Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Samsung has acknowledged the recent bootloop issue faced by users of older Galaxy devices.
- The cause of the bootloop is an update to the Samsung SmartThings app.
- Affected customers should contact Samsung Support to help fix the issue. Alternatively, experienced users can try a data wipe.
Users of certain older Samsung Galaxy flagships recently received an update that threw their devices into a bootloop. We had reached out to Samsung for their comments on the matter, and a spokesperson has gotten back to us with the following statement:
We are aware that a limited number of Galaxy smartphones running on Android 12 are rebooting continuously during an update to the latest version of the SmartThings app.
Upon discovery, we immediately suspended the update and are working to resolve the issue. Affected customers can contact the Samsung Contact Center to receive support for their devices.
The statement confirms that the latest version of the SmartThings app is the root cause of these bootloops. It further confirms that the update is no longer rolling out to devices, so you need not worry about accepting an update on your device.
Under ideal circumstances, such issues should not happen. Staged rollouts for updates often prevent such critical bugs from reaching too many people. However, given the popularity of certain phones, even a small percentage of affected devices are real issues for many people.
As Redditor mikethespike056 points out, users have reported bootloops on the following devices:
- Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 Plus, Galaxy S10 5G, Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S10e
- Galaxy Note 10, Note 10 Plus, Note 10 Plus 5G
- Galaxy M51
- Galaxy A90
Samsung advises that affected customers should contact Samsung Contact Center for support. Users in Korea report that Samsung service centers in the region have been able to fix the issue without a data wipe. If Samsung’s Customer Support is not an option for you, then you can revive your bootlooping device with a data wipe.
Are you affected by the bootloop? Did you try contacting Samsung Contact Center for support? How was your experience, and did they fix the issue for you? Let us know in the comments below!