How To Fix Galaxy Note10 Freezing After Android 10 Update

ByHarvey Hisona January 6, 2020September 2, 2023 September 2, 2023

Hardware- and software-wise, the Samsung Galaxy Note10 sports the best stuff the electronics world can offer at this time. This is why you’re paying a premium amount to have it. That said however, it still is not immune to problems just like any non-premium devices out there. If you’re having freezing issue on your Galaxy Note10 after installing Android 10 update, you’re not the first one to experience it.

There have been many other users reporting freezing problems after upgrading their software to Android 10. Fortunately, fixing the issue is really easy. Learn what you can do about this problem below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0CdxZqkxJc

Causes of Note10 freezing after installation of Android 10 update

Some of the common causes that we usually encounter for this problem includes the following:

Minor power management bug
Misbehaving app
Corrupted system cache
Unknown software bug
Malware, virus
Hardware malfunction (rare)

Is freezing fixable on user’s level?

Definitely. A lot of freezing issues have superficial causes to them and they usually go away after performing some basic troubleshooting steps.

Solutions to Note10 freezing after Android 10 update

Fixing freezing issue on the Galaxy Note10, after it’s been upgraded with Android 10 update, can appear a bit overwhelming for an average user but actually, it’s really not. The solutions to fixing this issue are mostly doable at a user level and in most cases, they work. This guide will show you how it’s done.

Minor bugs are usually fixed by rebooting your device

If your Galaxy Note10 keeps freezing after installing Android 10 update, the first troubleshooting move that you can do is restart your device. Freezing issues are usually brought about by temporary boot bugs that can be easily shaken off with a restart. Such types of bugs may develop if a device is left running for a long time. This is why it’s recommended that you restart your phone once every few days.

Try restarting it normally first by pressing the Power button to access the boot menu. Then, select Restart option and see if that works.

Another way to restart the device is by pressing and holding the Volume Down button and the Bixby/Power key at the same time for 10 seconds or until the device’s screen turns on. This simulates the effect of having disconnected the battery from the device. If this works, this may unlock the device.

If doing the regular restart won’t help, then try this:

Press and hold the Volume Down button first and don’t release it.
While holding it down, press and hold the Power key.
Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more.

The second restart procedure tries to simulate the effects of removing the battery pack. On older devices, disconnecting the battery is often an effective way in fixing unresponsive devices. If nothing changed though, proceed to the next suggestions.

Rebooting your device regularly at least once every week can be beneficial. If you tend to forget things, we suggest that you configure your phone to reboot on its own. You can schedule it to do this task by doing these steps:

Open Settings app.
Tap Device Care.
Tap the 3-dot at the top.
Select Auto restart.

Keep System Cache in shape by clearing cache partition

Major software updates can sometimes unintentionally impact the system cache, which Android OS uses to load apps quickly, and this can lead to problems.

In many cases wherein a device appears stuck or frozen after a system update, a bad system cache is to blame. In this case, the update may have corrupted the system cache in your Note10 resulting to the issue we’re dealing with right now.

In order to refresh the system cache, you’ll want to clear the partition where it’s stored.

To clear the cache partition:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby / Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release both keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe cache partition.’
Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe cache partition.’
Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
Press the Power button to confirm the action to clear the cache.
Wait for a second as the system wipes the cache.
Press the Power button again to reboot the device. This will return the device to the normal interface.
That’s it!

Check storage and clear space

Lack of internal store space can cause your device to slow down significantly, making it appear as if it’s freezing. Make sure that you have at least 1GB of internal storage to allow Android and apps to operate normally. Anything lower than that runs the risk of freezing from occurring.

To check if your Note10 is running low on storage space:

Open Settings app.
Tap Device Care.
Tap Storage.
In this section, you’ll get the general picture of your phone’s storage situation.
If you have a blue button that says Clean now, try tapping it so the system will automatically clean the internal storage for you. You’ll get how much space will be cleaned up.
If Clean now option won’t be enough to give you at least 1GB free space, then you need to manually delete your personal data such as documents, images, videos, audio, or apps.

Troubleshoot possible misbehaving apps

Having one bad app in your device can be enough to make it crash or malfunction. This is the main reason why it’s always important that you keep apps up-to-date as possible. In this situation, there are three things that you can try:

Check for app updates
Close apps you’re not using
Check for bad apps

Check for app updates

Keeping apps updated not only brings cosmetic changes or new versions but also under-the-hood fixes for known bugs. Be sure that you update your apps from the Play Store.

To check for Play Store app updates on your Galaxy Note10:

Open Play Store app.
Tap More settings icon at the upper left (three-horizontal lines).
Tap My apps & games.
Tap Update or Update All.

If you are on Cellular Data connection, we suggest that you update via wifi only to avoid additional charges. Here’s how:

Open Play Store app.
Tap More settings icon at the upper left (three-horizontal lines).
Tap Settings.
Tap App download preference.
Select Over wifi only (select Over any network if you don’t have wifi).
Tap Done.

Make sure to also keep your apps updated all the time by enabling auto-update option.

Tap Auto-update apps.
Tap Over wifi only (select Over any network if you don’t have wifi).
Tap Done.

If you have apps installed outside the Play Store before, it’s your responsibility to keep them updated. Keep in mind that Android constantly evolves and so do apps. If your OS is now Android 10 and the app you have was previously designed to work for Android 9, it may behave erratically. Try to contact the developer of the said app to get information on how to update it.

Close apps you’re not using

Having too many apps running actively and in the background can put pressure on the system, even in a premium device like a Galaxy Note10. Make sure that you close the apps that you’re not using to prevent this situation from happening. Here’s how to do that:

Unlock the screen.
Tap the Recent Apps soft key. This should be the one on the left of the middle key.
Tap Close all button. This will close all apps.

If you also want to close all apps running in the background, you can go under Device Care. Follow the steps below on what to do:

Open Settings app.
Tap Device Care.
Tap Optimize now button.

Check for bad third party apps

If your Note10 is still freezing after installation of Android 10 update at this time, we suggest that you check if it’s being affected by a broken third party app. You can do that by running your device to Safe Mode.

By restarting your Note10 to safe mode, all third party apps will be blocked (greyed out). If your wifi works normally only when your Note10 is on Safe Mode, you can bet a bad third party app is to blame.

To boot your device to safe mode:

Press and hold the Power button until the Power off window appears then release.
Touch and hold Power off until the Safe mode prompt appears then release.
To confirm, tap Safe mode.
The process may take up to 30 seconds to complete.
Upon reboot, “Safe mode” appears in the lower-left of the home screen.

Remember that third-party applications are disabled in this mode so what you can use are pre-installed apps. If Galaxy Note10 wifi works normally on safe mode only, that means that the problem is due to a bad app. Uninstall the app you recently installed and see if that will fix it. If the problem remains, use the process of elimination to identify the rogue app. Here’s how:

Boot to safe mode.
Check for the problem.
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.
After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
If your Galaxy Note10 still won’t turn on normally (but works on safe mode), repeat steps 1-4.

Is your device getting warm to touch? Check for overheating!

Galaxy Note10 overheating may occur if you’ve been using your device for heavy tasks like gaming or video streaming without rest for an extended period. What you need to do in any of these situations is to stop whatever you’re doing and don’t use the phone for at least 30 minutes. Make sure that you close the app and let the phone to cool down.

If the device has become too warm and uncomfortable to hold, put it down gently in a well ventilated location and wait for at least 30 minutes. Again, be sure to shut the app you’re using before leaving it to cool off.

In order to prevent damaging internal components, your Note10 shuts down on its own when internal temperature reaches a certain point. If your Note10 freezes or appears stuck, it must be overheating. Avoid using the device for some time to allow the hardware to ventilate and lose heat.

Return software to defaults with factory reset

You should consider wiping the device if none of the suggestions above has worked so far. Factory reset is a drastic solution but can be an effective tool if the cause of the problem is software-related.

Below are the two ways to factory reset your Note10:

Method 1: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Note10 via Settings Menu

This is the easiest way to wipe your Galaxy Note10. all you have to do is to go under Settings menu and follow the steps below. We recommend this method if you have no trouble going under Settings.

Create a backup of your personal data and remove your Google account.
Open Settings app.
Scroll to and tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Select Factory data reset from the given options.
Read the information then tap Reset to continue.
Tap Delete All to confirm action.

Method 2: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Note10 using hardware buttons

If your case is that the phone is not booting up, or it boots but Settings menu is inaccessible, this method can be helpful. First, you need to boot the device to Recovery Mode. Once you successfully access Recovery, that’s the time that you begin proper master reset procedure. It may take some tries for you before you can access Recovery so be patient and simply try again.

If possible, create a backup of your personal data ahead of time. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
Also, you want to make sure that you remove your Google account. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Bixby button at the same time.
While still holding the Volume Up and Bixby keys, press and hold the Power button.
The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
Press the Power button to confirm factory reset.

Get help from Samsung

Although we haven’t heard of devices being bricked for good after being updated to Android 10 at this point, this is not impossible. If you are really just unlucky and you find yourself in an unfixable situation, even after a factory reset, you can assume that the cause of your problem must be something deep within the hardware. For this reason, you’ll want Samsung to handle the checking and repair for the phone. Visit your local Samsung Store or Service Center for help.

Suggested readings

Get help from us

Having Issues with your phone? Feel free to contact us using this form. We’ll try to help. We also create videos for those wanting to follow visual instructions. Visit our Youtube page for troubleshooting.

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