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How to fix your Samsung Galaxy S8 that no longer powers on after the firmware update (easy steps)

ByHarold Hisona

The Samsung Galaxy S8 was released with Android 7.0 Nougat already installed and Oreo is yet to be rolled out. So, any update you may have received since you got the phone should have all been minor updates as the big one is yet to happen in the coming week or months. Problems that are caused by minor firmware updates are pretty easy to fix provided the firmware that’s currently running on your device hasn’t been modified in any way. If that’s the case with your Galaxy S8 that would no longer power up after being updated, then we may be able to fix it.

In this post, I will walk you through in fixing this problem or I will share with your a solution to the most common power-related issue with the Galaxy S8 that may often occur after a firmware update. So, if you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently bugged by a similar problem, continue reading as this article may be able to help you.

If however, you are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our Galaxy S8 troubleshooting guide for we have already addressed the most common issues with this phone. Find problems that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more help, then feel free to contact us through our Android issues questionnaire.

Most effective solution to fix Galaxy S8 that won’t turn on after an update

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First off, if you are not comfortable troubleshooting your phone or doing something on it you don’t fully understand, then I suggest you go immediately to the tech and let him sort this one out. Remember that the following solution may only work to some but not to everyone because every problem is unique and are triggered by different factors. If however, you are willing to do something about your dead Galaxy S8, then continue reading. After all, your phone is already dead and the only thing that may happen to it may be a good one.

The Solution

You won’t believe how simple the solution to this problem is. But in case you’re hesitant, well, this solution actually came from our readers who informed us that it’s the one that worked for them. Shortly after the Galaxy S8 was released, we started publishing troubleshooting guides that deal with issues similar to this and after a month or two, we started receiving confirmation that this method works. So, here it is…

  • Press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power key simultaneously for 10 seconds.

Assuming the problem is basically just a minor firmware crash or system glitch, this method is very effective and your phone may actually boot up after holding both keys for ten seconds. However, if the phone remains unresponsive and won’t turn on, try doing this…

  1. Press and hold the Volume Down button first and don’t let go.
  2. Then, press and hold the Power key while holding down the Volume Down button.
  3. Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more to simulate battery disconnect.

Assuming your Samsung Galaxy S8 still has enough battery and that there’s no issue with the hardware whatsoever, it may successfully boot up after doing this. However, if the problem continues, it might be just due to a drained battery.

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There are several things that could happen when you let your phone run out of battery. Unlike the normal shutdown process wherein the system will shutdown functions, services and hardware one-by-one, when the phone runs out of battery, these things may not be stopped properly which may result to a system crash. When this happens, your phone may not respond when you hit the Power key. To rule out this possibility, this is what you should do next:

  1. Plug the charger to a working wall outlet.
  2. Connect your Galaxy S8 to it using the original USB cable.
  3. Allow the phone to charge for at least ten minutes regardless whether the phone shows the charging symbol or not.
  4. After ten minutes of charging, press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power key simultaneously for 10 seconds or more.

At this point, the phone should already be booting up. However, if it still remains unresponsive, then it’s a sign that your phone is currently having some problems other than firmware crash or glitch.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy S8 that won’t turn on

Another possibility that we have to take into consideration is the fact that this problem might be due to some of the apps you installed or a hardware issue. The following are the troubleshooting steps you need to do to try and make your phone turn on again.

Check for signs of physical damage

You just have to look for scratches, dents and cracks for any force that could render your Galaxy S8 useless would surely leave a mark on the outside. If there are clear signs of physical damage, then you should bring the phone to the tech immediately.

Check for signs of liquid damage

Look into the USB or charger port to find out if there is a trace of moisture in there. You may then use a cotton swab to clean the area or insert a small piece of tissue paper in there to absorb the moist.

Then, check the Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI) to see if it’s tripped or not. If it’s white, then it’s not tripped but if it turned red or purple, it’s a sign your phone is suffering from liquid damage. Bring the phone to the service center if this is the case.

Try booting the phone up in Safe mode

We simply have to know if your phone is still capable of doing this. As you know, booting in safe mode means temporarily disabling all third-party apps, which may have also caused the phone to crash. If the cause of the problem is indeed a third-party app, then  your phone should boot up successfully in safe mode. This is how you do that:

  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.

Assuming the phone actually boots up in this mode, the next thing you should do is reboot your phone normally to try to see if it can. If it’s stuck somewhere during the boot process, turn it off and reboot back into safe mode. Then try to uninstall apps you suspect are causing the problem:

  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.

Try running the phone in Recovery mode

In recovery mode, the Android user interface won’t be loaded but all hardware components will still be powered up. By doing this, you’re actually testing if the hardware components are still good or not so it’s important. Assuming the phone boots up in this mode, then proceed to wiping the cache partition:

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

If the phone boots up in recovery mode but wiping the cache partition didn’t result in the successful boot up, you should just perform the master reset to fix the problem:

  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.

If the phone cannot boot up in this mode however, then it’s clear the problem has something to do with the hardware of your phone. Now is the perfect time to get a Samsung technician check the device for you.

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