Galaxy A7 won’t boot normally, stuck in bootloop, only boots to Download Mode, other issues
As part of our efforts to expand our support for non-flagship devices, here’s another post about the #GalaxyA7 for today. The issues we cover in this one today answers some common problems with the A7. We hope you’ll find this read helpful.
If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.
When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.
Below are specific topics we’re bringing for you today:
Problem 1: Galaxy A7 won’t boot normally, stuck in bootloop, only boots to Download Mode
I have a Samsung Galaxy A7 that was powered off for a month. Yesterday when I tried to switch it on I found it on an empty battery. So I charged it to 90%. And then I tried to start it, but it continuously reboots on logo, in a never ending loop. And interesting fact is, it goes into download mode but can’t go into recovery mode! And now, when I try to charge it, it simply blinks on battery logo. Do you have any suggestions on what is causing this to occur? Any help would be gratefully appreciated. — Dolon
Solution: Hi Dolon. If this phone was previously working normally before you set it aside for a month, the cause of the problem might be battery- or power-related. We know that A7s don’t come with an easily removable battery pack so using the another battery is out of the question. Unless you can take the phone apart and replace the battery yourself, battery replacement is not a good idea at this point. We suggest that you reserve this possible solution later and instead focus your attention to possible bootloader/firmware issue. This is especially true if the phone had been acting up before you powered it off for one month. Since your phone only boots to Download mode at this time, we suggest that you try to reflash the bootloader first. Sometimes, Samsung that fail to power on normally are caused by a corrupted bootloader so doing this procedure is worth trying. Below are the general steps on how to boot a Galaxy device bootloader. The exact steps may be slightly different for your phone model so be sure to do some research and not to rely in our provided guide below.
- Look for the correct firmware for your phone model and download it. Make sure that you select the right one. It should be the same exact firmware that ran previously on your device. We assume that you list down the firmware version somewhere. If you did not take note of it before, there’s a chance that you may pick the wrong one. As you may know now, using an incorrect firmware can cause complications so good luck with that.
- Let’s now say that you have identified the correct firmware. You then want to download it to your computer. The firmware file should have a bunch of files in it like AP_, BL_, CSC_, etc.
- Look for the file that starts with a label BL; this should be the corresponding bootloader file for this firmware. Once you’ve identified the bootloader file, copy it to your computer’s desktop or to any other folder that you can easily access.
- Proceed with the rest of the flashing procedure using the Odin program.
- In Odin, click on the BL tab and make sure to use the bootloader file you’ve identified earlier.
- Now, make sure that the “Device Added” status and its “ID:COM box” has turned blue before hitting the START button. This will initiate the flashing of your phone’s bootloader.
- Restart the phone once the procedure is finished.
Should flashing the bootloader won’t help, or if you can’t do it successfully due to the phone rebooting randomly in the middle of the process, you should consider flashing the firmware. If that becomes unsuccessful too, send the phone in so the battery can be replaced.
An issue like this can also be caused by a bad motherboard so if a new battery will not make a difference, a technician may suggest a motherboard replacement. Unless you’re willing to spend at least a couple hundred dollars for an unguaranteed repair, you’re better off with a phone replacement.
Problem 2: Galaxy A7 drains battery fast, keeps overheating, rebooting randomly
My phone SAMSUNG GALAXY A7 keeps on rebooting after a certain intervals, and that drains the battery, gets heated up and it does not even last half day. And moreover, the hangs frequently and it is making it very difficult to perform the very task with this phone.
I have tried all possible solutions like uninstalling third party apps, clearing cache memory, several factory resettings and none of the probable solutions worked for me.
The problem persist even when rebooted in safe mode. sometimes it works fine for no reason, however when the phone is plugged for charging after a low battery, the aforementioned problems repeat again and that has made me really confused and can’t help getting frustrated. Any solution for this? — Duba
Solution: Hi Duba. If multiple factory resets did not help in fixing the problem at all, it’s most probably because your phone has a hardware problem. Factory reset is the most that any average user can do in fixing an Android problem. It’s meant to return all software settings to known, working defaults. As long as the reason for a problem is software in nature, factory reset almost always helps. However, it’s not an effective solution for hardware problems simply because there’s no amount of coding modifications that can alter the physical state of a component. For example, if the root cause of the symptoms you’re describing here is a bad battery, no amount of factory reset instances can improve the situation. The chemical composition and reactions inside the battery can’t be influenced by any form of software modification. The same is true for any component failure. This is why all Android troubleshooting almost always ends up with a factory reset.
Right now, the best available option for you is to go on with the next phase of device troubleshooting, which is hardware troubleshooting. Unfortunately, this phase requires expertise and tools that many average users don’t have. For example, if the issue goes beyond a bad battery, there’s a need to then check the next logical component in the troubleshooting ladder, which in this case, is the power management IC. Apart from the battery, this is often the next common cause of hardware failure. If that’s not the problem, a technician may suggest that the motherboard be simply replaced as it’s more practical than to go on checking the entire circuit. So, unless you have a solid knowledge about hardware of Samsung Galaxy devices and how to diagnose hardware issues, do-it-yourself repair is almost always best left for professionals. It is for this reason that we don’t support hardware diagnostics and troubleshooting in this blog. If you don’t have any experience fixing electronics before, just forget about DIY (do-it-yourself) repairs as you’ll most likely end up causing more trouble than solution.
We strongly recommend that you let someone who does repair for a living take a look at your device.
Problem 3: Galaxy A7 screen keeps blinking
My Samsung A7 (2016) has been blinking when I’m opening it. It would open after I press the power button or home button for several times. I tried the volume down+home button+power button and restart it but it’s still the same. So, I factory reset it and nothing has change. It’s always blinking every time I tried to open it, then it would open after a several times. Could you help me with this problem please. — Jma_elaiza
Solution: Hi Jma_elaiza. Samsung devices are generally reliable and millions of them work normally for years, unless a user starts tampering with the software, carelessly installing apps, or causing physical damage by dropping or exposing to elements (water, heat, cold). As long as software is to blame though, there’s a chance that you will be able to fix the problem at your level. However, if your phone has been physically impacted, dropped, or got wet, stop wasting your time looking for a software solution. As mentioned above, there’s no amount of software tweaks that you can do to undo physical damage. Since we don’t know the full history of your device and you chose not to include the possible incidents that may have led to the problem, there’s nothing much that we can tell you. Consider sending the phone in so its hardware can checked.
As far as software troubleshooting is concerned, you should consider booting the phone to Recovery Mode so you can perform a cache partition wipe and/or factory reset. To boot to factory reset, follow these steps:
- Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
- Press and then hold the Home and Volume Up keys, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
- When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
- You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.
You should also consider flashing the bootloader and/or the firmware if that’s possible and if nothing happens after wiping the cache partition or factory reset.
The blinking behavior that you encounter may also be a symptom of a malfunctioning screen. Try to restart the phone to alternate modes to see if it persists. If it does, that’s a confirmation that it’s a bad screen issue. In that case, you should have the phone repaired or replaced. To boot your phone to alternate modes, follow these steps:
Boot in Download Mode:
- Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
- Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
- Wait until the Download screen appears.
- If you can boot the phone in download mode but not in other modes, that means that your only way out may be to flash a stock or custom firmware.
- Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.
Boot in safe mode:
- Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
- Press and hold the Power button.
- Once the Samsung Galaxy logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
- Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
- Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
- The only difference of safe mode from normal mode is that the former prevents third party apps from running. If you can boot the phone in safe mode but not in normal mode, uninstall all apps until the issue (that prevents you from booting normally) is eliminated.