What do you do if your new #GalaxyS8 tries to install an update and gets bricked in the process? While this issue does not happen all of the time, there’s still a significant number of users experiencing them so hopefully, this short guide will help them take the right way towards resolution.
Problem #1: Galaxy S8 stuck in boot loop, won’t go past “Installing system update” screen
Hi DroidGuy, I love your site, it is filled with great tips and solutions. Unfortunately my issue hasn’t been resolved by any of them. Here’s the situation. My S8 (SM-G950F) was updated to Android 8.0.0 about 2 weeks ago OTA using Samsung SmartSwitch, no problems were experienced at the time. Yesterday out of the blue, my phone suddenly decided to reboot itself (I wasn’t even touching it and it was on charge). It started doing the ever famous (so I’ve found out) boot loop. I immediately Googled the issue and came across your website and started by doing a Soft Reset (VOL DN and POWER), but it continued to boot loop, I then tried to boot into recovery mode (VOL UP, BIXBY and POWER), but it wouldn’t get into the mode. Reading your guide, I discovered that I had no choice but to download the latest official ROM for Telstra (Australia) (G950FXXU1CRB7) and found it on www.sammobile.com. I did the flash using the latest version of ODIN and all appearances were that it was successful. However, when the phone rebooted after the flash, it continuously went from the GALAXY S8 screen to the “Installing system update screen” then reboot and over and over again for about 5 minutes and then it booted to the GALAXY S8 screen and stayed there. It has now been on this screen for over 8 hours. Are you able to help me out ? Apologies for the long winded message, I just wanted to give you all the information possible. Many Thanks. — Jason Simpson
Solution: Hi Jason. The only other possible solution that you can try in this case is to see what happens if you reflash the bootloader back to stock. Some Android users with similar or identical situation were able to fix this kind of problem by going through this route so you should consider doing it. If reflashing won’t work, or if you won’t be able to do it at all, you should seek Samsung’s help. If your S8 was provided by your carrier as part of your subscription plan with them, you can also ask for help from them. Samsung or your carrier will most likely try to flash the bootloader and/or firmware as well so unless you did not follow the correct procedure to flash your device, they may or may not be successful in flashing your device as well just like you. At most, they’ll likely give you a replacement unit.
In case you’re wondering how to reflash the bootloader, the steps should be similar to the steps on flashing the firmware. There should only be some slight differences on what file to select to do this task. Below are the general steps on how to reflash a Samsung Galaxy bootloader. Be sure to consult a more accurate guide on how to do this procedure on your particular phone model.
- 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.
Remember, reflashing the bootloader is not a guaranteed solution for this case. If the problem won’t go away after flashing, contact Samsung or your carrier for possible device replacement.
Problem #2: Galaxy S8 screen turned black and won’t turn back on
Hi there, I bought a Samsung Galaxy S8 and this January it suddenly BSoD-d without any apparent reason. It was low on battery, then it started weirdly flickering, then during my last call the screen died as I was still hearing the other person, then it was completely dead. If i plug it in the charger, occasionally I will hear the sound of it recognizing it, but It won’t turn on anymore, and laptops do not recognize it. All the soft and hard reboots didn’t work (i couldn’t start it in any mode as it has no screen), though I hear the vibration when I do it and it heats slightly when charged. I also hear selective sounds (sms) but not the music on turn on. I actually took it to a service center, as it’s still in warranty, and they claimed that “display matrix was molten due to a hit” and won’t service it for free. It sounds as BS to me as the phone didn’t suffer any hits or heat immediately prior its death. I have dropped it of course (that’s why i got a phone with metal casing) but I find it strange that this would be the reason weeks after the fact. I used to have S3 Mini that suffered many violent hits and still works to this day. Also, no device will recognize the phone. Could a hit result in a dead display weeks after? And is my issue common? Could there be a preexisting defect that caused the screen to die? And could it have anything to do with charging via a laptop? Thanks, Ana p.s. I have no idea which version of Android I had. — Ana
Solution: Hi Ana. Like exposing your device to water or moisture, effects of a physical impact on an electronic device can sometimes manifest later. Even if there’s no perceived physical defect or damage right after a fall, or after hitting your smartphone, it’s possible that a component or the motherboard may had been weakened though it can still allows the device to work for a while. Based on your problem description, the symptoms are consistent with a hardware malfunction so the most likely solution for it must only be repair. At worst, the damage may even be more extensive than we believe that an entire motherboard replacement may be necessary. Any of these solutions are not ideal of course but given the device’s condition right now, there’s really nothing much that you can do. There’s no software trick that you can perform obviously to turn the screen back on and make the entire system work as it was before.
We suggest that you bring the device to a technician you trust so you can get an honest assessment. If the problem is isolated to the screen only, replacing this part may be the solution. Otherwise, you’re probably looking at a full motherboard replacement, which is not worth it, as far as our opinion is concerned.