How to fix Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) that’s stuck on boot screen [Troubleshooting Guide]

Some of our readers who own the Samsung Galaxy A3 complained about a booting issue wherein the phone gets stuck on the boot screen while starting up. Some said their device stayed on the black screen while others on the Samsung logo and won’t continue to boot up to the home screen. This might be an issue with the firmware considering the fact that the phone actually still powers on but can’t continue the startup process.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your phone that won’t boot up successfully. We will tackle every possibility and rule them out one by one until we arrive at a point wherein we can easily pinpoint what the problem really is and why it occurs. When it comes to app- and firmware-related issues, we might be able to fix it without any help from a tech but if this is some kind of a hardware problem, then you might need to send it to a shop. If you own a phone like this and are currently bugged by a similar concern, continue reading this post as it may help you one way or the other.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy A3 that got stuck on the boot screen

Problem: hello guys. There’s an issue with my phone and i think it’s serious since it won’t power on completely. I mean it does turn on but it’s stuck on the black screen after the logo. I thought it was just some kind of a battery issue so I charged it until the light was green and I tried turning it on again. After that, it’s still stuck on the logo so I left it at that thinking maybe it would just take more time to start but after an hour it’s still on the black screen. I don’t know why this is happening but I really need your help on this. Help me please.

Troubleshooting: A smartphone can get stuck on boot screen due to several reasons, particularly within the software layer. Among the usual culprits are faulty software updates, apps bugs, memory card issues and incorrect rooting or software modification. Examining each of these factors can help you narrow down the underlying cause of the booting problem you have with your Samsung Galaxy A3. So here are the first few things you can do.
Try to recall if you have recently installed new apps on your device. Doing so will help you in ruling out the possibility of a faulty or corrupted application that is preventing your device from completing the boot up process.

Given that majority of these problems are software-related, the first possible solution for you to try is a soft reset or simply reboot your phone. If the first reboot doesn’t work, give it another try. If after the third reboot the phone remains stuck on boot screen or Samsung logo, consider other options.

Basing on the possible causes mentioned above, you can proceed by performing the following preliminary procedures.

At this point, consider what happens before the onset of the problem. For example, did your Samsung Galaxy A3 get stuck on boot screen or boot loop after installing a new application? If so then you should consider uninstalling the suspected app temporarily and see what happens afterwards. Most probably, that app is corrupt or contains some malware that interfere the phone’s normal bootup routine. Booting your phone into safe mode can help you determine whether the problem is triggered by third-party apps. If you need further assistance on how to boot your Galaxy A3 2017 into safe mode, please refer to the instructions below.

In the case where you suspect the problem is with the memory card, try to remove the memory card and see if the phone can start normally without it. Before you remove the memory card, be sure to unmount it first to ensure the card is safely ejected. To do so, tap Apps-> Settings-> Storage-> Unmount SD card.

After unmounting the SD card, remove the memory card through the following steps:

Power off your device.
Insert the ejection pin into the hole on the memory card tray to loosen it. To prevent causing damage to the device, make sure that the ejection pin is perpendicular to the hole.
Gently pull out the memory card tray from the slot and then remove the memory card.

If that won’t do any good either, then you can take the memory card out from the possible culprits. At this point, you can proceed and give any of the subsequent workarounds a try.

First Solution: Try to boot into Safe Mode and diagnose apps.

Safe Mode is among the key features of an Android smartphone that lets you run your device without any third-party apps. Booting into Safe Mode will help you isolate whether or not the problem is triggered by a third-party application. If the phone boots up normally while in safe mode, try to disable or remove any suspected apps particularly the ones you’ve recently installed.

Before you put your device into Safe Mode, make sure that it is powered off. If it is and you’re set, follow these steps to enter safe mode and diagnose apps on your Samsung Galaxy A3 2017:

Press and hold the Volume Down key on your device.
While continuously holding the Volume Down key, press the Power key briefly. Doing so will power up your device and at the same time enters Safe Mode.
When you see the Safe Mode label at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down key. Your device is now running in safe mode.
Swipe the screen to continue.
Tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to and tap Application Manager.
Navigate to the Downloaded section.
Tap on a recently downloaded app you suspect may be causing conflict.
Once you get to the app details, tap on Uninstall.
In the case where the suspected app is installed on your SD card, scroll across to the SD card section and then tap the app you want to uninstall.

After uninstalling the app, reboot your phone and then see if the problem has been resolved.

Second Solution: Enter Recovery Mode and Wipe Cache Partition

When it comes to software problems that could not be fixed by generic solutions and workarounds, putting the device in recovery mode might be able to help. Android recovery mode is primarily intended for Android system management and maintenance. On the Galaxy A3 2017, Recovery Mode can be accessed using the hardware buttons, and ADB tool for Windows and Mac OS X. The widely used method is using the hardware buttons. Here’s how it works.

Power off your device completely.
Press and hold the Power, Volume Up and Home buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
You will then see the blue screen with an Android bot and a message prompt saying, Installing software update…
Wait for another 10 seconds and another blue screen with a big exclamation point will appear briefly.
After that, you will be prompted with the Recovery Mode menu.
Use the Volume Down key to scroll down to different options and press the Power button to select a highlighted option.
To wipe cache partition on your Samsung Galaxy A3 2017, press the Volume Down key to highlight Wipe Cache Partition from the Android recovery menu options.
Press the Power button to confirm selection of the highlighted option.
Wait for the phone to complete the wipe cache partition process.

Afterwards, reboot your device and then see if that has fixed the problem. If the problem persists, try to enter recovery mode again and then perform a factory reset or wipe your device.

To do so, just follow the above steps until you get to the Android Recovery Menu options. Instead of selecting Wipe Cache Partition, choose Wipe Data/Factory Reset. Finally, select Yes — delete all user data to confirm action.
Wait until the device is done formatting itself. When the Recovery Mode menu screen appears again, select the option to Reboot system now.

Your device will then restart and boot up as new.

Other options you could do should the problem persists

Use Android Recovery Tools

You can also try using Android Recovery tools to fix your Galaxy A3 2017 that is stuck on boot screen or can’t get past the Samsung logo. These tools can be downloaded and installed on a compatible computer. Just pick the most credible and compatible tool for your device and then give it a try. Otherwise, contact Samsung Support for further assistance and other options.

Contact Samsung Support

If none of these methods is able to fix the problem and that your Samsung Galaxy A3 2017 remains stuck on boot screen or Samsung logo, escalate the problem to Samsung Support for further assistance, do some advanced troubleshooting, and other recommendations. Otherwise, you can just take your device straight to an authorized service center and have it checked by a technician