Lose all my app icons when I switch off Samsung A3 (2016) after upgrading Gallery

coylemj

I have a Samsung A3 (2016) running Android 7.0 which I'm very pleased with, it's not rooted or whatever that trick is called, I have a fast 16GB micsoSD card installed and there's no problem with memory - currently 4.3GB free RAM and the memory card has heaps of free space. All apps installed are 100% kosher, I'm very wary of installing 'useful' apps from untrusted sources.

Yesterday I was looking at the 'Gallery' when I noticed an orange disc in the upper-right corner and when I followed the trail to 'Settings', it told me there was an upgrade available so I installed it, it's now at 5.4.03.2.

Next time I switched the phone off and on again, it came up with a blank home screen, just like as if I had done a factory reset. I was able to do a restore and get all the icons back again but this keeps happening when I switch the phone off and on again. The apps are all still there so effectively the restore is just putting back the icons but it's a bit of a PITA.

Any suggestions?

coylemj

coylemj wrote: »

I have a Samsung A3 (2016) running Android 7.0 which I'm very pleased with, it's not rooted or whatever that trick is called, I have a fast 16GB micsoSD card installed and there's no problem with memory - currently 4.3GB free RAM and the memory card has heaps of free space. All apps installed are 100% kosher, I'm very wary of installing 'useful' apps from untrusted sources.

Yesterday I was looking at the 'Gallery' when I noticed an orange disc in the upper-right corner and when I followed the trail to 'Settings', it told me there was an upgrade available so I installed it, it's now at 5.4.03.2.

Next time I switched the phone off and on again, it came up with a blank home screen, just like as if I had done a factory reset. I was able to do a restore and get all the icons back again but this keeps happening when I switch the phone off and on again. The apps are all still there so effectively the restore is just putting back the icons but it's a bit of a PITA.

Any suggestions?

Factory reset would be my first stop if I was getting random stuff like that happening.

banie01

Is it only the Samsung and original apps appearing?
It sounds to me like the handset is booting to safe mode?

coylemj

banie01 wrote: »

Is it only the Samsung and original apps appearing?
It sounds to me like the handset is booting to safe mode?

There are four basic icons along the bottom of the screen and I have three empty app screens. I do a restore and everything is back to normal.

You mention 'safe mode'.... I get no messages when the phone is booting up, everything is normal and I have to enter the pin for the sim and the screen unlock pin, then I get a blank home screen.

One thing I noticed, the dots along the bottom of the screen (above the fixed icons) which tell you which screen you're on are hollow, I'm pretty sure they used to be solid???

ED E

Sounds like you might have two launchers installed, or two version of one. Your app layout is tied to the launcher so if you have 3 on this page and 2 on that on Nova Launcher say but open Google Launcher it'd be empty.

Check this procedure out and see if there are multiple options:
https://9to5google.com/2017/04/18/how-to-change-launcher-galaxy-s8-android-basics/

banie01

ED E wrote: »

Sounds like you might have two launchers installed, or two version of one. Your app layout is tied to the launcher so if you have 3 on this page and 2 on that on Nova Launcher say but open Google Launcher it'd be empty.

Check this procedure out and see if there are multiple options:
https://9to5google.com/2017/04/18/how-to-change-launcher-galaxy-s8-android-basics/

Ed E might be on to something sounds like Samsung's Simple mode or an alternative launcher installed.
Safe mode boots as normal but only launches with factory installed apps, it displays safe mode in the lower corner of the screen.
If it's not displaying that, it sounds like a 2nd launcher is running.

coylemj

ED E wrote: »

Sounds like you might have two launchers installed, or two version of one. Your app layout is tied to the launcher so if you have 3 on this page and 2 on that on Nova Launcher say but open Google Launcher it'd be empty.

Check this procedure out and see if there are multiple options:
https://9to5google.com/2017/04/18/how-to-change-launcher-galaxy-s8-android-basics/

When I go to Settings/Apps/...../Default Apps and click on Home Screen, I can see two options (launchers?) which are ...

TouchWiz easy home
Touchwiz home (selected)

When I click the first one ('easy home'), it rearranges the app icons and the icons are much bigger - screens are 3x4 icons instead of 4x4. When I go back to the second option, it restores the apps layout to the way I had it before.

banie01 wrote: »

Safe mode boots as normal but only launches with factory installed apps, it displays safe mode in the lower corner of the screen.
If it's not displaying that, it sounds like a 2nd launcher is running.

When I switch on the phone, there is no sign of 'safe mode' on the screen. There are five icons at the bottom of the screen.... Phone, Messages, Internet, Play Store and Camera. Above them are three dots indicating three screens, above that is a Google search bar. The righthand screen is blank and the lefthand screen has some app called 'Upday' and seems to have some news feed.

Thanks for your assistance here guys.

ED E

I'd install and try this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.launcher&hl=en_IE

If that works Samsung have borked Touchwiz which was already garbage.

coylemj

Met a friend today for a coffee, he has exactly the same phone and the same thing happened him last week. Unfortunately he didn't do a restore and the phone has subsequently backed up his 'new' screen setup so he has permanently lost his desktop. All of his apps are still installed but he has a blank home screen.

I went into his backup screen thinking it might offer an older backup to restore from but there was only one backup - can you set the Samsung backup to keep more than one generation of backup?

The Samsung launcher is rubbish anyway. Switch to something like Nova Prime.