How to fix your Samsung Galaxy S8 that’s stuck in bootloop [Troubleshooting Guide]

A bootloop is when the phone cannot continue the boot up process and just before it reaches the home screen, it reboots only to be doing the same thing over and over. Some of the Samsung Galaxy S8 owners have contacted us about this problem saying their devices won’t continue the usual booting up process because they restart after getting past the logo.

So, in this post, I will tackle this problem and suggest things you can do to see if there’s something we can do to make your device continue booting. We will try to rule out possibilities until it’s clear what the cause is or what triggers the issue. We understand that it’s a brand new phone and that it should work flawlessly that’s why we urge you to perform basic troubleshooting so you can go back to the store as soon as you find out the problem is serious.

But before we jump right into our tutorials, if you happen to find this page because you own the same device but are looking for a solution to a different issue, then try to visit our Galaxy S8 troubleshooting page for we have already answered hundreds of issues reported by our readers before. Find ones that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need further assistance, contact us by simply filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

Step-by-step guide to troubleshooting Samsung Galaxy S8 that’s stuck in bootloop

We just have to know or find out if this problem can be fixed without any help from a technician. If, during our troubleshooting, we find out it’s more serious than it seems, then you should immediately go back to the store and have the phone replaced provided the problem wasn’t caused by liquid and/or physical damage. Now, here are the things you can do…

Step 1: Make sure the Power key isn’t stuck or damaged

When the power key is stuck, the device would enter a bootloop wherein it powers on but shortly after the logo shows on the screen, it shuts down only to enter the same vicious cycle. You can actually leave the phone doing this same thing over and over until the battery is all drained.

Fortunately, for stuck power keys, you can fix it by simply pressing it many times and releasing it every time. More often than not, the cause of the stuck Power key is the casing. So, if you have third-party cases you just put on and then this problem started, you should consider checking the Power button as it may have been stuck.

As to damaged power key, it’s included in the hardware so you really don’t have to do anything about it except, of course, bringing the phone to the tech and have it checked. You just have to see if the key still snaps when you press it because if it doesn’t and if it’s not fixed by pressing it many times, then it’s damaged.

Step 2: Attempt to boot your phone in Safe mode

Do this if you are sure that the power key is just fine. After all, you cannot actually enter the mode if it’s stuck as the loop may never be broken. So, after checking the power key and it looks okay, try booting your Galaxy S8 in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps that might have something to do with the problem. This is how you start your phone in safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
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.

If your phone can successfully enter this mode, then we’re halfway to solving the problem as we’ve already made the device boot up successfully. So, the next thing you should when in this mode is to find the apps that prevent the phone from booting up successfully. Once found or if you are suspecting something, then you should uninstall them one by one until the phone can boot up successfully in normal mode.

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

However, if the phone cannot boot up in safe mode, then move on to the next step.

Step 3: Try to start the phone up in Recovery mode

The Android system recovery is your last resort. Usually, firmware issues won’t affect the capability of an Android device to boot in this mode provided the firmware isn’t modified at some point. So, there’s a big chance you can bring your device to start in this mode. So, try the following steps to see if your S8 is still capable of going into recovery:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).

Assuming the phone is capable of booting up in this mode, then you should try wiping the cache partition…

Press the Volume down key several times 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 the problem isn’t fixed by wiping the cache partition, then the next step might help.

Step 4: Perform the Master reset if possible

We are now at a point wherein we need to verify if the phone can still work properly if brought back to its original configuration. You may not be able to backup your personal files and data especially if the phone cannot boot up in safe mode, but a reset is necessary at this point because if it still fails to fix the problem, you need to bring the phone back to the store and have it fixed or replaced. We technicians often resort to resetting the device to protect the privacy of our clients unless they tell us explicitly not to do it for the sake of their files.

It is all up to you if you want to reset your phone or not and if you decide to do it, then here’s how…

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).
Press the Volume down key several times 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.

After a successful reset or if it didn’t go through, then you should bring the phone back to the store and have it checked. It’s all up to the tech if he recommends it for replacement.

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