking for more help!!)
La vida es un espejo, si sonries ella te sonrie


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