How To Fix Downloading Do Not Turn Off Target Issue: Quick Way

If you are an Android smartphone owner then you might have experienced the downloading do not turn off target issue. This can usually happen to Samsung Galaxy and Note devices after you reboot the phone when trying to access the recovery mode of the phone by pressing the wrong button combinations. This can also be caused by a software glitch. Thus, there’s a lower chance that the problem has something to do with your SIM card or SD card. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the downloading do not turn off target issue.

How To Fix The Downloading Do Not Turn Off Target Issue On Android

Exit the download mode

One of the quickest ways to fix this problem is to exit the download mode. This can be done by following the steps listed below.

• Make sure you’re on the screen with “Downloading… Do not turn off target“
• Press and hold  the Power button + Home button + Volume Down button. It’s important to press them at the same time.
• Keep them pressed until the screen goes black, then release all buttons.
• If your device doesn’t automatically reboot, press the power button yourself.

After you exit the download mode, check if the downloading do not turn off target issue still occurs.

Perform a soft reset

Your phone will usually store the most commonly used data to improve its performance. This data however can sometimes become corrupted and can cause this problem. If this is what’s causing the problem then you should restart the phone which should get rid or eliminate any corrupt temporary data. This step will also reset the phone connection to the network which usually fixes this type of problem.

• Press and hold the Power and Volume down key for up to 45 seconds.
• Wait as the device restarts.

Check if the downloading do not turn off target issue still occurs.

Start the phone in Safe Mode

It is possible that an app you downloaded from the Google Play Store will cause issues on the phone when it is installed. To check if an app you downloaded is causing the turn off target error message to become visible, you will have to start the phone in Safe Mode as only the pre-installed apps are allowed to run in this mode.

• Turn the device off.
• Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen appearing on the screen.
• When SAMSUNG appears on the screen, release the Power key.
• Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
• Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
• When Safe mode appears in the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume down key.

In case the issue does not occur in this mode then it is most likely caused by an app you installed. Find out what app this is and uninstall it.

Wipe the cache partition of the phone from the recovery mode

There’s a possibility that this problem is caused by a firmware glitch. To eliminate the possibility that this is what’s causing the problem you will have to wipe the cache partition of the phone from the recovery mode.

• Turn off the phone.
• Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
• When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key
• When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
• Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
• Press the Power key to select.
• Press the Volume down button to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
• When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
• Press the Power key to restart the Samsung Galaxy device.

Check if the downloading do not turn off target issue is fixed after wiping the phone’s cache partition from recovery mode.

Perform a factory reset

In case the above steps fails to fix the problem then the best way to deal with this right now is to perform a factory reset. Take note that this will delete your phone data.

• Turn off the phone.
• Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
• When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key
• When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
• Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
• Press Power button to select.
• Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
• Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
• When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
• Press the Power key to restart the device.
• With no apps installed in the phone, try to check if the issue still occurs.