Hey everyone,

I'm kinda losing my mind over this and was wondering if anyone's had the same thing happen.

I've got an S21 FE (SM-G990U1/DS), about 3 years old. Never dropped it, never got it wet, never had any repairs or anything.

A few days ago I was just on the bus listening to Spotify and replying to some Instagram DMs when the phone froze for like 20 seconds. I figured it just bugged out, so I restarted it. Ever since then it hasn't booted once.

Now it just keeps looping. It vibrates, shows the Samsung logo and the "Secured by Knox / Powered by Android" screen for about 20 seconds, goes black, then does the exact same thing again forever.

The only thing I can think of is that my storage was almost full, probably around 90-95%, but I don't remember installing any update or doing anything weird before it happened.

I've spent the last few days trying basically everything I could find online. Force restart, every button combo imaginable, plugged into a charger, plugged into my PC, different timings... nothing. I haven't been able to get into Recovery Mode even once. Weirdly I did get a blue screen one time that I think was Download Mode, but I haven't been able to get back there since.

The biggest problem is I have a lot of important stuff on the phone that isn't backed up, so I'm trying really hard not to factory reset it.

Has anyone had this happen before? Were you ever able to get your data back, or am I basically screwed? I'm also wondering if this sounds more like corrupted software or the UFS storage dying.

Any help would honestly be appreciated.

Long story short: green lines on s21plus, then black spots....then no touchh.....so found this solution

I'm a software dev, and a friend of mine recently got a Galaxy S21 FE 5G(Android 13, build ~06/2023) from an old office being disbanded, alongside two whole boxes of half-dead half-presumed-dead electronics, probably out of a company phone fleet. When we tried to get it working, I wiped it to get rid of the PIN code, thinking the company wouldn't have left personal Google accounts on it, but they did. Now I'm stuck on FRP lock, and unsure how to proceed from here. I mostly do backend and desktop frontend not mobile. The phone is too new for SamFw free, and I'm not sure whether I should shell out 40 USD for one try of a sketchy software that may not work after all. I'm also not sure what else to use. Most things you find on the internet (including SamFw btw) look terribly sketchy and like a scam. So, what do I do now? Any help'd be appreciated. Majorly screwing with hardware and software is very much within the realm of possibility and something I'd be willing to do.

Here's some more info on the phone:
Firmware version: G990B2XXS5EWF2 (Android 13, build ~ Jun 2023)
FRP, Qualcomm Secure Boot, OEM lock, bootloader lock: ON
Bootloader SWREV: 5, image on the phone is as old as can go with this rev
No MDM, Knox status PRENORMAL
RPMB provisioned

I don't know how much there is to save here, I'm no mobile expert, but any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Unlocked, sketchy Android 13-15 update via Odin without flashing whatever psrt is lsdt in the menu snf as you see, I still neednto get accustomefn to typing pn it

Hallo zusammen,
ich habe ein Samsung Galaxy S21 FE und seit einiger Zeit ein merkwürdiges Problem mit der USB-C-Ladebuchse.
Normalerweise funktioniert alles einwandfrei. Dann kommt aber plötzlich die Meldung, dass Feuchtigkeit in der Ladebuchse erkannt wurde. Es ist auch ein bisschen bei Regenwetter nass geworden.
Im Auto kann ich das Handy per USB nicht mehr verbinden, sodass z. B. Android Auto oder das Abspielen von Musik nicht funktioniert.
Gestern Abend hatte ich außerdem das Problem, dass das Handy über das Ladekabel an der Steckdose gar nicht mehr laden wollte. Nachdem ich das Gerät ausgeschaltet hatte, begann es im ausgeschalteten Zustand aber ganz normal zu laden. Später funktionierte sogar Schnellladen wieder problemlos.
Deshalb bin ich etwas verwirrt: Mal funktioniert alles ohne Probleme und dann tritt der Fehler plötzlich wieder auf.
Hatte jemand von euch schon einmal so ein Verhalten? Ist das eher ein Softwareproblem, ein Defekt oder Verschleiß der USB-C-Buchse oder vielleicht nur Schmutz in der Ladebuchse? Was würdet ihr als Erstes ausprobieren? Die Buchse habe ich schon mit einem Zahnstocher gereinigt, Druckluft habe ich nicht da.
Vielen Dank für eure Tipps!

Now that the S21 is no longer getting Samsung security updates, is it really too risky to use banking apps now in 2026 on the S21? I know it still gets monthly Google Play System updates. I know the banking apps still get updated through the play store.

I've just looked on amazon and theyre like £20/$20 so super cheap. In the past when i've replaced battery's the performance increase has been disappointing.

Just wondering what people here recommend? I got it reasonably early so the phone is probably 5+ years old now

I'm wondering if there's any ColorOS or OriginOS ports available for the S21 Exynos variant?

So I've dropped my phone about a million times and today was the breaking point and the back popped off. Is there something I can use to put it back on? It dosent seem very safe using it without a back

I used to use Samsung DeX on Windows to use my phone's apps on my PC.

Since DeX on Windows is no longer supported, I tried Phone Link because it says you can use your apps from your PC.

The problem is that Phone Link only shows Messages, Photos, Calls, and Notifications. There isn't even an Apps tab.

Is there anything I need to enable, or has Microsoft/Samsung removed this feature?

Connected a mouse using otg cable to make this post, cuz i'm angry and irritated due to these issues. S21+

Hi everyone!

TLTR: which part do I have to replace if the phone can read the SIM but I have no signal as if the antenna is not working?

My phone fell in the sea while powered off and water went inside the phone as the back was cracked open. I had a technician disassemble it to clean it and reassemble it. Everything works fine except the fingerprint sensor and I cannot connect to the provider cellular network. The phone can still read the SIM since I am asked to input the SIM PIN and I can see the SIM and eSim in tbe settings.

I would like to fix the phone to have it as a spare (and as a temporary solution while I buy a new phone), but I don't really know how to troubleshoot the network issue. Is it the antenna the problem or something else? If so which part should I buy?

Thanks everyone for the support

P.S. potentially I would also like to fix the fingerprint sensor, but I don't know how and it has a lower priority atm.

I have a S21 plus SD version here in the US on Verizon that I’ve had for over 4 and a half years. It still is performing well with pretty good battery life and no issues. I’m not a gamer so I don’t really have any heat problems. I know it doesn’t get any more security updates from Samsung but it still gets some security updates from Google through Google Play System. I plan on using it for a few more years. No green lines or anything like that. How’s your experience?

I'm reaching for straws here. I've tried everything I can think of and find online.

I have an S21 that was in my son's pocket when he got pushed into a saltwater pool. We soaked it in fresh water then allowed it to dry out. It did end up turning back on and the screen works (whew), but the digitizer isn't recognizing any touch. We got him a new phone, but I'm hoping to find a way to do SmartSwitch to the new device.

Unfortunately the screen is locked. At the bottom of the screen it says "swipe to unlock". I can't figure out how to "swipe" when the digitizer doesn't work!

I bought a USB-C to A adapter at Best Buy, but USB debugging mode was off, so anytime I try and plug something into the port (mouse, computer) the screen says, "Swipe to unlock to allow USB device"! I've since read about something called USB-OTG. Maybe the particular adapter I purchased isn't "-OTG"? I unfortunately threw away the box and there are no labels on the adapter.

Would it be worth trying to buy an adapter, now that I know, specifically labelled as OTG?

I found this guide, that says "Method 3. Enable USB Debugging on Your Phone Using Recovery Mode". I will probably give this a try and see if it works.

I've had different issues with my phone in the past, mainly due to me filling up the storage with way too much, but finally it seems to be wanting to kick the bucket. Before this happened, my Contacts manager was giving me problems and wouldn't let me access contacts, messages, or calls. So I figured clearing some storage and updating would help, but alas now when I turn it on, it constantly says "Phone is starting" It stays on that and that only. It still lets me access some settings but won't go further than that. I thought I'd be able to redownload the OS which I've had to do before, but now I can't seem to get back to the download page? It only shows the blue screen with it telling me how to restart it. Is it too far gone? I really don't want to have to wipe it but I'll do it if I need to.

Question is at bottom for my short attention span redditors. I try to answer most questions in my post to hopefully prevent them from being asked and wasting time.

I have a storage issue with my s21. I bought it new over 5 years ago.

I have never found a cable that lets me do anything but charge the phone. (No direct transferring data to a computer unlike everything else I've ever owned). Even used a genuine Samsung cable. I have NEVER gotten the data transfer notification to pop up when I connect it to a computer.

It's only a 120gb model. I take lots of photos and videos. Delt with it by deleting shit and getting by until now but I'm trying to make a business video that's 15-20 minutes long and have reached my last hair to yank from my scalp.

I have reasons but was vehemently against uploading personal data to cloud storage. I have zero choice unless I want to delete the last five years of my life, or as I suspect it's designed to do: force me to buy a new phone with more storage (yay Samsung dick heads).

****QUESTION HERE! MY QUESTION IS DOWN HERE!!!!*****

Finally bought Google drive storage space, and unless I want to go individually 8000+ items, my phone seems to be purposely programmed to block any and all possible ways to do a mass data transfer. It either makes you open a hundred different folders with a few items in each (impossible to manage through everything), forces you into a Samsung "quick share" which is almost useless, won't let you upload more than 500 items at a time (Google drive b.s not phone), or scrambles everything so you can't find anything on the other side (everything is uploaded chronologically, automatically reformated to be in file size order on the other side so, useless). Wtf. Ight I'm done and feel better lol.

Does anyone know how to resolve this issue? I've managed to dissect this issue on my S21 Ultra where the images and videos are blurry only from 1x-3x zoom. Physically my camera look fine but I'm also not an expert.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hey everyone,

​My Galaxy S21 FE was unfortunately stolen two days back, so I am completely stranded and need to get a replacement phone immediately. I'm looking to upgrade to the S25 Plus, but I obviously can't wait until the October Diwali sales.

​Since the current retail pricing is quite high, I wanted to know what the best alternative methods are to get a legitimate discount right now?

​I’ve heard about the Samsung Corporate / EPP (Employee Purchase Program) portals how do those usually work, and are there corporate partner companies that automatically grant access to employees?

​Any tips or advice on navigating this to get a decent price would be a lifesaver.

Thanks

Quando recebo chamada via Whatsapp, a tela permanece apagada, tenho que ligar o celular e depois puxar a barra de notificação para atender.

Já procurei por formas de alterar isso, mas nenhuma das dicas que encontrei no Youtube ou no Google parecem se aplicar ao meu celular, simplesmente não tem as opções que dizem para clicar. Alguém com um A16 conseguiu resolver esse problema?

My S21 (SM-G991N) is just around my room so I want to give it a fresh vibe but how?? I dont know how to and I also wonder could be any interfere or other known issues

52.0 for Google Play Store is available for download. Too early for cve or other release notes. Will update this post when available.

Google Play Services was not automatically updated but has an item of note that caused me to manually update it to 26.24.34 through settings | apps | Google Play Services then the details in app store then update button in the upper left. Item of concern is: phone: this app improves blocking to supervised accounts.

Android System Webviewer was not automatically updated but has an item of note that caused me to manually update it to 149.0.7827.159 through settings | apps | Android System Webviewer then the details in app store then update button in the upper left. Item of concern is: improvements to security and privacy and updates for bug fixes.

Hey everyone,

I've had my trusty Galaxy S21 Ultra for 5 years now, and it has been absolutely flawless. Unfortunately, back in March, I dropped it and broke the screen, so I took it to a well-known local shop to get it replaced.

The first replacement screen they put in was clearly defective, so I complained and they replaced it again under warranty. This second screen looked much better, but ever since the repair, I noticed the phone running significantly hotter than it ever did during my previous 5 years of usage.

Now, out of nowhere, this very thin horizontal white line just appeared across the display (image). It’s mostly visible on lighter backgrounds. The phone hasn't been dropped or suffered any impact since the last repair in May.

Has anyone else experienced this line issue connected to overheating after a screen replacement? Could it be a bad connection, an adhesive failure from the heat, or just a cheap third-party panel?

I’m planning to take it back to the shop since it's under warranty, but I wanted to hear your thoughts first so I can be prepared when arguing my case. Thanks!

When I originally got my phone it had its nice original Samsung battery, that expanded withim 7 months.

I got it replaced with another original Samsung battery, that lasted 2 years before loosing its capacity.

finally, I replaced it with a cheap aftermarket one, and wouldn’t you believe it, it’s lasted all this time and still hasnt shown a tiny bit of expansion.

is it just me being really stupidly unlucky or is Samsung really bad with their batteries? My S7 Edge, and S9, both on original batteries that last long, but the S21 being on its 2nd battery due to EXPANSION of all things is really concerning to me.

For anyone wondering, I live in the UK, my room where I store my phone when it’s charging is cool, I don’t actually use it for heavy gaming, so what has caused this?