What to do about your Samsung Galaxy J5 that keeps rebooting by itself? [Troubleshooting Guide]

Just like computers, smartphones can also succumb into bootloop issues. It’s when the device suddenly turns off and then boots up by itself. In fact, this problem has surfaced among the most prevalent issues afflicting users of various Android devices including the Samsung Galaxy J5 smartphone. If by any chance you too are dealing with the same problem in which your Galaxy J5 reboots by itself and you need some help in fixing it, then this post might be able to help you out. Highlighted in this content are possible causes that you may need to consider looking into when troubleshooting the problem. Applicable workarounds and potential solutions are also offered, so feel free to give each of them a try in case you run out of options and don’t know what to do next.

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Before anything else though, if you have other issues with your device, then visit our Galaxy J5 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed several common problems with this phone. Odds are that there are already existing solutions to your problems so just take time finding issues that are similar with yours. If you can’t find one or if you need further assistance, feel free to contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. Please provide us with as much information as possible so that it would also be easier for us to troubleshoot the problem. Don’t worry as we offer this service for free, so all you have to do is give us sufficient information about the problem.

What causes your Galaxy J5 to reboot by itself?

Many factors can trigger an Android device like your Galaxy J5 to reboot by itself. Among the common culprits include a faulty app, defective battery, insufficient memory, and bad firmware (Android update) to name some. Here’s why and how each of these factors causes the problem.

  • Faulty apps. When a new app or content is installed on your device and that app contains a bug or corrupted file, it may not be able to function as it is supposed to or worst, ruins the system functions. If this is the trigger, your device will keep rebooting by itself until the faulty app or corrupted content is removed.
  • Bad battery. Another factor that can cause the same problem to occur on your phone is a bad batter. A defective battery may no longer be able to support the required performance so your device will just opt to power off instead of attempting to carry out a certain process. Aside from physical or liquid damage, poor charging habit can also cause the battery functions to become degraded in time.
  • Insufficient memory. When the internal memory on your phone is running low, performance issues begin to surface. Slow performance or lags, freezes, random reboots, and other storage errors are among the usual symptoms to instigate. In this case, you need to free up some space like deleting unwanted apps and media contents from your device. Clearing apps caches and data files can also help. Usually, a reboot (soft reset) might be able to deal with the problem at first but in the long run a more advanced solution is already necessary.
  • Bad firmware. This is when your device receives an update and that update contains some bug. So instead making your device perform better, what happens is the opposite. Your device can likely get back up to its best performance once the bug is removed. Often times, a new firmware update or new Android version is required to fix any existing bug.
  • Physical or liquid damage. This can be considered the worst possible cause. It is possible that your device keeps rebooting by itself because some pertinent components are damaged in any way and needs repair.

How to fix your Samsung Galaxy J5 that keeps rebooting by itself?

Now that you already learn about the possible causes, it’s time to work on the solution. As much as possible, try to work on the aforementioned factors first. If the problem persists, then consider the following options. These are generic solutions to software-related issues affecting Android devices so they might be able to rectify the underlying cause and get your Galaxy J5 back up and running properly again. Don’t forget to test your device after completing each method to see whether or not the problem is fixed.

But if you suspect that a hardware damage is to blame, you can save time by taking your device straight to an authorized service center in your place. Do so if there were previous instances of dropping or liquid exposure on the phone. That might have damaged one of your phone components and eventually caused your device to act that way.

Boot into safe mode

You can use safe mode to access the operating system with default software and troubleshoot software-related issues on your Galaxy J5 device. Booting into safe mode is recommended if any installed app no longer works as intended or if your device itself keeps restarting by itself. You can securely uninstall buggy apps that might have caused the device to act weird. Here’s how enable or enter safe mode on your Samsung Galaxy J5:

  1. Power off your device completely.
  2. Press and hold the Power button.
  3. When the Samsung logo appears, release the Power button then immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
  4. Keep pressing the Volume Down button until your device boots up.
  5. If you see the Safe Mode label on the lower-left corner of the screen, it means that you have successfully entered safe mode and your device is currently running in safe mode.
  6. Now, tap Settings then select Device.
  7. Tap Applications and Application Manager.
  8. Navigate to the Downloaded section.
  9. Select which app to uninstall. You may uninstall any suspicious apps, particularly the most recent apps you have installed prior to the onset of the problem.

When you’re done removing suspicious bad apps, reboot your Galaxy J5 to exit Safe Mode and switch back to normal mode.

Boot into Recovery Mode and Wipe Cache Partition

Booting into recovery mode and perform a wipe cache partition is another potential solution to deal with device issues that are related to a bad memory. For example, if you start to experience degraded performance like constant lags, random freezes, constant bootloops and force closes due to insufficient memory on the device. Booting into recovery mode is also another way to download and flash Samsung updates to your device’s firmware.

There are different ways to enter recovery mode on your Samsung Galaxy J5. You can use the hardware buttons, ADB tool on Windows PC, and ADB on Mac OS X computer. You can use any of these methods based on your preferences. Yet most of the time, you’ll end up opting for a method which can be carried out using your phone. So here’s how to enter recovery mode using the Galaxy J5 hardware keys:

  1. Power off your device.
  2. When it’s completely turned off, press and hold the Volume Up button, Home button and then the Power button for a few seconds.
  3. Release the Power button when the Samsung logo appears.
  4. Then release the all the remaining buttons when the Android (green bot) logo appears. Usually you will be prompted with a message that says, Installing system update, about 30 seconds before the Android system recovery menu appears.
  5. Press the Volume Down key to highlight or select wipe cache partition from the menu options.
  6. Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
  7. Wait until the wipe cache partition is complete. You should then see the Reboot system now option is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power button to reboot your device.

It may take a little longer for your device to reboot so just wait until it loads the Home screen. By then, you can use your phone again. Try to observe if it’s still rebooting by itself afterwards.

Warning: Please note that while recovery mode do offer benefits, incorrect use of this mode can also lead to possible fatal problems on the device.

Factory Reset/Master reset (last resort)

A factory reset also known as master reset will delete everything from your device including your personal information, customized settings, all data and media contents. And should there be any bugs that might have messed up the device firmware, then that should likewise be eradicated.

Factory reset using your Galaxy J5 Settings menu:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Scroll to and tap Backup and reset option.
  3. Select Factory data reset.
  4. Tap Reset device.
  5. Tap Erase everything.

If the above steps are not applicable or cannot be done because your device is unresponsive or frozen, use the other method which is a factory reset through the hardware keys.

Factory reset your Galaxy J5 using the hardware keys:

  1. Turn off your device completely.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
  3. When the Android Recovery menu screen appears, release all buttons at once.
  4. Use the Volume Down key to navigate and highlight wipe data/factory reset option.
  5. Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
  6. Use the Volume Down key to highlight Yes — delete all data then press the Power button to confirm.
  7. Wait until the device erases all your data. When done, select the Reboot system now using the Volume key, then press Power to reboot the device.

After the restart, all settings on your Galaxy J5 are now set to factory defaults. You can now proceed with the device setup. Carefully observe and monitor your device if it still reboots by itself after the master reset.

Seek more help and options

If the problem persists, contact Samsung Support or your carrier to escalate the problem and seek further assistance and recommendations. The problem might be too complex for end-users to handle and thus a more advanced troubleshooting tool is already necessary. If your Samsung Galaxy J5 is still under warranty, then availing for service or replacement warranty is also another option for you to consider.

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