Galaxy S7 stuck in factory reset screen, how to bypass Factory Reset Protection (FRP), other issues

Welcome to another #GalaxyS7 troubleshooting article for the day. As a number of S7 users are still struggling with Factory Reset Protection issue, we’ve decided to address it again in this material.

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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 S7 stuck in factory reset screen, how to bypass Factory Reset Protection (FRP)

Hi. I have had my phone for a good year now and everything has been working perfectly until a couple days ago. It all started when I left the country on vacation, which is even more frustrating. I noticed the problem when on my second plane towards my destination. My phone was on airplane mode. My Samsung Galaxy S7 would randomly restart for no apparent reason (Restart intervals would be as short as a couple minutes).

Once at my hotel, I also noticed that my phone would quickly lose its charge and overheat while restarting. I then proceeded to take off my otterbox case, that I’ve had on since day 1, completely shutdown my phone and let it rest for 24h. The next day, I realized that my phone had completely drained its battery (Probably from restarting and shutting down all night). I fully charged it, then restarted it. The problem still occurred. Since the restarting intervals were so short, I couldn’t do anything with my phone, such as take a picture. So I decided to force a manual reboot my phone. Why manually? Because I couldn’t get to the settings in time before my cellphone would restart. Now, my phone has been reset. All it’s memory erased and I can’t seem to access my phone anymore. The following message appears on my screen every time I proceed to the WiFi connection step. “An unauthorized attempt has been made to reset your device to factory default settings. Connect to a Wi-Fi or mobile network to verify your identity”. However, when I do try to connect to my hotel’s Wi-Fi, another message restrains me to confirm my identity.”Unable to sign in to Wi-Fi. An unauthorized factory reset has been performed on this device. The sign-in screen cannot be accessed.” What can I do? — Dominique

Solution: Hi Dominique. Samsung devices running Android 5 and later have Factory Reset Protection (FRP) feature that automatically kicks in if the device has been factory reset. FRP will ask for the registered Google account (username and password) for the device. This means that an unauthorized user won’t be able to access the device even if he/she factory reset it. This is a useful feature to prevent stolen phones from being used and to protect data in a device. However, it also means that legitimate users who simply forgot their Google account credentials will also be barred from using the device.

Right now, you want to bypass FRP in order to see if the random restart issue still persists. Unless you gain access to the device again, it’ll simply become an expensive paperweight.

These are three methods in bypassing Factory Reset Protection:

  1. enter the Google account credentials registered in the device,
  2. flash a stock firmware, or
  3. bring the device to Samsung so they can unlock it (you’ll need the purchase papers of the device)

If you’ve already tried entering the Google credentials without any positive result, the next two other options are your only way out. Flashing a stock firmware is our recommended solution for you since you don’t most likely have the receipt when you bought the device. Flashing is a risky procedure though and there’s a chance that it may not work if not done properly. If you want to try it, you should do more research. It’s basically modifying critical system files and if you don’t do it properly, it may lead to permanent software problems. Also, flashing guides can vary by phone model so be sure to look for a good site that can provide the guide you need. Consider visiting XDA-Developers Forum and see if you can ask someone for a guide, or if you can find an existing, previously published guide for your device.

Problem 2: Galaxy S7 Touchwiz launcher not working properly

I have an S7. Just this year the Touchwiz function seems to come on by itself where it always lights up to ‘return to home screen’ all the time. So when I’m in an app on my phone: game, internet browser etc…. the return button just lights up and my phone starts to try and exit what ever app I’m currently in. Over the last 5 days it is now constantly glitching like this. Normally if I go into safe mode and then this problem goes away after a couple of hours but going into safe mode no longer works. Has anyone else come across this problem and if so, is there are fix for it as it is really annoying and I’m close to throwing this phone away. Best regards. —  Seuma Anitelea

Solution: Hi Seuma. If you think the problem involves Touchwiz launcher, you should consider troubleshooting it to see if it helps. Here are the steps that you can do:

Try another launcher

To do that, try to install another launcher from Google Play Store. To do that, open Google Play Store and search for launchers in the search box. Pick any launcher you want and follow on-screen instructions. Observe the phone when the new launcher runs for a few hours. If everything works fine, then it’s very likely that your Touchwiz app is corrupted.

Wipe Touchwiz app data

Touchwiz app, just like any other app, can be restored to its default settings to eliminate possible bugs that may developed. If you haven’t tried wiping the app’s data yet, here’s how it’s done:

  1. Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
  2. Navigate down to Apps. This may be renamed to something like Applications or Application Manager in OEM skinned versions of Android 6 or 7.
  3. Tap MORE icon at the upper right hand side.
  4. Tap Show system apps.
  5. Tap Touchwiz or Touchwiz easy home app (whichever is having the problem).
  6. You’ll now see a list of stuff that gives you information about the app, including Storage, Permissions, Memory Use, and more. These are all clickable items. You’ll want to click on Storage.
  7. Tap Clear Data button.

Factory reset the device

Under normal circumstances, a user should be able to restart the device to safe mode. That your phone no longer does that is an alarming development. Together with your current issue, these two may be signs of an unknown operating system bug. Be sure to do a factory reset to see if that will fix the problems.

To factory reset your S7, do these steps:

  1. Create a backup of your files.
  2. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
  3. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  5. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  6. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
  7. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
  8. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
  9. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
  10. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Problem 3: Galaxy S7 screen remains black, won’t turn on

My phone  was working fine until yesterday. It was going dead so when I got it out of my purse, I plugged it up to the charger and walked off. Came back and it wouldn’t turn on at all so I tried a different charger and no light, no battery image, nothing. I have tried all of the manual reboots and nothing. I thought maybe the charging port had broken so I have tried a wireless charger. It makes a very quiet beeping sound now on the wireless charger but doesn’t light up at all. Was it just too dead so its going to take a little bit to charge? Or it is just fried? Thank you for any info! — Lacy Chism

Solution: Hi Lacy. Wireless charging pushes adds current to the battery slower so it may take some time to fully charge the same battery when using USB cable charging. Be sure to let the device charge wirelessly for at least 1 hour before attempting to turn it back on. If the phone did make a beep when you put it on wireless charging but never power itself on (even after leaving it charged for more than an hour), that may suggest that there’s an on-going hardware malfunction. In this case, you’ll want to send the device in for repair so its hardware can be checked.

 


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1 thought on “Galaxy S7 stuck in factory reset screen, how to bypass Factory Reset Protection (FRP), other issues”

  1. my samsung s 7 edge wont charge it keeps telling me moisture was detected in the charging port no moisture it will charge wireless how do i get this problem fixed

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