Galaxy S7 stuck during an update, keeps on bootlooping, other issues

Welcome to another #GalaxyS7 article! We bring for you today solutions to some of the common problems for the S7. As customary, the issues in this post are taken from reports from some members of our community. We hope this post will become another good reference for those experiencing similar problems.

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 S7 stuck during an update, keeps on bootlooping

Galaxy S7 from T-Mobile. I was doing an update it was stuck at 30%. The phone randomly shuts off in the middle and is now in a constant state of reboot. It goes to the S7 logo and keeps on restarting. I tried to put it into android recovery mode but it shows a little android guy on the floor dead with X’s and hazard sign on top of it, UNDER all of this it says error. What can I do? — John Smith

Solution: Hi John. Your phone appears stuck in a bootloop. This means that the device can’t load the operating system successfully. Sometimes, an issue like this is a result of a failed update like when the installation is interrupted, or when a user messes up the official firmware with rooting or flashing. Since we don’t know the full history of the device, there’s no way for us to pinpoint what may have happened to cause the problem. In a lot of cases though, bootloop issues are due to a failed or corrupted bootloader. The bootloader is a set of codes that runs before Android is loaded to prepare the system. If it fails due to its files getting corrupted for some reason, reflashing it back to stock may help. Since there’s a chance that this is where the problem lies, you must try it before sending the phone in for replacement.

Flashing the bootloader back to stock is relatively easy to do. The important thing to do is to ensure that you have the right guide on how to do it. We can give you the general steps on how to flash the bootloader but you still need to do some extra research to look for the correct flashing guide for your specific phone model. The steps below are for demonstration purposes only. Use it at your own risk.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Proceed with the rest of the flashing procedure using the Odin program.
  5. In Odin, click on the BL tab and make sure to use the bootloader file you’ve identified earlier.
  6. 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.
  7. Restart the phone once the procedure is finished.

Remember, there’s no guarantee that reflashing your phone’s bootloader will get rid of the bootloop problem. For all we know, the real reason for the specific bootloop issue in your device is hardware-related so be sure to contact Samsung or any relevant party to have the phone replaced.

Problem 2: Galaxy S7 stuck in black screen after an update, can’t set it back to English after an update

After my phone shut off for a system upgrade it never came back on. At least my screen went completely black. I tried troubleshooting it and nothing. When I cut it off again and turned it back on the screen came on but it doesn’t allow me to change it back to English. I can’t do nothing on my phone. I was with Sprint but they didn’t want to fix it or replace it so I had to cut the services off. And buy a new phone. I want that phone just need help to why it’s not responding after a system update. — Monsanaj

Solution: Hi Monsanaj. We don’t know what troubleshooting you’ve tried so far but an important step that should have been tried first is a master reset. For this to be successful, you want to boot to Recovery Mode first. If that fails, you can then try to flash the bootloader via Odin mode or try to check if you can restart the device to safe mode. Below are the exact steps on how to boot the device to these different modes and the follow up troubleshooting for each one:

Boot in Recovery mode:

  1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
  4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
  5. You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

  1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
  4. Wait until the Download screen appears.
  5. 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.
  6. Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

Boot in safe mode:

  1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Press and hold the Power button.
  3. Once the Samsung Galaxy logo appears, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  4. Continue holding the button until the phone finishes rebooting.
  5. Once you see the text “Safe mode” at the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume Down button.
  6. 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.

And just like what we tell John above, you must send the phone in if nothing of our suggestions will help in fixing the problem at your level. Remember, there’s only so much that you can do. If all the software troubleshooting steps above won’t work at all, that means the phone has hardware malfunction. Our blog does not provide hardware diagnostics and troubleshooting so you either find a good source from the web, or you let someone who does repair for a living fix the problem for you.

Problem 3: Galaxy S7 won’t turn on automatically when sending SMS

I have just been reading your advice on trouble with MMS of the Samsung S7. Samsung is new to myself but I have had several different brands of phone in the past. The question is all my previous phones automatically turn data on when sending MMS and turn it off again once it sends the message. is there a way to make the S7 do this as it’s a ball ache having to go into 2 screens to turn on mobile data everything you want to send a picture message. And then do the same to turn it off after. Help gratefully received. — Paul

Solution: Hi Paul. The Samsung Galaxy S7 stock messaging app does not have the mechanism to turn its mobile data service on when it detects you’re trying to send MMS. Likewise, it doesn’t have the capability to turn mobile data off automatically after MMS has been sent. If you think pulling down the status bar and tapping on mobile data icon is too much (a process that can only take about 2 seconds at most!), then go hunt for other messaging apps that can give you what you want. Alternatively, you can seek help from your carrier to see if they have a workaround to allow your phone to automatically turn on mobile data when trying to send MMS.

Problem 4: Galaxy S7 stuck in Samsung logo screen, stuck in bootloop

Hi. I have been having a problem with my Samsung S7 phone now since not long after I received it. The phone will turn itself off and try to reboot but will get stuck on the logo page and continually turn off. This is not acceptable, my phone is not even a year old and this is happening quite regularly since the last update. I have tried every reset option and still nothing, now the phone is just stuck on the android logo saying installing system update but has been doing so for over an hour. I am not happy with the service given to me as I do not wish to send my phone off as last time I did it mysteriously disappeared in-between transit and I would not have known only the fact that I phoned up for an update on my phone. — Sian Parkinson

Solution: Hi Sian. Android troubleshooting is simple. Since you’ve already exhausted everything that you can do at your end (like the ones we suggest for other users above), the only remaining option for you is repair or replacement. We understand that the process of sending in any device is a hassle but you really don’t have much choice. If you are not happy with the previous service you received, make sure that you let the company that handled the shipping know about it.

 


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