Below is one unique case that demonstrates how powerful smartphones like the #Samsung #GalaxyS6 can mess itself up for no apparent reason. What happens here is that our fellow #Android user, Don, was using his S6 normally when it suddenly decides to conk out on him. Don did not mention any changes (like updating the device, installing apps, downloading a file, etc) that might suggest an obvious software-caused problem. We think that the problem may be software in nature though and in this case, the best solution is to flash Sprint Samsung Galaxy S6 to stock firmware.

 

We take any Android requests for assistance in our blog so if you find yourself looking for solutions, contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of the page.

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My phone was working fine in the morning. I was using it as an internet tether for my laptop when the phone rebooted itself. I thought it was odd but guessed it did an update when I wasn’t looking. When it continued boot-looping, I knew something was up. It would get as far as loading the homescreen and app icons, but would reboot around the time it tried to connect to the network. I turned on airplane mode to see if it was a connectivity issue causing the glitch, but that did not stop the rebooting.

Using my wife’s phone (same make/model), I looked up reliable advice on the net and did the following troubleshooting, most of them several times:

• booted into safe mode (same issue)
• loaded recovery mode and cleared system cache (Note: phone did NOT reboot when I was in recovery mode, even for several minutes, which made me think it was a rogue app or firmware or O/S issue and not a power/battery issue)
• booted into Odin mode, but cancelled since I do not have the firmware file available. 

I finally relented and did system wipe/factory restore, but it still reboots while “optimizing apps”, so I don’t even see the home screen anymore.

Right now I am letting the battery drain in a pitiable and probably vain attempt to get it to work again. Any advice you have would be appreciated. — Don

 

Steps to flash stock firmware to Sprint Samsung Galaxy S6

It’s interesting to note that the phone did not reboot when you had it in recovery mode, which is a separate boot environment. When in recovery, the device is only accessing a limited, special partition that offers limited choices and does not allow regular Android operating system and apps to run. If any of these two is the culprit, your best bet is to flash a stock ROM or firmware to your S6 to regain normal mode function.

Keep in mind that a malfunctioning battery can also result to random or constant reboot problems. If flashing the firmware to stock won’t resolve the issue, consider getting a replacement.

Flashing the stock firmware will delete everything from your phone’s internal memory. If you haven’t saved your important files somewhere, you must expect never to see them again after this procedure.

Here are the steps on how to flash or install the stock firmware:

Things that you need:

• A computer
• A Samsung USB cable or the one that came with the phone
• Stock firmware for your Samsung Galaxy S6 (SM-G920P)
• Odin3_v3.10.6 software
• USB driver of Samsung Galaxy S6

1. Boot the phone in Download mode by doing the following steps:
   • Turn off the phone.
   • Press and hold Volume Down, Home, and Power buttons at the same time.
   • Once you receive the “Warning” prompt, press the Volume Up button to proceed.
   • Once you see the Downloading screen, plug in your phone via the USB cable to your PC. By this time, we are assuming that you have already installed to the computer the official Samsung driver for your Galaxy S6.
2. Download Odin and the correct stock firmware to your computer.
3. On your computer, unzip the firmware file you have downloaded.
4. After that, unzip Odin file and open the application.
5. Click on the blue box icon for Odin3_v3.10.6.
6. In Odin, click a button that says “AP” and select the file you unzipped earlier with a filename ending in “.md5”. This may take some time so just wait until Odin is finished.
7. Once done, click on the “Start” option and wait until everything is finished. The entire process may take up to 15 minutes so be patient.
8. You will be notified if you have successfully flashed the stock firmware by the word “PASS” in Odin. This means that the phone is now back to its original carrier firmware. Finish the process by rebooting the phone in recovery mode. Here’s how:
   • Turn off the phone.
   • Press and hold Volume Up, Home, and Power button at the same time.
   • Once you are in the blue recovery screen, use the Volume button to highlight wipe data/factory reset and the Power button to select it.
   • After that, do the same thing for Yes — delete all user data and wipe cache partition.
   • Finally, select reboot system now and wait for the phone to properly boot up. Reboot may take up to 10 minutes.

Flashing to stock firmware, if successful, won’t void the warranty of your device so if you want to eventually ask for a replacement, you can safely do so.

 

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