Galaxy S6 won’t stay on when not plugged in, random restart issue, other issues
Boot- or power-related issues often end up with repair but do you know that there are also possible software reasons for them? In this post, we briefly touch on the possible causes of random restart problems for the #GalaxyS6. We hope you’ll find this article an interesting read.
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: Causes of Galaxy S6 random restart issue
Hi! Recently I had a problem with my Galaxy S6 where it would restart itself multiple times a day. That suddenly went away without me doing anything but only a few days later it now shuts itself off completely. Today is the first day of that happening and it happened around 10 times and then, the last time i couldn’t turn it back on again. I tried pressing and holding the power key until the logo appeared then releasing and pushing volume down but I couldn’t enable safe mode. Then I tried pushing the power, home and volume up button which lead to the screen first showing the logo for a couple of seconds then the screen going black, then i get the blue screen with the Android saying installing system update for about 1 second and then the screen goes black again and it repeats itself, flashing the logo, black screen, installing update, black screen, flashing logo and so on. It has enough battery but I tried charging it anyway but nothing seems to help. Any advice and help would be much appreciated! Thank you!!! — Lilabraunbaer
Solution: Hi Lilabraunbaer. It’s difficult to know with enough certainty what is causing your random restart issue since we don’t have a full history of your device but a lot of similar cases are due to one of the following reasons:
- Poorly coded/malicious apps
- Bad battery
- Corrupted system apps or services
- Unknown operating system glitch/bootloader
- Overheating
- Broken Power button
- Hardware malfunction
Since the phone no longer turns on normally at this time, there’s no way for you to know if the reasons include the first four in the list above. If you’ve noticed, the first 4 items in the list are all software-related so you’ll be unable to check them unless the phone boots up properly, which, we know, is exactly the reason why you contacted us. To see if it’s a software issue though, you must try to see if the problem goes away after you’ve re-flashed both the bootloader and/or firmware.
Below are the general steps on how to flash a Samsung device. Exact steps for your particular phone model may be a little different so be sure to consult other guides on how to do it properly. Keep in mind that flashing is inherently risky and may result to more serious software problems if not done properly.
- 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.
Re-flashing the bootloader should be followed by flashing the firmware as well. Both procedures should address all four possible software reasons for this problem. If nothing will change after doing them though, that means that bad hardware must be to blame.
Remember, overheating can lead to random restart as Samsung devices are designed to shut down once a certain heat level is reached inside. If you’ve noticed the device heating up lately, that can be a telltale sign of an overheating problem.
Broken power button, although rare, can also cause a device to turn off prematurely. To check if this is the case, you’ll have to send the phone in. The same is true for general hardware malfunction. When confronted with a hardware problem, it’s always wise to let a professional fix it, unless you are well equipped to do it yourself.
Problem 2: Galaxy S6 won’t stay on when not plugged in
Hello. So i have this issue with my Galaxy S6 that keeps shutting down and turning on over and over and over. I have done all that i have found about resetting the phone like a soft reset and a factory reset; nothing has worked for me. This issue happens everytime time i go into any of my apps. If i am on a app for more than a minute, that phone turns off then on then turns off then on and keeps going like that. This issue is really annoying and i would really like some help to get it fixed.
I have tried all that is posted to fix it. and also the problem ends up stopping when i plug my charger into the device. so when it’s doing the turning off and on thing, if i plug the charger into it, it will fully turn on and stay on. it will not reset itself when using apps if my charger is plugged in. This happens on my Facebook app, Instagram app, Uber app, web app, and more. PLEASE HELP. I have a Galaxy S6. — Charles Smith
Solution: Hi Charles. That your phone appears to work in stable condition when it’s plugged in is a clear indication that the phone’s battery and/or power management IC is malfunctioning.
We don’t think it’s a software issue at all but there are two software procedures that we would like you to try — battery calibration and factory reset. If they won’t fix anything, then you should really consider sending the phone in for repair or replacement.
To re-calibrate the battery, follow these steps:
- Use the phone by playing games or doing tasks to hasten power discharge, until the phone turns itself off.
- Charge the phone without turning it back on.
- Wait until the battery says it is fully charged to 100%.
- Wait for an hour before unplugging the phone from the charger.
- Use the phone until battery reaches 0% percent. The phone should turn off by itself.
- Recharge the phone to 100%, wait for an hour before unplugging it again.
- The battery should now be recalibrated. Observe how phone works.
If battery calibration won’t make a difference, it is ideally followed by a factory reset so if you don’t know how to do it, kindly do the steps below:
- Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge.
- Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power keys together.
- When the device powers on and displays ‘Power on logo’, release all keys and the Android icon will appear on the screen.
- Wait until the Android Recovery Screen appears after about 30 seconds.
- Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option, ‘wipe data/factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
- Press the Vol Down button again until the option Yes — delete all user data is highlighted and then press the Power key to select it.
- After the reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
Problem 3: Galaxy S6 edge screen keeps flashing but won’t turn on
Hi there. I woke up this morning and the screen on my Samsung Galaxy S6 edge wouldn’t turn on but just flashes a bit at the top and bottom of the screen. The device is charged and still seems to work, i.e., the alarm works and l.e.the notification indicator light flashes and thing like that. But no matter what i try, i cannot seem to turn the screen on. I have a lot of important documents and pictures on here relating to my college course that if i lose i will be in a whole load of s*** so any help you can give would be much appreciated. All the best. — Clambert230
Solution: Hi Clambert230. Galaxy S6 displays seldom fails unless the device itself has been physically impacted or exposed to elements. If your phone was accidentally dropped or got wet before it started acting up, there’s no point looking for any software fix. You should instead contact Samsung or an independent service center so the device can be fixed. Samsung may still wipe the phone’s memory though so if you hope to recover your data afterwards, we suggest that you let a third party technician repair the screen for you. Just be sure to tell him/her not to wipe the phone.
If your S6 was never dropped nor exposed to moisture or heat, there’s a chance that there maybe an operating system glitch causing the problem. To see if it’s an Android bug, try booting the device to another mode such as Recovery Mode or Odin Mode. Any of these modes don’t need Android to work so if your screen works fine, that is, you’ll see the options normally without any flashes, that means it’s an Android issue. Unfortunately, an Android issue of this nature can only be fixed by a factory reset so you’ll still end up losing your data. If the phone screen only works either in Recovery or Odin Mode though, that also means that there’s no hardware issue, which means that factory reset should be an effective fix.
For reference, here are the steps on how to boot your phone to other modes.
Boot in Recovery mode:
- 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.
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.