How to fix Samsung Galaxy A5 that often crashes and restarts by itself (easy steps)
Random to frequent crashes and restarts in mobile devices are common indications of intricate software problems. In worst cases, these symptoms could likewise indicate a damaged component. Problems like this can occur to any device, regardless of the system platform they’re running on. In this particular post, we will tackle a similar issue on the Samsung Galaxy A5 handset. If you own this phone and are facing the same dilemma, then you might as well consider reading this entire post as it demonstrates some walkthroughs on how to deal with the issue.
But before we actually move on to our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your phone, then visit our Galaxy A5 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. In case you need more help with your problem, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.
What causes your Galaxy A5 to crash and restart by itself?
Setting aside the possibility of hardware damage, your phone can succumb into crashing and random restarts due to software malfunctions. Among the common triggers are corrupt data in the phone memory, third-party apps, cached files, malware, and bad firmware update. These symptoms can also occur when the device got bricked from unsuccessful rooting as well as when any of your SD card files or segments gets corrupted. Generally, all these are the common triggers that are associated with the software. Looking into the probable causes, we can say that it’s not really a minor issue. In fact, standard procedures like a soft reset or forced restart may no longer be able to deal with these symptoms. Nonetheless, this doesn’t mean that the problem is not rectifiable. For as long as the hardware is fine, there’s always a way for your device to get back up and running smoothly again.
How to deal with system crashing and restart problems on your Galaxy A5?
As I’ve mentioned earlier a soft reset or forced restart may no longer be able to rectify the issue but if ever you want to make sure, then you can go ahead and take your chances by forcing your Galaxy A5 to reboot. It won’t hurt to try anyway.
If a forced restart failed to fix the problem, then you may now proceed with these following potential solutions.
Boot into safe mode and diagnose apps.
Booting into safe mode can help you determine if a third-party app triggers your phone to randomly crash and restart by itself. All third-party apps are bypassed or temporarily disabled while in safe mode. Here’s how to enter safe mode on your Galaxy A5:
- Turn off your device completely.
- Press and hold the Volume Down key for few seconds.
- While holding down the Volume key, press the Power key to turn on your phone.
- When it boots up completely, you will see Safe Mode on the lower left side of the screen. You can now release the Volume key.
- Next, swipe the screen the tapb
- Tap Settings.
- Scroll down to and tap on Application manager.
- Go to the Downloaded section then tap on a recently downloaded app, which you suspect is causing an issue.
- When you see the app details, tap the Uninstall button.
Try to use your phone for a little while then see if the problem continues or not. If the problem doesn’t occur while using your phone in safe mode, it means that any of your downloaded apps or services is most likely the trigger. That said, try to individually uninstall your most recent downloads then test your device afterwards. Or if you remember which app was installed before the onset of the problem, then you can just remove the suspected app.
Meanwhile if the symptoms reoccur while your device is running in safe mode, it means that the problem is more complicated and therefore requires tougher solutions.
Wipe cache partition in recovery mode.
- Wiping the cache partition can help fix the problem especially if the underlying cause is a corrupt cached file from within the system partition. The process will not erase any of your data stored on the internal memory of your phone for as long as it’s done correctly. So here’s how:
- Turn off the phone
- Press and hold the Power, Volume Up, and Home buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- When the Samsung logo appears, release the Power button but keep holding down the other buttons.
- At the Android logo, release the Volume Up and Home buttons. After a moment, you should see the Android system recovery menu.
- While on this menu, press Volume down repeatedly to highlight Wipe cache partition option.
- Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
- Wait until your device is done clearing the cache partition and when it does, the Reboot system now option is highlighted.
- Press the Power button to restart your device.
Test your device after the reboot to see if the problem is gone. If not, then try the next solution.
Factory reset through recovery mode.
A factory reset through recovery mode usually fixes complicated software issues including those depicted by crashing and automatic reboots. Please note though that this reset will erase all data and personal information from your device. That said, be sure to create a backup of your critical data beforehand. Once you’re all set, follow these steps to perform a factory reset or master reset in recovery mode:
- Turn off the phone
- Press and hold the Power, Volume Up, and Home buttons simultaneously for about 5 to 10 seconds.
- When the Samsung logo appears, release all three buttons.
- After a moment, you should see the Android system recovery menu.
- While on this menu, press Volume down button repeatedly to highlight Wipe data/factory reset option.
- Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
- Press the Volume button to highlight Yes – delete all user data option then press the Power button to confirm. Your device will now reset.
- When the reset is finished, the Reboot System now option is highlighted. Press the Power button to restart your phone then.
Your phone will restart with the factory default settings. You may then continue with the Initial setup.
Try to recover your device with emergency firmware recovery.
If the factory reset was not able to fix the problem, then you may attempt to wipe your device and reinstall the operating system using a computer. In this case, your computer must have Samsung’s Smart Switch software installed and have access to the Internet. Get the USB cable ready, then follow these steps:
- Open Smart Switch on your computer.
- Connect your phone to your computer using the supplied USB cable.
- Wait until your phone is detected by Smart Switch. It will show up on the main screen.
- Click More to continue.
- Click Tools on the menu bar at the top.
- Click Emergency Software Recovery and Initialization.
- A pop-up screen will show up with the information about the new software version along with a warning that you’ll lose all your data. Click OK to continue.
Wait until the software is downloaded and installed on your device then close Smart Switch and unplug your phone. If it’s successful, your phone will show the Setup Wizard. This means it’s ready to use.
Restore Android firmware through Samsung Kies.
Restoring Android firmware on your device is needed especially if the emergency software recovery failed. This process permanently deletes all your personal information from your phone. Here’s how it’s done:
- Open the Kies software on your computer.
- Click Tools, then select Firmware Upgrade and Initialization.
- Enter your device Model name. This information is typically found on the label underneath your phone battery.
- Click OK.
- Enter the S/N number of your phone and click OK. This information is likewise found on the label underneath the battery.
- Wait for Kies to verify if the feature is available for your device. If it is available, click OK to continue.
- A message prompt will show up containing the firmware version along with a note that the information on your device will be permanently deleted during the process. Click OK to proceed.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to prepare your device for emergency recovery.
- Mark the checkbox next to I have read all of the above information.
- Connect your device to Kies when you have activated the download mode.
- When it’s in download mode and connected to Kies, click the Start upgrade button to reinstall the firmware.
- To create a copy of the selected items before proceeding, click on Create backup. Otherwise, click Skip backup option.
- Wait for Kies to download and prepare your system to update the firmware. It can take some time to complete so just wait and be patient.
- If prompted, respond to any security warnings about software installation.
- During the upgrade process, you’ll see a progress bar. Wait for the progress bar to complete and do not disconnect or turn off your phone or your computer so as not to interrupt the update process.
- When the upgrade is finished, click OK.
Hopefully that fixes your Galaxy A5.
Other suggestions
- Check and install the latest Android version available for your device. Software updates not only bring new features and enhanced functions to your phone but also offer bug fixes to address different types of software problems on Android devices like your Galaxy A5. This is why it’s highly recommended to keep your device software up-to-date.
- To check for available firmware update for your Galaxy A5, tap Apps from the Home screen, then go to Settings-> About device menu. Then tap the option to Download updates manually. Wait until your device is done checking for updates. If an update is available, back up your data and then update your software.
- To do so, simply tap the Install now option from the Install Software message prompt. To confirm update installation request, tap OK. Wait until your phone software is successfully updated then restart your phone and use it the usual way you do to see if the problem is gone already.
- Try your luck with some Android Recovery tools. Seeing the increasing number of software problems transpiring in Android devices, Android apps developers make sure that they’ll have something to offer as alternative solutions to anyone who demands for other options. As a matter of fact, you can find a lot of Android Recovery software from the Play Store. All you have to do is download the software on your computer, connect your phone, launch the software, and then follow the onscreen instructions on how to backup and restore your Galaxy A5 using the tool. Just make sure you’ve read prior reviews before selecting which software to download and use.
Need more help?
Contact Samsung Support or your carrier’s customer care to escalate the problem if none of the prior solutions is able to fix your Samsung Galaxy A5 that constantly crashes and restarts by itself. If you see any error codes or messages, then you have to relay the codes or messages to them so that they can use them as hints in determining what exactly went wrong and what needs to be done as ultimate solution. Or if you suspect that a faulty hardware component is to blame, then you can just take your phone to a Samsung service center nearby and have it diagnosed by a technician for hardware damage.
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