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How to fix Samsung Galaxy S8 that keeps restarting [Troubleshooting Guide]

When a high-end phone like the Samsung Galaxy S8 starts restarting on its own, it’s already a sign of a more serious firmware issue, although we cannot be sure of that. Since we started providing technical support to our readers, we’ve encountered like kind of problem a lot of times already and there were cases wherein a hardware problem also resulted to his kind of issue. There were also situations wherein third-party apps are among the causes why a phone reboots randomly.

In this post, we will walk you through in troubleshooting your device that started to randomly reboot without apparent reason. We will try to look into each possibility and rule each one of them until we can pinpoint what the problem really is and whether or not we can do something about it. If ever the problem has something to do with the hardware, then we cannot guarantee a fix since such kinds of problems would mean unit replacement. So, if you own this phone and are currently bugged by a similar issue, continue reading below so you would know what to do.

But before anything else, if you’re currently experiencing different issues with your phone, then I suggest you visit our Samsung Galaxy S8 troubleshooting page for we’ve already started providing support to our readers who own this device. We understand your phone is still brand new and it should work perfectly without a hitch but not even Samsung can guarantee there won’t be any problems. What we do here is provide help to our readers the best we can so if we haven’t published posts about your concern, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

Step-by-step guide to troubleshooting Galaxy S8 that keeps restarting

The purpose of this troubleshooting guide is for us to know if the problem can be fixed without any intervention from the technician to save the owner from a lot of troubleshoot going back to the store especially is the problem is minor. However, if we find out the problem cannot be fixed on our end, then you should bring it back to the store as soon as possible to have it replaced.

Before we jump to our troubleshooting steps, here’s one of the messages we received from our reader that best describes this problem:

Hi guys! My phone is an S8, I bought it last month and it’s been with me for more than 3 weeks already. I was really enjoying and all its new features but then suddenly, the phone turned off on its own. When I tried turning it on, it worked only to reboot after a few hours. Since then it keeps on rebooting every hour or so; it’s actually random and I don’t know why it’s doing this. I’m starting to worry about it considering the fact I bought it for several hundred dollars. I just want my phone to work perfectly again, can you help?

Troubleshooting: It does sound like an issue with the firmware but we really can’t be sure until we troubleshoot. So, here’s what you should do…

Step 1: Run your phone in Safe mode and observe

We are still in observation stage and it’s very important as it will give us an idea what the problem is all about. Knowing the root cause is almost fixing the problem. So, I need you to reboot your phone in Safe mode so that all third-party apps will be temporarily disabled. This way, we can isolate the problem to know if one of those apps is causing the issue or if it’s a problem with pre-installed apps and the firmware. This is how you start your phone in safe mode:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
  3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
  4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
  5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
  6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
  8. Uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

While in this mode, observe your phone closely to know if it still restarts on its own without apparent reason. If so, then skip to step 3, but if the reboots disappeared, then you should move on to the next step.

Step 2: Find the apps that are causing the problem and uninstall them

You only have to do this if the phone doesn’t reboot while in safe mode. It’s because it’s clear enough that one or some of the third-party apps is causing the problem. These applications are actually ones you downloaded from the Play Store or manually installed. If you have already an app in mind, then try to clear its cache and data first to reset it and if that won’t work, you have to proceed with uninstallation.

How to clear app cache and data on Galaxy S8

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  4. Tap Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

How to uninstall an app from your Galaxy S8

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  4. Tap the desired application.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

Step 3: Boot your phone up in Recovery mode and wipe cache partition

Assuming your phone still restarts on its own while in safe mode, then the third-party apps have nothing to do with the problem and we might be looking at a possible firmware issue. So, the next thing we have to do is try to delete all system caches so they will be replaced with new ones.

We often have access to system caches but even if we do, we still can’t determine which file is corrupt and which isn’t. Needless to say we cannot delete individual system cache, therefore, we just have to delete all of them at once so they’ll be replaced. To do that, you just have to reboot in recovery mode and wipe the cache partition:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. 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).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition.”
  5. Press the Power key to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

After this, you just have to observe your phone again to know if it still reboots on its own and if so, then you have no other choice but to do the next step.

Step 4: Backup your files and data and reset your phone

That’s right, it’s time to reset your phone since all other procedures failed to address the problem. However, you must make a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted during the reset. Depending on the amount of data you saved in your phone, it may take 15 minutes to an hour to finish backing up. But after that, don’t forget to disable the Factory Reset Protection (FRP) so that you won’t be locked out of your phone. This is how you do it:

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
  3. Tap Accounts.
  4. Tap Google.
  5. Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
  6. Tap 3 dot icon.
  7. Tap Remove account.
  8. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

If you’re ready to reset your phone, then follow these steps:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

You can also reset your Galaxy S8 from the Settings menu…

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
  3. Tap Backup and restore.
  4. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  5. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  6. Tap the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
  7. Tap Reset.
  8. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
  9. Tap Continue.
  10. Tap Delete all.

Step 5: Bring the phone back to the store

After the reset and your new phone is still restarting on its own, then you have to bring it back to the store so that you can request a replacement in case the technician cannot fix the problem. You may be given a brand new replacement unit but everything will be subjected to validation and you may be asked several questions regarding your device and how you used it.

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