How to flash bootloader of your Galaxy Note8 that’s stuck on boot loop

A lot of people encounter boot loop issue from time to time. In this troubleshooting episode, we’ll show you how to fix it.

Problem #1: Galaxy Note8 won’t stop booting endlessly (boot loop issue)

My phone is doing a non-stop boot loop until the battery dies. I’ve tried all the tips you’ve given and even took it to someone that works on phones. The only thing it does is loop the logo every 5 seconds or if I hold the buttons to do a reset it’ll loop the reset notification every 5 seconds. Before I go purchase a new one I’m wondering if it’s for sure a lost cause?

Solution: As long as the software and hardware are not tampered with, you should still be able to bring the device to Samsung for repair or replacement. If you’re lucky and the problem is due to bad software only, Samsung should be able to fix it without the usual repair fee. If the problem was the result of hardware damage, like when the battery has died, or if the motherboard is broken, Samsung will have to charge you for the repair. However, if the previous technician that checked your phone opened it up, thus effectively tampering with the device, Samsung won’t definitely check it, even if you’ll pay for the repair. The same is true if you tried to root or flashed unofficial software on the device.

Problem #2: How to flash bootloader of your Galaxy Note8 that’s stuck on boot loop

Samsung galaxy Note8 keeps flashing blue LED light and the sceen switching from black to the power on screen every 10 seconds. When pressing volume down, home and power buttons it goes to the ODIN custom OS. When hitting the volume down button my phone doesnt restart it just continues what it was doing. When hitting the volume uo button it sits on the download page for hours. If i press and hold all the buttons it just goes back to the original problem. Not sure what to do.

Solution: Your Note8 may have a corrupted Android operating system that’s why it’s not booting up. Try doing a master reset and see how it works.

How to master reset your Note8

Turn off the device. This is important. You won’t be able to reach Recovery Mode if the device is not powered off.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green 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 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.

How to flash the bootloader of an Android device

If your Note8 continues to experience boot loop issue, consider flashing its bootloader. Flashing steps vary by phone model but check the general steps below so you’ll have an idea on what to do. For a more accurate set of steps, do more research on how to flash your device. This is important as doing incorrect flashing steps might permanently damage the software.

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.

Get professional help

Remember, flashing the bootloader is just a troubleshooting step and may not solve the issue. If the problem remains after doing a master reset and flashing the bootloader, that means there may be a hardware issue behind it. Make sure to let a Samsung professional repair the device for you.