Your Samsung Galaxy A3 is one of the mid-level devices that pack really impressive technical specs and features but everything in it actually depends on the operating system. Android has improves exponentially since Google released its very first public version, however, there are still times when the system fails.
For instance, the most common reports we received is that some phones would just turn off and becomes unresponsive. We’ve tried to look into the problem and discovered the problem was actually caused by a system glitch or crash, although in some cases things are a bit more complicated. Another issue that keeps bugging some of our readers is the bootloop; some of the reports suggested that this problem may occur after an update which leaves us thinking that maybe it’s just an issue with the cache.
We really can’t be sure what the issue is all about unless we troubleshoot and that’s the purpose of this troubleshooting guide. So continue reading this post as you may find it helpful in fixing a problem like this. If you are looking for a solution to a different issue however, then visit our Galaxy A3 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common issues. If you still need our help after that, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire to contact us.
Troubleshooting Galaxy A3 that’s stuck in bootloop & won’t continue to boot up
We will try to rule out each possibility until we can make your phone work perfectly again. There’s always a possibility that this problem is very minor and we can fix it after doing a couple of procedures. Don’t worry, we don’t suggest procedures that can potentially mess your phone up even further so you can rest assured that this troubleshooting guide will try to help you fix the problem rather than give you another one.
Make sure the Power key is not stuck
We’ve encountered issues in the past wherein our reader said his phone keeps restarting and so we suggested things that can potentially fix firmware-related issues but we got the feedback that the phone won’t stay in one mode because it still restarts on its own and when he said that there was a vibration every after the phone turned off, that’s when we realized the problem was due to a stuck Power key.
If you are experiencing the same symptoms and are pretty sure the phone hasn’t been dropped, then your problem might be due to a stuck power key. Another thing you have to consider is when the problem started after you put on a new third-party case and in this situation, try removing the case to see if the problem still occurs.
If there is no third-party case involved, try pressing the power key several times. Doing so will fix the stuck button and at the same time, will give you a hint if the power key is damaged. A working power snaps when you press it, the damaged one doesn’t. If the key is damaged, then you should bring the phone to the tech; it can be replaced without you spending too much.
However, if you’re pretty sure the key is still working fine and that you didn’t put on a new case, then move on to the next step.
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Check if it has something to do with the battery
Batteries deteriorate over time and one of the signs that they are failing is when the phone can no longer stay powered on for quite some time. One thing to test such theory is to connect the phone to its charger that is plugged into a working wall outlet. By doing so you’re giving the phone a stable power source and if it doesn’t restart and continues to boot up while connected to the charger, then it’s a clear sign the battery needs to be replaced. In which case, you still need to bring the phone to the tech as the Galaxy A3 doesn’t have a removable battery.
If the phone is still stuck in bootloop even if it’s connected to its charger, try the next step.
Forced restart your Galaxy A3
To rule out the possibility that this problem is due to a failing operating system, try doing the forced restart procedure. It’s equivalent to the battery pull procedure that we often do to phones with removable batteries.
Press and hold the Volume Down button and without letting go of it, press and hold the Power key. Keep both keys held together for 10 seconds and you’re phone may continue booting up. If that is the case, then the problem was a minor issue with the firmware and while you can continue using your phone now, there’s no guarantee the problem won’t occur again in the future. But at least now you know what to do if the phone gets stuck in bootloop again.
Try booting the phone up in Safe mode
Another possibility is that there could be an app that’s causing a lot of problems in the system. We’ve encountered cases wherein some apps keeps crashing and cause the firmware to also crash which may leave the phone frozen or unable to boot up. We have to rule this possibility out by starting the phone up in safe mode.
In this environment, all third-party apps will be temporarily disabled so if the problem is caused by one of the apps you installed, your phone should be able to boot up in safe mode successfully and here’s how you do that…
- Turn the device off.
- Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
- When ‘SAMSUNG’ appears on the screen, release the Power key.
- Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
- Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
- Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
- Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode’.
Assuming your A3 successfully started up in this mode, the next thing you should do is find the app that’s causing the problem and uninstall it. I understand it’s easier said than done but begin your search from apps you recently installed. This is how you uninstall an app from your phone…
- From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Applications.
- Tap the desired application in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
- Tap Uninstall.
- Tap Uninstall again to confirm.
However, if the phone is still stuck in bootloop even if you tried running it up in safe mode, try the next procedure.
Try to boot your A3 in Recovery mode
If you reach this point it means your phone failed to boot up successfully after doing the forced restart or even if you tried starting it up in safe mode. In this section, I will walk you through on how to run your phone up in Recovery mode, which is the fail-safe for almost all Android devices. Even if your device has some serious firmware issues, it may still be able to start in Recovery mode considering the phone is still powered on. If successful, you can do a couple of things that may fix the problem; that’s to wipe the cache partition and to do the Master reset. Follow the steps below to perform necessary procedures…
Boot Galaxy A3 in Recovery mode and wipe cache partition
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key.
- When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
- Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
- Press the Power key to select.
- Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
- When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
If you’ve successfully wiped the cache partition off but the phone still enters the bootloop after that, then you need to reset it.
How to perform Master reset via Recovery mode on Galaxy A3
Take note that you will lose all your personal files and data that are saved in your phone’s internal storage after doing this but you don’t have much of a choice now than make a compromise to make your phone work again…hopefully.
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key
- When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
- Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
- Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
- When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
If the phone is still not starting up after this, then you should bring it to the tech to get it figured out. I hope that this troubleshooting guide have helped you one way or another. If you still need our help, feel free to contact us.
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