Clipboard bug crashing and wiping some Samsung Galaxy S3 and Note devices

By Joshua Pramis February 22, 2013

Those of you that own Android-operated Samsung devices, like the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note, should be aware of a bug that can crash and reboot your device. As reported by Android Authority, which discovered the bug via a YouTube video, devices running TouchWiz and operating on versions of Android from 3.0-4.1 can crash if the user copies text too many times.

Apparently, the magic number is 20 copies. Since the devices operate using a smart clipboard, which remembers all of a user’s past copies, it appears that, for whatever reason, it tends to become overloaded by the time the history reaches 20.

Recommended Videos

Most of the time, the overload just causes the device to reboot. It’s annoying, to be sure, but it’s not the worst thing that could happen. However, in some extreme cases, it appears that the crash can actually wipe the device completely clean. That is enough to cause a headache and a panic attack for anyone.

In some extreme cases, it appears that the crash can actually wipe the device completely clean

It appears that Samsung has known about this bug for a whopping four months, and has been trying to correct it ever since. But we’re not sure when the company will actually start to roll out the fix. It shouldn’t take more than a quick software update, but the timing is going to depend both on when they figure out what to do, and when each mobile provider agrees to send the fixes; Samsung isn’t able to send out the update on its own.

But we do have to say: it’s kind of shocking that, considering this bug has been known about since October, that it hasn’t been fixed and is still being experienced on newer devices. Samsung, as one of the industry leaders, should make fixing something this big a top priority. Fingers crossed for an update soon, but until then, we’re going to pause with the copying.

Topics

Samsung

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Spending a childhood engrossed in such technologically inspiring television shows like Voltron, Small Wonder, and Power…

Mobile

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 is adding an S Pen, replacing this year’s Galaxy Note

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Note 20 S Pen.

Samsung's Unpacked event on August 11 is going to be a doozy. President of Mobile Communications, TM Roh, just dropped a ton of new information about what we can expect from the announcement. In news that will shock precisely nobody, he confirmed that Samsung will unveil new foldables at the event -- but it's the details that have us intrigued.

Roh first makes it clear that this next generation, expected to be the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, will be "armed with more durable, stronger materials." That's critical to the widespread adoption of foldables, which have made strides but are still inarguably more fragile than non-folding phones. But that strength matters in a very specific area for Samsung: It will be announcing a new S Pen specifically for foldables. It'll likely be different from the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra's, which could damage current foldable display coverings unless Samsung also unveils dramatically stronger "Ultra Thin Glass." The question is whether this will also lead to shortcomings in features like pressure sensitivity, tracking, and accuracy.

Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Front

Following the March release of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung has launched the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the bigger sibling of the also-just-announced Note 20. Both of these new phones succeed last year's Note 10, which was our favorite Android phone of 2019.

The Note 20 Ultra certainly has a lot to live up to, but it has pretty much matched the hype, even if some hands may find it a tad too large. It improves on the Galaxy Note 10 (and the Note 10 Plus) in pretty much every department, featuring a higher-resolution display, a more powerful processor, a more capable camera system, and a bigger battery. But how does it compare to the Galaxy S20 Ultra?

Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G vs. Galaxy S10 5G

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G

As 5G networks continue to roll out and expand, you may be hunting for a smartphone that's capable of taking advantage. If you've decided you're ready to snag a 5G phone, and if you're happy looking at older generations, then you may be interested in checking out two supersized options from Samsung: The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.

While the S10 5G is the biggest and most expensive of the S10 lineup, it's also significantly different from its siblings, whereas the Note 10 Plus 5G is identical to the Note 10 Plus except for the 5G support. At first glance, the Note 10 Plus 5G and the S10 5G have a lot in common, so choosing between these two smartphones is going to be tough, but this comparison will help, as we're about to explain precisely how they differ.
Specs