Samsung Galaxy S3 Shutting Down By Itself

We recently received an email through Mailbag about the Samsung Galaxy S3 shutting down by itself. The message reads, “My Samsung Galaxy S3 is less than 2 years old and it keeps on switching off by itself. Sometimes it starts up again by itself and then there is a red square frame around the phone when it does. What should I do?”

The Possible Causes of the Galaxy S3 Shutting Down By Itself

Looking at the details provided to us, the problem may be related to a glitch in the software, bug in the Strict Mode feature or error caused by third-party apps. The worst case scenario would be a hardware-related issue. But before ruling out that it is a hardware problem, try out the solutions provided here first.

Possible Ways to Fix a Galaxy S3 Shutting Down By Itself

Here are the solutions that may fix the problem:

1. Disable Strict Mode

The Strict Mode option triggers the red square shown in the screen when the phone boots or loads apps longer than usual. You can disable it by following the steps below:

Go to Settings.
Under the System section, tap Developer Options.
Scroll down to the Monitoring section and uncheck the box located in Strict Mode.
Press the Home key to finish the process.

2. Start Under Safe Mode

To determine whether a third-party app is causing the problem, start under Safe Mode. Keep it that way for a couple of hours and observe if the problem still occurs. If it does, try to determine the app causing it.

3. Factory Reset

Bugs caused by third-party apps can be easily removed via Factory Reset. Be sure to backup your data before doing this though.

4. Bring to a Technician or Samsung Center

If all else fails, the problem may no longer be within the software. Have the phone checked by a technician or bring it to a Samsung Repair Center if your warranty is still valid. It should be noted that one of the symptoms of a hardware problem is the frequent overheating of the device.