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Safe Mode

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Overview:

This document provides information regarding safe mode, what safe mode does, how to enable safe mode and how to use safe mode as a troubleshooting tool.

Please Note: If your phone is currently running on KitKat, you can find instructions for Safe Mode here: Safe Mode (KitKat 4.4.4) 

What is Safe Mode? 

Safe mode allows you to turn your phone on without any third party apps running. Sometimes third party apps can cause freezing, incompatibility issues or may even cause the phone to restart. Using Safe Mode can help determine if the issue you're having is being caused by a third party app or a system issue. 

Enable Safe Mode 

To enable Safe Mode, follow the directions below: 

1.  Press and hold the Power button. 

2.  Press and hold Power off. 

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3.  Tap OK when the Reboot to safe mode pop-up appears. 

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4.  Your phone will reboot and Safe Mode will appear in bottom left corner. 

Enable safe mode (Samsung Galaxy J3, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge) 

  1. Turn off the phone.
  2. Press and hold the Power button past the "Samsung Galaxy" screen.
  3. When the "SAMSUNG" animation starts to appear on the display, release the Power button.
  4. Just after releasing the Power button, press and hold the Volume down button.
  5. Continue holding the Volume down button until the phone finishes the startup.
  6. You will see Safe Mode appear on the bottom left corner of the display.
  7. Release the Volume down button when Safe Mode appears. 

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Identify and Remove Issue-causing Apps 

If the issue you're having doesn't happen while in Safe Mode, a third party app may be responsible for causing your issue. 

The most common types of apps that can cause an issue are listed below. Not all of these types of apps cause issues, but these are the most likely culprits. 

  • Task killers
  • Memory managers
  • Performance enhancement apps
  • Battery savers
  • Antivirus or security apps
  • 3rd party dialers or texting apps 

To determine which third party app is causing your issue, disable Safe Mode by turning your phone off and then back on again. Then, uninstall each third party app one by one until the issue no longer occurs. Follow the below steps to uninstall an app. 

Note: If you aren't able to uninstall apps while in normal mode, you can follow the below steps while in Safe Mode as well. 

To remove an app: 

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Under Device, tap Apps.
  3. Tap the application that you want to remove.
  4. If the app can be uninstalled, tap the Uninstall button.
  5. Confirm by tapping OK. 

Using Safe Mode with Republic Wireless 3.0 

Republic Wireless 3.0:

This section refers to phones on our Clear Choice Plans.

Using safe mode for Republic Wireless 3.0 will differ from other Republic phones.  Please note that the Republic Wireless application will not function in safe mode on these phones.*  Any calls sent from the phone may come from the underlying GSM cellular provider.

* Motorola Moto G4, Moto G4 PLUS phones may allow limited access to the Republic Wireless application in safe mode.

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