The S-pen stylus is one of the main features of the Samsung Galaxy Note phone series. Apart from its aesthetic beauty, the S-Pen provides the user with various functions like precise input control, not to mention the Air Action gesture to enhances the stylus practicality.
Unfortunately, the more advanced and sophisticated a technology is, the more it easily malfunctioning somewhere down the line.
If you encounter any problem regarding your pen device, don’t worry. Feel free to try one of the troubleshooting options listed below. These simple solutions may solve your problem.
Restart your device
Yes, sometimes, it is the only thing you need. Alternatively, you can also try to reboot the device into Safe mode. While in Safe mode, all third-party apps, some of which may be the culprit, are disabled.
To enter Safe mode, first, shut down your device. Next, hold the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time to turn the device back on again. If done correctly, you should see a “Safe mode” text at the bottom-left corner of your screen.
Try using the stylus within the Safe mode. If it works correctly, then one of your apps is causing the problem. Uninstall any app that you downloaded recently, that should fix the problem. To exit Safe mode, swipe down the top screen to access the Notification panel. Tap the Safe mode notification to turn it off.
If your pen still isn’t working, carry on with the list.
Make sure the stylus is actually connected
The pen may be disconnected from the phone for whatever reason. Go to Settings —> tap Advanced Features —> select S-Pen —> S-Pen remote.
Check the toggle switch. If it’s “Off”, turn it on.
Remove any protective case and screen protectors
Any magnetic force that may come from third-party cases may induce problems with the connection of your Galaxy Note and the stylus. On the other hand, screen protectors may have uneven surface or thickness that may affect the screen sensitivity. Dirty/old screen protector is also a cause possibility.
Remove both of these protections and test your pen.
Check if any software update is available
Updates are important to keep your device secure and to minimize bugs. Go to Settings —> About phone —> Software update —> tap Check for updates. If an update is available, install it. To ensure the update installation, restart your phone after it updates before retesting the S-pen.
Change the S-Pen tip
If you discover any inconsistencies with the way your pen strokes, or worse, no touches are recognized, maybe it’s time to switch the tip. Usually, every purchase of a Galaxy Note phone also comes with several replacement tips including the remover tool. The procedure should be simple enough. In case you want to make sure you do it correctly, here’s the official guide.
Try your S-Pen with another compatible device
That way, you can better determine if the problem lies within the phone or the stylus. If you can, try finding another device compatible with the Samsung S-Pen. Use your S-Pen with the other device and vice versa. There are two possibilities.
- If your S-Pen doesn’t work with another device, then, the pen could be damaged and a replacement may be needed.
- However, if the other S-Pen—the one that comes from the other device—doesn’t work with your phone, there could be something wrong with your phone instead.
If your phone is the problem, a factory reset can also be considered. Before trying it though, make sure that you back up all the important information before proceeding with the factory reset, since factory reset means you reset the phone system to its new state, wiping out all of the old data, with a few exceptions such as encryption data.
To do a factory reset, Navigate from Settings and go to Factory data reset —> tap Factory data reset again —> after you review the information, tap Reset. Make sure you also delete all downloaded apps data by selecting Delete all.
Visit Samsung support
If any of the troubleshoot options above don’t work, then you may have to give the Samsung support a go. The Samsung repair service may fix the connection defect between your phone and the S-Pen sensors.
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