What to do if your Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus gets stuck on boot screen [Troubleshooting Guide]

More often, when a powerful smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S8+ gets stuck on boot screen, it’s a sign of some serious firmware-related issues. However, we’ve seen cases wherein third-party apps contributed to the problem or even caused it and getting stuck on the logo or during boot up doesn’t give you the information as to what the problem really is. We have to dig a little deeper to be able to grasp some of the things that might have also led to the development of the issue.

This is why, in this post, I will guide you on how to troubleshoot your Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus that got stuck, for some reason, on the boot screen that no matter how many times you tried rebooting it, it still won’t continue booting up to the home screen. I understand your phone is still new and we always have to take that into consideration. With that being said, we assure you we don’t suggest procedures that could potentially mess up your device, we simply have to know if the problem can be fixed or not so you can immediately inform the store that the phone they gave you is defective.

Now, before we go to troubleshooting, if you are currently experiencing a different problem, try to visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues owners encountered with their device. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions or troubleshooting guides. If they don’t work, however, and if you need further assistance, contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. All we need is information so we can help you. Don’t worry, it’s free.

Step-by-step guide to troubleshooting Samsung Galaxy S8+ that’s stuck on boot screen

The purpose of this troubleshooting is for us to know if the problem is as minor as app issues and that if it can be fixed without any help from a tech because if not, then you can immediately claim a replacement if necessary. So, go through the steps below…

Step 1: Do the soft reset procedure to see if the issue is caused by a minor glitch

I understand you may have already tried rebooting your phone a hundred times but didn’t get the result you were looking for. However, there is a possibility that the getting stuck on the boot screen is caused by some glitches either in the firmware or hardware. While reboot is the best solution to a glitch, you’ve already tried it many times to no avail. So, this time, I want you to do the soft reset procedure so the phone will perform simulated battery disconnect, which is also effective in fixing glitches.

Press and hold Volume Down button and the Power key together for 7 seconds. Assuming there’s enough battery left and that the problem is caused by a minor glitch, your phone should reboot normally. If it didn’t work the first time, do it again just to make sure and if still no, then move on to the next step.

Step 2: Attempt to boot up in Safe mode to know if third-party apps caused it

Starting your device in safe mode will temporarily disable all third-party apps and if one of them is causing the Galaxy S8+ to get stuck on the boot screen, then it must be able to boot in this mode successfully.

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
8. Uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

If the boot up is successful, then it’s confirmed one or some of the third-party apps caused the problem. You have to find those apps and then clear their cache and data one by one and if that won’t work, uninstall them and try rebooting in normal mode every time you uninstall an app.

How to clear cache and data on Galaxy S8+

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap Clear cache.
6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

How to uninstall an app from Galaxy S8+

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Apps.
3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
4. Tap the desired application.
5. Tap Uninstall.
6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

Step 3: Try to boot the phone up in Recovery mode

If the phone failed to boot up in safe mode or if uninstalling apps didn’t fix the problem, then this is the next thing you should do. Booting up in Android system recovery or Recovery Mode won’t load the Android interface but all hardware components will be powered up. If successful, you can do a couple things while in there; you can try wiping the cache partition and do the Master reset. So here are the steps on how to boot the S8 Plus in recovery mode and do the procedures I mentioned a while ago…

How to boot in recovery mode and wipe cache partition

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. 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).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

How to boot in recovery mode and do Master Reset

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. 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).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Please note that the reset will delete all your personal files and data and you may be locked out of your phone if you didn’t know your Google ID and password. So, if you’re not really sure about it, just let the tech handle the problem for you.

Connect with us

We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.