The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus may have been released a couple of years ago now, but they still boast top-notch hardware, a stellar camera system, and the S Pen, which has made every Galaxy Note something special.

But even mammoth phones of this caliber aren’t perfect, and some issues are bound to arise. While bugs and problems are especially annoying on exceptionally expensive phones like the Note 10 range, they thankfully have fixes and workarounds. Here’s a list of the current Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus problems and issues, as well as those affecting the Note 10 — and how you can fix them.

On some Galaxy Note 10 Plus phones, users have been reporting the S-Pen isn’t connecting properly. It seems to still work to write on the screen and select objects, but Air Actions — and other Bluetooth functions — aren’t working. Samsung has yet to officially address the issue, but if you’re experiencing this issue, there are a few things you can try.

If the issue persists, we recommend visiting your local Samsung or carrier store or contacting Samsung about a repair or replacement.

Whether the Note 10 or the larger Note 10 Plus, the camera is a strong reason to buy this Samsung phablet. Unfortunately, following the November 2019 update, many users are reporting a persistent notification marked “refining picture.” The notification doesn’t go away and hangs around until the device is restarted.

The notification may be caused by overzealous battery management that restricts the camera app from functioning in the background. If the app is closed before image processing is complete, then the notification doesn’t clear away. Thankfully, this is easily fixed by turning off those particular options.

Another widespread issue with both the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus is poor signal strength. Note 10 owners from a variety of carriers are complaining of oddly low signal strength — and there have even been rumors circulating suggesting Samsung is deliberately causing the issues. People have compared the number of bars with past phones and the same SIM card and have realized the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus simply aren’t getting the same number of bars — and it seems to be hurting usability.

There’s a lot going on here, and it’s important to note that phones measure signal strength in different ways — so three bars doesn’t always represent the same signal strength on different phones. However, it does definitely seem to be an issue for the Note 10, and it’s not clear what can be done to fix it. Samsung still hasn’t officially addressed the concerns as of June 2021, despite complaints dating back to the day of release. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can currently do to fix this except avoid low-signal areas.

Like other recent Galaxy phones, the Note 10 restarts at night by default. This restart has some benefits, helping to clean out the phone’s memory and keep it running smoothly — but what if you’d rather it didn’t? After all, having to type in a password every morning can be a real pain when you’ve just woken up.

Owners of the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus occasionally complain that their phones won’t recognize their fingerprint, even after updating and factory resets. In most cases, this doesn’t result from a software or hardware issue but rather a failure to use the scanner in the best possible way.

The Note 10 and Note 10 Plus have sizeable batteries but various elements can lead to a battery reducing faster than it should. Many users are complaining the battery lives of the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus (and even the Note 10 Lite) are not living up to expectations, with battery use on standby being of particular concern.

There are many reasons why a battery may not be lasting as long as it should, and if it’s not a widespread issue, software and apps are usually to blame. There are a few ways you can improve your battery life, including ensuring you’ve installed the most recent software updates.

While some of these issues are relatively trivial, one possible problem is a pretty big deal. Some users report that even a film screen protector can interfere with Samsung’s in-display fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy S10’s fingerprint scanner is affected by the issue more than others, but the Note 10 might have the problem as well. You might be thinking, “I don’t use a screen protector, so I’m good,” but if someone steals your phone, all they need to access it is a $2 screen protector from eBay. 

Fortunately, Samsung became aware of this problem almost immediately and rolled out a software fix about a week later. As long as you regularly update your Samsung, you should not be affected by this issue. If you can’t update your phone for some reason, there are a couple of workarounds you can try.