How to fix an Android phone if it is stuck or frozen on the Samsung logo

 




Sometimes Android phones get frozen or stuck on their loading screens. This isn’t too common of an issue with Samsung phones running on the Android operating system but does happen every once in a while. If your phone won’t turn on all the way like it should, or it boots up to its Samsung logo then freezes, or boots up to the Samsung logo then powers off and then powers back on until it gets to the Samsung screen again over and over or if your Samsung just doesn’t seem to want to power on correctly then don’t panic just yet, there is hope.

Resolving Serious Software Issues

This is one of the more serious software problems that can occur on an Android smartphone and trying to fix it yourself, as you may already know, can sometimes be a challenge. Make sure to follow ALL of the advice listed in this guide and you should be able to resolve this issue yourself and avoid sending your phone in for repair or having to buy a new one.

Here is what can be done to fix an Android phone that’s stuck on the Samsung screen – Basic troubleshooting

Start with a soft reset

Start with a soft reset. A soft reset can sometimes resolve minor software issues and should be the first step to take when troubleshooting an Android smartphone.

Power cycle

Start by simply power cycling your Samsung. Turn it off and then back on.

Try a battery pull

Not all Android cell phones are designed to have a removable battery these days, which is unfortunate because batteries don’t last forever and when a battery starts going out on a cell phone it can be a real inconvenience trying to replace it when the phone isn’t designed to let you remove it yourself. If your cell phone doesn’t allow you to remove its battery then you can skip this step in troubleshooting. Luckily Samsung phones are often designed to allow its owner the option of removing the battery and if your phone falls in this category then go ahead and…

• Power the phone on and then remove the battery (make sure you remove the battery with the phone powered on and make sure that the phone is not charging or plugged into a charger)
• Count to 10 (count to 10 out loud).
• Place the battery back into the phone
• Power the phone on. (Now wait for the phone to turn on. If you wait for 5 minutes more than the phones average start-up time, and/or it still get stuck on the Samsung screen then proceed to the next step in troubleshooting).
• If the phone powers on correctly then enjoy your working smartphone (Note: you might want to make sure to backup your mobile unit and do some additional troubleshooting just to make sure that your cell phone doesn’t freeze again. You might want to even consider a factory data reset, which can be located under the settings of your phone. If you do choose to reset your Samsung then make sure to uncheck the option to delete/erase your memory card if the option is available. A Factory Data Reset on an Android phone will often fix these types of issues as it removes anything that might be causing them from the phone.
• If your Samsung does not power on properly or you cannot remove the battery then you can proceed with the advice below.

Stuck on Samsung screen – More advanced troubleshooting

Start out by playing it safe – with Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a feature on most Android devices that allows the phone to boot up without any third party apps or programs and on its original default settings. This is a powerful tool when troubleshooting an Android device as it helps disable and rule out problematic applications. If you have an app on your cell phone that’s causing mischief and not letting the phone turn on properly then Safe Mode will disable that app on the startup and allow you to access the phone, remove or uninstall that app, reboot and be good to go. Best of all there is no unnecessary loss of data.
You can read more about this feature at How to use Safe Mode on an Android Smartphone but basically to enter safe mode on an Android cell phone you’ll need to power the phone off, hold down a certain key combination which will instruct the phone to boot into Safe Mode. The key combination that you will need to use will depend on which cell phone you own and possibly what version of Android it is running on.

It would be very difficult for me to list all of the methods commonly used for activating Safe Mode so if you are unsure what method to use for your specific smartphone then a simple search online would be your best bet at finding the proper technique for your particular smartphone.
Note: I humbly request that you please do not ask me how to activate Safe Mode on your specific smartphone, its very difficult to keep up with those kind of requests and I plan on writing an article listing the most common methods for this topic but until then Google’s Search Engine will be your best friend in accomplishing this task.

Once you have located the proper method to use in order to boot your phone into Safe Mode, you should attempt to do so. If it works and your phone turns on completely then you should locate the latest piece of software, the latest app downloaded or updated, any new themes, etc that have been added to your cell phone and uninstall or remove them from your device. Then restart the phone and see if it will boot up properly. If it does then you have located the cause and you can enjoy your working smartphone. If it doesn’t work then you might have to enter Safe Mode again and do some more searching in order to find and remove the culprit.

So for example, if you just added a new app to your Samsung and it suddenly didn’t want to start properly and became frozen on the boot up screen or it got stuck on the Samsung logo then you could try to boot your phone into Safe Mode, uninstall that app, reboot, and enjoy your working Samsung.
If you cannot access Safe Mode on your particular Samsung device then continue with the suggestions below.

This is often a serious problem with your cell phones software

Whether you woke up and found your cell phone stuck on the Samsung logo after it had been charging all night or if this happened while or shortly after updating the software on your Samsung, or downloading or updating an application, or downloading a theme, etc. this problem is almost always software related and at this point your phone will require some more advanced troubleshooting in order to fix your cell phone; and there is a catch…
When this issue happens on an Android smartphone the device will typically NOT POWER ON correctly, which means that saving ALL your important data and information is going to be very difficult if not impossible. Now don’t worry your address book containing your names and phone numbers should save automatically by default to your Gmail account. All you will need to do to get your contact list again is to log into your Gmail account and your contacts are going to automatically sync with your phone.

Gmail is awesome! To check your Gmail account on a Samsung Android 4.2 cell phone, assuming its working correctly, all you need to do is go to your Home > Menu Key > Settings > Accounts (or Accounts and Sync), your Gmail account will be listed on that page.
If you click on that Gmail account you can check to make sure everything is synced by looking for the days date. If sync contacts, sync Google, sync calendar, etc. don’t show the days date or if you ever want to sync manually tap "Sync Now". Or tap on the desired selection if you want to manually sync that option.

Gmail Accounts are a very helpful and powerful tool but a lot of people set it and forget it, make sure you have yours written down if you’re not sure if you will be able to remember your Gmail. You might need it later!
You most likely have a Gmail and if you do then using your Gmail to backup your Android can be a life saver. If you don’t have a Gmail then you’re going to want to create one. But I digress.

The catch...

A standard reset on the phone was mentioned already but if you have tried removing and reinserting the battery and it didn’t seem to help then I suggest that an Alternate Factory Data Reset be done, try not to panic when I tell you that we are going to need to erase all the information from the unit. Whatever caused this problem isn’t clear. It could be that something is corrupted such as a file or program, it could be a glitch in the software, or a virus (viruses are not common but they do happen), most likely something picked up online or through a bad app or perhaps you just have really, really, really bad luck.
The worst part of this issue is that you can’t get into your phone which means that we can’t backup and reset the phone properly.
Now if you are hesitant about resetting your phone you might want to

• Give it 24-48 hours - your phone might be updating its software, which is great! It’s always a good idea to keep your software up to date. Up to date software helps your phone run faster, smoother and usually adds more functionality. If you can, then also check your WiFi to make sure it’s on (check your homes wireless internet, not through the phone its self. If your phone is simply updating then the wireless internet will help you download the update a lot faster and you don’t use your service providers data plan, which will save you money too)

If you wait and the phone is still stuck on Samsung then you need to perform an alternate or hard reset on your Android phone to get it to work correctly again.

After doing the alternative reset you’re left with a few options:

• Your phone has started working correctly – hopefully this is what happened so you can enjoy your working phone. Just remember to log into your Gmail account again when going through the setting up process. You’re going to setup the phone again just like you did when you first got it. It’s very self explanatory, you shouldn’t have any problems.
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• Still Stuck on Samsung with a white screen? – I recommend that you try the hard reset once more for good measure. If the phone remains stuck and that’s all there is to it, then the options are a lot more limited. Here are some things that you might want to consider.
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• Filing a Buyer’s Remorse claim – this particular issue, of getting stuck on the Samsung loading screen, usually does NOT happen on newer devices, simply because new phones don’t have a lot of information on them yet and there are fewer things on the phone that would cause problems. IF HOWEVER you have had your mobile phone for less than 15 days then you should qualify for buyer’s remorse and typically have the option to return the phone to the location that you bought it from. Just take it back as soon as you can because once your buyer’s remorse or return grace time expires, you’re stuck with that device.
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• Look into Warranty – if you purchased your mobile phone new and if you have had it for less than a year then you are covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. Warranty is often the best choice available when phone issues can’t be resolved with troubleshooting. If you’re interested in filing a warranty claim then the information at how to file a warranty claim on a mobile phone might be useful.
• File an Insurance claim – If you cannot file a buyer’s remorse claim or a warranty claim and you had chosen to invest in an insurance plan through your service provider then you should contact them to do so. Insurance usually requires a down payment, the amount depending on the model of phone you wish to file a claim on.  
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• Reload the Software – this can be a little more technical and is a little more advanced but can be an extremely powerful solution when trying to resolve serious software related issues on an Android device and if the options above are unsuccessful or unavailable then chances are very high that reloading or reinstalling the software to your cell phone is going to fix this issue. Like 
• I said THIS WILL LIKELY SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM but there are a few things to consider before installing custom or stock versions of software to your device which is why I listed this option at the bottom of this guide. This is another topic that I plan on writing about in greater detail at a later date but if you are running out of options and need to fix your Samsung then this method is what you NEED to use in order to try and get your Samsung to turn on and work properly again. Go online and do a search on how to flash your phone using ODIN. Basically what you want to do is replace the malfunctioning software currently installed on your phone with a nice and clean installation which will allow the cell phone to start fresh and of course function correctly.
• If you’re unable to do the options above then look into purchasing options. Note: remember you’re locked into your contract with your service provider, usually a 2 year contract, but you’re NOT locked into your phone, don’t let anyone trick you, as long as its branded with your mobile providers name then your SIM card should work in that phone, even a different manufacturer. For example, if your Samsung Galaxy S III froze on the Samsung screen and you needed a replacement then you DON’T have to get another Samsung Galaxy S III you can take your SIM card out of that Samsung Galaxy S III and put it into any other phone that has ATT printed on it. Whether it’s a Samsung phone, LG phone, Motorola phone, etc if it’s ATT it should work. This is sometimes really good to know if your phone has damage like a cracked screen and needs to be replaced and you can’t file an insurance claim, or if you NEED a phone while you wait for a replacement phone to arrive.

I hope that I was able to help you get your issue taken care of one way or another. Remember that pulling the battery out of your phone when your phone is powered on, will often fix a lot of minor issues with Android devices, at least temporarily, but a Factory Data Reset will usually be a more permanent Solution to common and non-common phone issues.

When performing a reset on an Android phone I highly suggest that you try it without downloading any applications for a couple days. Usually when smart phones, especially Android phones, act up it is because of a bad application that was downloaded or added to the device. Try using the phone as a clean install for a couple days with nothing added to it (except contacts etc), if your phone seems to be working correctly then start adding your applications again one at a time. Download an app try it out for a few days, download another app try it, etc. remember if you download an app and your phone starts having problems then I recommend you uninstall that app and try not use it any more.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to leave a comment below, or do a search on the site, there are many articles and useful information that can be found on this site pertaining to proper phone care and phone maintenance.