Fix Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge that’s stuck in Activation Bootloop [Troubleshooting Guide]

Unless caused by a damaged battery that can no longer power the device up until it’s drained, bootloops are usually caused by issues with the firmware; either it’s just some corrupt cache, data, system file or a missing bootloader file. In this post, I will address this very specific issue as many of our readers actually contacted us seeking assistance on how to fix this problem with the #Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (#S7Edge).

I have included a problem that best describes this issue. Try to read it so you can understand how it occurs. Of course, I have provided some procedures you can use below to try to fix your phone if it occurs. While we don’t suggest methods that can potentially damage your phone, things may happen during your troubleshooting, so please proceed at your own risk.

But before anything else, if you have another issue with your phone, drop by our S7 Edge troubleshooting page as we have already addressed hundreds of issues reported by the owners. Odds are that there are already existing solutions on our website or at least, there are similar problems we already fixed. So, try to find ones that are similar or related to your problem. If you need further assistance, however, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting Galaxy S7 Edge that’s stuck in Activation Bootloop

When the phone is in boot loop, it means that it cannot continue booting up to the home screen. It may power up initially and might be stuck somewhere after the logo but it will power off on its own and turn back on and then the cycle is complete. You can never do anything with the phone that’s in boot loop that’s you need to boot it up in a mode where it stays powered on so you can do your actual troubleshooting. Below is the problem from one of our readers that best describes how the problem occurs…

“Hello, I am stuck in an activation bootloop. There are times I can get to the home screen with some service but then it restarts and continues to look for service. I have cleared my cache AND did a factory reset. That doesn’t seem to be working. It seems I may be missing a bootloader file but I can’t tell. If you can point me in the right direction, that would be great. Thanks. Sincerely, Tiffany C.”

Now that we’ve established how this problem occurs, it’s time to troubleshoot, however, the procedure in this post will be thorough and not based merely on the problem cited above as our reader already did some steps she thought might fix the problem but also on problems I cited in every troubleshooting step.

Step 1: Attempt to start your Galaxy S7 Edge in Safe Mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps

All third-party apps and services will be disabled when the phone is in safe mode. So, if the problem is caused by one of the downloaded apps, the device should be able to boot up in this state without a problem and such case, you can proceed in finding the culprit and uninstalling it. Apps crash more often than you think and there are some that can affect the firmware greatly to the point the the device will freeze, hang, reboot and not boot up successfully.

Relevant Problem: For some reason, my new phone started to freeze for a couple of minutes and after that, it will turn off and power back on. This cycle may happen several times a day depending on how long I use it. I think the issue started after I installed several apps a week ago but I don’t know which app is causing the problem. Can you guys help me?

How to start Galaxy S7 Edge in Safe Mode

1. Press and hold the Power key.
2. As soon as you can see the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7 EDGE’ on the screen, release the Power key and immediately hold the Volume Down key.
3. Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device finishes rebooting.
4. You may release it when you can see ‘Safe mode’ in the bottom left corner of the screen.

What to do when the phone is in Safe Mode

Observe closely. Remember, booting the device into its diagnostic state won’t solve the problem but would immediately isolate the issue. For instance, if it’s caused by a third-party app, then it shouldn’t occur in this state as all third-party apps are temporarily disabled and therefore, not loaded when the phone boots up, however, you can still open them if you intentionally touch their icons.

Assuming the problem does not occur in safe mode, you will now have to find the apps that may have caused the problem and if you don’t have a clue which one is the culprit, you need to disable or uninstall downloaded apps starting from your most recent installation. I understand it’s easier said than done but it is necessary to get your phone working again.

For the people who have hundreds of apps, it will take several hours to find the one that’s causing the problem and therefore, in such case, it’s better that you just reset your phone. It will delete all your files, data, apps, contacts, etc. that’s why you need to backup all of them before the reset.

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap Settings and then touch Backup and reset.
3. Tap Factory data reset and touch Reset device.
4. If you have screen lock feature turned on, enter your password or PIN.
5. Touch Continue.
6. Tap Delete all to confirm your action.

On the other hand, if the phone cannot successfully boot up in safe mode, then you need to try the next step.

Step 2: Attempt to boot up in Recovery Mode and wipe the cache partition to delete system caches

Aside from Safe Mode, which by the way, loads all Android interface, pre-installed apps and default services, there is another mode that many average users may find very useful when it comes to minor to moderately complicated firmware issues–Recovery Mode.

All hardware components will be powered up when the phone is booted up in the mode but there will only be a few options you can choose from and they’re always related to the firmware or directly affect the system when executed. It’s easy and safe to do and therefore I suggest you do this to see if your phone can actually power up its components and when successful, proceed with wiping the cache partition to delete all system caches.

System caches are files created by Android so user experience will be smooth and phone’s performance will be at its best. However, more often these files get corrupted and when it happens, the system might still continue to use them and as a result, firmware issues like this occur. The good thing is that you can delete them at will without worrying about adverse effects to your phone and data. In fact, it’s advisable to delete the system cache from time to time to make sure the phone’s performance is optimal. That being said, here’s one of the problems we received that may have been caused by corrupt system cache.

Related Problem: Hi droid guy! I got the S7 Edge 4 months ago as I upgraded from Galaxy S4. I actually didn’t encounter any issues with until recently when there was another update that I downloaded. The phone is now stuck on a black screen after the logo. I’ve tried rebooting it many times already but the problem remained. I’m sorry but I’m not really a tech-savvy person that’s why I need your help. What should I do?

Based on the problem description, it occurred after an update and based on my personal experiences, an issue like can always be solved by deleting the system cache. So, here’s how you do it…

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait until your phone is finished wiping the cache partition. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

I am hoping that this procedure can fix your problem for you, although it didn’t work to one of our readers whose issue I cited in the beginning of this post.

What if the phone cannot boot up in Recovery Mode successfully?

This is very possible and while savvy users always have a fall back when this things happen, average users are actually put in a dilemma if they will consider the fix because it will void the warranty without 100% guarantee that the problem will be fixed. What I’m talking about is manual installation or flashing of the stock firmware. It is obvious the firmware is the issue and it might due to some corrupt files, therefore, flashing the firmware may fix the problem.

For users who haven’t tried or aren’t confident enough in flashing a firmware, I suggest you visit a shop and have a technician take care of the problem for you just to be safe.

Step 3: Boot up your Galaxy S7 Edge in Recovery Mode again and perform the Master Reset

You can only do this if your phone can boot up in Recovery Mode successfully that’s why it’s imperative you do the second first before this. But assuming you’ve wiped out the cache partition on your device without fixing the problem, then there’s a greater chance it can be fixed by simple doing the master reset.

It’s basically just like the factory reset I cited in the first step only that this procedure will actually reformat the data partition and not just delete your files and data and bring the phone back to its default settings. In other words, if deleting the system cache didn’t fix the problem, then you are required to do this because the next thing you should is send the phone for checkup and repair if the problem remains.

There are a lot of problems that can actually be fixed by this procedure especially firmware issues, so it’s really worth your time and effort and here’s how you do it.

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

I am hoping that this step will fix the problem for you because if not, then you really have to consult a technician for it.

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