How to fix Galaxy S9 Plus overheating issue due to app or software bug

Many Android owners are asking us on how to deal with an overheating device so today’s #GalaxyS9Plus article will address the question. Samsung Galaxy devices are designed to shut down if the internal temperature exceeds a certain level. This is a mechanism to protect components from being damaged due to excessive heat. This can be the reason why a lot of owners say that when their phone gets uncomfortably hot, it can eventually turn off as well. If you are looking for guidance on how to deal with your own overheating issue, make sure to read on.

Problem #1: How to fix Galaxy S9 Plus overheating issue due to app or software bug

I have a Samsung S9 Plus that keeps overheating. The heat is getting to the point i cant bring it to my ear to talk on the phone.  It turns itself off saying its too hot and I also receive the pop up message saying that the phone is too hot to continue to charge and will continue after it cools down ( eventhough the phone only have 10% power).  I have followed all the problem shootings listed on your site including the Master Reset. None have fixed the problem. I live in Darwin so we don’t have a store to take Samsungs to. I was given the phone as a gift so I dont have the receipt.  How am I meant to fix this problem? I love the phone but I would love it more if I could use it with burning my fingers 😉 — Samantha

Solution: Hi Samantha. Overheating can be a product of a software bug or bad hardware. We don’t know the complete history of your device so we can’t say which of these two is possibly causing the problem. If your S8 Plus is overheating because of an app issue or a software bug, there’s high chance that you’ll fix the issue on your end. However, if overheating is a result of, say, malfunctioning battery or damaged charging port, you’ll have to get professional to resolve it.

How to fix Galaxy S9 Plus overheating issue due to app or software bug

As mentioned above, it’s possible to fix your overheating problem is being caused by software. The potential solutions that you should try include the following:

• cache partition wipe
• running phone on safe mode
• factory/master reset

Cache partition wipe is a necessary first step to ensure that your device uses clean, working system cache.

Letting your phone run on safe mode is a good method that you can do to verify if there’s a third party app behind the trouble. When on safe mode, no third party app will be allowed to run. When your S9 Plus works normally (won’t overheat) on safe mode but not on normal mode, you can bet you have a bad app issue at hand.

Factory reset is obviously an easy way to return all software settings to their defaults. Like with safe mode, you need to let the phone run in its pristine software mode after you factory reset it to see any difference. We understand you already tried to master reset your device and nothing changed so that means bad hardware must be the reason for the problem.

As you may have already predicted even before you contacted us, you must let a professional examine the phone so the reason for the problem can be identified.

Problem #2: Galaxy S9 restarts on its own when opening apps

I’m using Samsung S9 but never found issue except couple of times noticing of restarting itself – However, there was one software update of samsung – After installing that update whenever I starts using any app the phone restarts or turn off without freezing. If I leave the phone standby it doesn’t restarts and stays ON. I have gone through your troubleshooting steps .. In safe mode the phone didn’t restart but most of the applications were disabled so couldn’t test if apps were issue or not. Also I have tried cache partition option too — still nothing change… I don’t know how to revert that software update —  Your assistance would be appreciated in this matter. — Khumi

Solution: Hi Khumi. It’s good that you’ve already tried running the device on safe mode and realized that the issue doesn’t occur there. That means that the reason for your issue is most probably being caused by a third party app. By third party apps we mean those that you added after setting up your device for the first time. These are apps that were downloaded and installed that were not part of the apps that came with the operating system. Even apps from Google and Samsung that you added later are considered third party app in this sense.

So, if your S9 Plus doesn’t restart when it’s on safe mode but returns to its problematic state when restarted to normal mode, that’s an obvious sign that one of your apps is causing the issue.

If you think that there’s an app issue, you can try to identify it by following these steps:

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Check for the problem.
3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
4. After you uninstall one app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
5. If your Galaxy S9 Plus still restarts on its own, repeat steps 1-4. Continue doing this until you’ve isolated the culprit.

We really don’t recommend that you revert to an older, less secure Android version to fix the issue, especially since you’ve already figured out that you have a bad app situation. If you want to roll back your Android version though, you can always flash an older stock firmware to your device. You can do some research on how to do that.

Problem #3: Galaxy S9 Plus screen won’t unlock due to a broken screen

I dropped my phone a couple of months ago and it got a few cracks in the screen but it’s been fine. Then yesterday I dropped it on the couch so it didn’t even hit the floor. there is a little black circle come up in the right hand bottom corner. now I can’t get my screen to unlock as it’s not doing anything when I try and slide the screen I can only do it from the bottom not the middle but I also have a pattern password on which I ovb can’t unlock as the middle of my screen won’t work iv tryed Turing it on and off taking SIM card out and everything else google had said. — Rachel robson

Solution: Hi Rachel. Your S9’s screen not only functions as a monitor that displays images but also as an input device to give commands to the operating system. The screen assembly is composed of three major components — digitizer, monitor, and flex cable. The monitor is the part that shows you the images that you see. The digitizer is a thin, transparent sensor on top of the monitor that captures your touches. The touches are then converted into signals and forwarded to the motherboard via the flex cable. If the middle part of your screen no longer recognizes your touches at this time, that means that the digitizer in that area must had been damaged. To resolve the issue, you must send the phone to Samsung or to an independent Service Center to have it fixed. There’s no software trick that you can perform to repair a physically broken hardware. The accidental drops must have damaged the screen internally. Even if there’s no obvious external damage, it’s possible that the unnecessary shock from the drop must have broken something inside. Even though Samsung Galaxy touchscreen is composed of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, the toughest material in smartphones nowadays, it’s still glass basically and glass can shatter. The digitizer is a sensitive component that needs care as well so it can get broken fairly relatively easily.

Getting your phone’s screen broken is considered misuse by Samsung so even if your S9 Plus is still within the warranty period, you’ll most likely be paying for Samsung screen replacement. We highly recommend that you allow a Samsung professional replace the screen for you to to get guaranteed resolution. If you let an independent technician replace the broken part for you, there’s a chance that there may be another issue afterwards. Dropping a device can result to a broken motherboard, which can mean multiple issues at once. With Samsung repair, you can get a guarantee that they’ll do their utmost to diagnosing for other issues to prevent repeat repair. We understand that it may get a bit more expensive if you go the Samsung route but it’s the best way to have your broken screen fixed.

Do-it-yourself screen replacement

Sure, you can do the repair replacement yourself but that doesn’t mean it’ll be free, or effective. In many cases, amateur Android users end up messing up their devices more after a DIY repair. While there are many YouTube videos out there that can guide you how to replace the screen, all of them won’t tell you how to diagnose the rest of the hardware. As mentioned above, accidentally dropping your device can result to unforeseen issues. If you’re not a trained technician, it would be borderline impossible to identify other possible hardware issues by simply looking at the motherboard.

Doing screen replacement yourself means you’ll need to have the right tools and replacement materials. By buying substandard screen replacement, there’s a chance that you’ll possibly encounter another issue with the screen later on. Poor quality replacement screens can fail after some time so you’ll have to redo the repair sooner than expected.

If you are confident that you can replace the screen yourself, do some digging and find a good guide using Google.

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