Galaxy A5 (2017) keeps rebooting due to Samsung Pass app

The case in this troubleshooting episode is interesting because the problem appears to be caused by Samsung Pass app. For those who haven’t heard of this app, it’s a security app from Samsung that allows identity management with the help of biometric data. For example, you can use Samsung Pass to keep your fingerprint so it becomes your “key” to access secure websites that require your credentials. Samsung Pass also accommodates Iris recognition for those device equipped with Iris scanners. In this post, we include one reported case of Samsung Pass causing a Galaxy A5 (2017) to constantly reboot on its own when said app is enabled. If you have the same problem, learn what you can do to fix it below.

Problem: Galaxy A5 (2017) keeps rebooting due to Samsung Pass app

After a year and a half of problem-free function, my Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 started rebooting on its own. I tried literally everything, including hard/factory reset with re-installing everything from the beginning….no luck. I was absolutely discouraged and since I was in the warranty period I took it to the Samsung repair center. I showed them the problem and they decided after running some tests, to replace the motherboard.

Since the first moment I started reinstalling my apps, the phone again started rebooting continuously. Again to the Samsung repair center, this time for 3 days. They called me to go and get it because they could not find anything wrong with it. Immediately after re-installing all the apps, phone again in rebooting continuous loop….more than evident that they could be of no use at all, I decided to troubleshoot it myself step by step. One day later I found out that what was causing the whole malfunction was biometrics app (Samsung Pass). If you had it turned off, everything worked the way it was supposed to. The moment you activated it, the phone started rebooting and rebooting and rebooting. The logical thing is that Samsung’s app is crap. However, since it is a Samsung app, I have every right to believe that the Samsung’s official repair center should have realized what was going on from the beginning and not having me get my phone back and forth twice before quitting on them since they could not find any excuse or repair. Moreover, with a little search on the internet, I found out that quite some Samsung owners are facing similar problems for quite some time and Samsung does not seem capable of addressing them. If there is any suggestion I would be more than happy to hear it, if not I guess that was my last time getting a Samsung crap phone and probably will move forward to another phone make.

Solution: We’ve been using Samsung Pass in a number of our own Galaxy devices since its been released and so far, we haven’t encountered the issue you’re having here. We think there may be a unique variable that’s in your device that causes endless boot issue. The good thing is, you were able to trace the cause of the problem to this app. This means that you can at least try to troubleshoot it before ditching your Galaxy A5 for good.

Check for bad third party app

Samsung Pass is one of the most stable apps we’ve seen from Samsung. It’s an important app so it receives a lot of care from its developer team. If the problem you’re having is as widespread as you think it is, Samsung must have already got wind of it. Right now, there’s no evidence at all that shows Samsung is aware of it. There’s no official troubleshooting step for your issue but we think we know how to fix it.

Sometimes, a third party app may interfere with Android or with other apps. To check if you’ve downloaded an app that messes up with Samsung Pass everytime it’s turned on, you want to restart your device to Safe Mode. Doing so will suspend all the apps that were not part of the original software package and on safe mode, all of them won’t be permitted to run. So, if Samsung Pass works normally on safe mode without causing the device to reboot, you can bet you have an app problem. Follow the steps below on how to restart your Galaxy A5 to Safe Mode:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
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. Now that your A5 is on Safe Mode, open Samsung Pass app and see how it works.

If your device works normally and won’t reboot at this point, you can assume that one of the downloaded apps is bad. To find this app, you want to identify it first. Remember, safe mode won’t pinpoint the problem at all. You’ll have to narrow down the suspected apps with the use of elimination method. Here’s how it works:

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Check for the problem.
3. If your device works normally, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added. Do it one at a time.
4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
5. If your device is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Reset Samsung Pass to its defaults

In case there’s a problem with the updated version of Samsung Pass on your device, you can also try to deal with it directly. You can do that by clearing the app’s data. Doing so will return the app to its factory state, which may be more stable than the current one.

To clear an app’s data:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
4. Select Show system apps.
5. Find and tap your app.
6. Tap Storage.
7. Tap Clear Data button.
8. Restart your device and check for the problem.

Samsung Pass should automatically update itself again once you start using it. Try to set it up afterwards and see how it works. Don’t forget, apps can affect how Android or other apps perform. If the problem returns after reinstalling the app you previously deleted, we suggest that you get rid of that app for good, or avoid using Samsung Pass entirely.

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