Why SD card cause my phone to vibrate randomly?

[Jonny Kansas]

Very strange.

 

[dfman]

1. Will the apps listed in "settings>more>application manager>running>services in use" affect the problem? (Asking this to know should I stop/uninstall one by one to test)

2. Will the apps listed in "settings>more>application manager>running>cached process" affect the problem? (Asking this to know should I stop/uninstall one by one to test)

3. There apps that are not running, e.g. "settings>more>application manager>downloaded, sd card, all, disabled" will not affect the problem, correct? (Asking this to know should I stop/uninstall one by one to test)

4. Is [stop] and [force stop] same as uninstalling? I mean if I tap [stop]/[force stop] and wait a while about 30 mins to see if the problem will occur, am I testing it correct or do I need to uninstall the app to test correctly?

5. After pressing [stop]/[force stop], will the app becomes active by itself again after some time, in any situation, or when I restart the device?

Thanks

 

[Jonny Kansas]

1. Quite possibly
2. Same as 1
3. Correct
4. Stopping isn't the best way to determine what's causing the issue, because some apps will launch again in the background (email, social networks, & others that regularly check for information). Uninstalling is the best way to find the app causing the issue. Others will restart when you restart the device.
5. See 4

 

[dfman]

After you unmount the SD card, do you need to turn off the phone before you take out the SD card?

When you put in the SD card, do you need to turn off the phone first before you put in the SD card?

 

[dfman]

Just an update.

I did this settings>storage>unmount SD card, when I did not take out SD card yet, the problem still occurs.

I stop all settings>more>application manager>running>services in use , and settings>more>application manager>running>cached process and stop every services, but the problem still occurs.

I guess I got to uninstall apps one by one later.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

After you unmount the SD card, do you need to turn off the phone before you take out the SD card?

When you put in the SD card, do you need to turn off the phone first before you put in the SD card?

As long as you unmount the card, you should be ok to take it out with the phone on.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Just an update.

I did this settings>storage>unmount SD card, when I did not take out SD card yet, the problem still occurs.

I stop all settings>more>application manager>running>services in use , and settings>more>application manager>running>cached process and stop every services, but the problem still occurs.

I guess I got to uninstall apps one by one later.

At this point, it may be faster & easier to do a factory reset & add apps back one by one.

 

[bsweetness]

At this point, it may be faster & easier to do a factory reset & add apps back one by one.

I agree. Doing a factory reset will allow you to quickly determine whether it's a software problem or a hardware problem.

 

[mountainbikermark]

Try this before full factory reset.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Turn Safe Mode On or Off
If the phone works and problem is gone in safe mode, do a factory reset but if the problem still is there it's your phone

Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

 

[dfman]

If I am going to uninstall apps, I just uninstall those apps that appear at the settings>more>application manager>running>services in use , and settings>more>application manager>running>cached process

I can ignore all other apps and all apps appearing in settings>more>application manager>downloaded, sd card, all, disabled" since they are not active so should not be them causing the problem.

Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[dfman]

Try this before full factory reset.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Turn Safe Mode On or Off
If the phone works and problem is gone in safe mode, do a factory reset but if the problem still is there it's your phone

Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

This is a great tip. I am doing it now, waiting to see if there is any problem.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

If I am going to uninstall apps, I just uninstall those apps that appear at the settings>more>application manager>running>services in use , and settings>more>application manager>running>cached process

I can ignore all other apps and all apps appearing in settings>more>application manager>downloaded, sd card, all, disabled" since they are not active so should not be them causing the problem.

Correct me if I am wrong.

Potentially, yes, but there is a chance that those apps not listed in running may start at different times throughout the day. It's still possible that one of them is causing the issue. It's even possible for one to run, then stop itself, and you may never see it on the running list.

Mark brought up a good point about safe mode as another option as well.

If you uninstall a bunch of apps and are still experiencing the problem, then we're all likely going to recommend a factory reset anyway, so that's why I suggest that may be the quicker route to go. Either way, you'll have to spend some time re-installing and setting up apps again, but a factory reset should fix the issue if it's with the core android software instead of something that you've downloaded.

 

[dfman]

The problem still occurs in safe mode. Does that mean it is a hardware problem? or is there still a chance that it is an app causing the problem?

 

[Jonny Kansas]

It's still hard to say at this point, but it's very likely a software problem.

Since that didn't help, I'd lean more toward thinking you need to do a factory reset though, since Safe Mode prevents many downloaded apps from starting up.

 

[bsweetness]

Going into Safe Mode was a great suggestion mountainbikermark.

The problem still occurs in safe mode. Does that mean it is a hardware problem? or is there still a chance that it is an app causing the problem?

It still could be either, although the fact that it's still happening in Safe Mode rules out much of the software (although not all of it).

At this point, I'd say you really need to see about doing a factory reset. If it fixes the problem, you know it was something in the software (either an app or potentially file fragments of some sort gumming up the works). If the problem persists after a factory reset, you'll know it's very likely a problem with the device itself, and that you'll need to replace it or simply go without a SD card.