My S2 is sometimes jerky/unresponsive - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Couldn't see anything about a general jerky S2 here - hope I'm not duplicating something...
I have a T-Mobile UK Galaxy S2. I've had it a week and its my first Android phone so I'm not super experienced with it. I am rooted running:
Android version 2.3.3
Kernel KF3
Build Number BOKF3
About once per day the phone becomes very jerky and unresponsive. If I am navigating the menus or flicking up a long menu screen the motion isn't smooth. Similarly if I am using Swype my swipes often get interrupted by this freezing motion. The phone just doesn't keep up with my finger and in end up with an incomplete word. In the web browser it takes a while to register my finger on the screen and often when I try to scroll, I end up clicking.
The problem goes away if I turn off the phone and restart but I have not been able to find a way to resolve it without doing this.
I have tried: ending all apps; clearing ram; using advanced task killer.
Only a reset seems to make a difference. I can then be OK for the next few hours, but I think I've had this problem at least once per day since I've had the phone.
I've not notice it being triggered by any specific app.
Can anyone help me fix this? Is there anything I can install to see what might be going on? Anyone else had the problem?
Any help really appreciated

Backup all data and factory reset as first step ..
jje

Can you advise what my best way is to do that given my current situation.
I didn't make a backup pre-root. Is this a problem? Is it just a matter of connecting to Kies to do the factory reset? Or do I need to use other tools/locate the original kernel.
There is nothing on the phone that I need to back up (other than a few paid apps which I believe I can use Titanium (free) to backup right?
Thanks
Update: Backed up my apps with "file expert", did the factory reset, downloaded fresh copies of only the apps I really wants and so-far-so-good. Thanks again.

Problem seems to have reappeared. Was using the phone this morning and it became all jerky again. Can anyone suggest other things I can look at?
thanks

If you are still on old KF3 ROM, consider upgrading to KG3 or wait few days KG6 will be released.

I see signs of kg6 in the other forums. is the version I need out now?
Im really keen to gert this shorted as the jerk is driving mr madit seemslike a pylsetjayfreezes the phone. If I am in my contacts list i can flick the screen and make the list scroll fast down.but it stops for a second then continues on its way.normally when it happens it happens s second time just when the scroll is slowed right down. Its like there is something running on the phone causing it every 1.5 seconds.
Im worried my phone is defective as none else seems to have this problem.
Any pointers to three correct kg6 our other solutions much appreciated.
Cheers
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Well a couple of months later I still have the same problem. I'm now running KH3 and the problem is persisting. I've also noticed that the 'jerk' interrupts the filming of video so anything recorded while it is happening ends up with little skips in the video and out of sync audio.
I've also tried an app from the market "fast reboot" but that doesn't solve the problem. I still only get a temporary fix by turning the phone completely off and then back on again.
Does anyone know the process for returning a phone to T-Mobile UK? Am I going to be without a phone for ages? A friend who also has a SGS2 on the T-Mobile network but purchased from Carphone Warehouse is convinced it that it is the fact it is a T-Mobile direct phone that causes the problem... but they can't all be like this???
Otherwise, is there anything else I can try to troubleshoot what might be happening. There must be *something* that starts running on the phone that causes this jerky behavior but I just don't know how to identify it.
Any help much appreciated - thanks!

Well, that's definitely not normal. Sounds like an hardware issue to me. A friend of mine got his SGS2 from T-Mobile Shop Austria (with branding) and he doesn't have this issue.
- Maybe your homescreen is overloaded with widgets. Try to remove some Widgets, like Program Monitor (caused me some jerking).
- Do a factory reset (settings/privacy/factory data reset). don't forget to backup your data.
- Try to flash a different Rom (full wipe) with Odin, like KI3 (2.3.5) or a Custom Rom . I'm personally using CheckRom Revolution and I'm really happy with this Rom. However you'll lose your T- Mobile branding and your warranty, if you root your phone. Don't forget to backup your current Rom and buy / use a USB JIG to get the warranty back, if it doesn't solve your problem.
Well, I personally doubt that any of these methods will help your problem.
If nothing helps, then talk with T-mobile ... maybe they'll instantly replace your GS2 with a new one, if you explain the situation in detail. Try to put some pressure on them^^ Otherwise you have a couple of weeks to wait, because T-Mobile will most likely send your damaged phone to Samsung.
good luck.

Related

HD2 stuck at logo boot up!

Every time I reset or turn on my fone after shutting down, it will stuck at the logo boot up. It wasn't like that when I first bought the fone. Now it's getting worse and worse since the issue happens so frequently.
I have to take out the battery and put it back, then wait for about 3 to 5 mn before I turn the phone on.Then it would boot up as usual.
Is there anyone facing the same issue as I am? Any suggestion guys?
Are you experiencing excessive heat when this occurs? Also, can you give more info such as: does this happen only after recent charging or does it ever happen when the phone has been turned off for a long time? Was there any recent apps you installed or ROM changes when this started happening? Was there any potential damage done to the phone -dropped it, got it wet, or microwaved
When you say frequently, does that mean every time you restart? every other time? every five times?
Lastly, do you have any other issues/symptoms other than freezing at startup? Does the phone ever freeze during normal use?
i'd suggest you do a hard reset of your phone (hold down both vol up and vol down keys while powering on/resetting). that should fix the problem. if the problem still persists, it's probably some hardware faults.
Me too
My HD2 just started doing this too. It was fine for 7 weeks I have owned it. However, as described in this by OP, when doing soft reset would it would also get stuck on bootup logo. I'd have to remove the battery for a few minutes before it would bootup.
However, my HD2 also crashes and upon reboot then get stuck on bootup logo. It appears to crashes randomly eg not with any particular program or action.
I figured it was software issue so did hard reset. This worked fine. After hard reset the only software I loaded were Total Commander and Cookie Editor.
After Cookie Editor install I did soft reset and it got stuck on bootup logo. : (
So I did another hard reset but it hung up again upon reboot on bootup logo.
This appears to be a hardware issue. But has anyone else had same issue?
T-Mobile HD2
Stock ROM
Purchased July 6 2010 from Expansys
yes i am experiencing the same problem and i have uploded a video on youtube showing this! Yes my phone heats up when this happens..
Hi. I got this problem for quite sometime and am so used to taking out and putting back and taking out and putting back the batt.
But now I have another prob: my ringtone suddenly went soft and I now have to keep myself alert all the time to see if there's any incoming call or SMS.
I would like to do a hard reset but the question is: will it set my phone back to the stock ROM or still retain the updated version - 1.66.707.1?
Thanks in advance.
Stormrider75 said:
Hi. I got this problem for quite sometime and am so used to taking out and putting back and taking out and putting back the batt.
But now I have another prob: my ringtone suddenly went soft and I now have to keep myself alert all the time to see if there's any incoming call or SMS.
I would like to do a hard reset but the question is: will it set my phone back to the stock ROM or still retain the updated version - 1.66.707.1?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will retain whatever rom you are using
Htc Hd2 vodafone UK
HD2 issue
After some more searching it appears this is not uncommon for HD2. Its not clear to me if it is specific to T-Mobile HD2 or HD2 in general.
It appears to be a hardware issue. Although that is not 100% clear either. I find it hard to distinguish what some people report as 'freezing' which i believe is different to the issue described in this post which is 'hanging up' or 'getting stuck' on boot up screen - in my case it is the T-Mobile 'stick together' pink and white screen/logo.
(The 'freezing' issue that i believe is different to this 'getting stuck on bootup logo' issue appeared to have been resolved iwth new T-Mobile ROM - and I never experienced it on my HD2).
The resolution for getting stuck on bootup screen issue described here appears to have been to exchange HD2 (although some people exchanged up to 6 times and keep getting same issue!)
I think it is important to note that my HD2 performed fine for 7 weeks with lots of soft resets, hard resets, and lots of software installs (though no ROM reflashing) but within last week or so, start crashing randomly, then upon reboot get stuck on bootup screen/logo. This also became more frequent as time progressed. After doing hard reboot, the issue is now acute, eg it gets stuck on every reboot, and crashes more often.
This leads me to think some hardware has failed or degraded and is getting worse, maybe a connection/soldering etc?
However, is there any possibility that a ROM could 'degrade'? Can a ROM have a setting that is modifiable? (I know it is 'read only memory' but is it really?)
Anyways, love to hear from others on this issue.
Same problem here. Bought my HD2 in june. Cooked my own rom with Chucky's kitchen. Flashed different radios, hard resets, task 29 etc. Absolutely no problem. Worked fine for several weeks. But sometime it begun to freeze, auto resets, stuck at boot logo. It was getting worse. Even flashing stock rom it hungs at boot logo.
Now my HD2 is out for repair. Now waiting for returning. Hope they will change the motherboard.
several people have had their motherboards replaced and that has seemed to fix it for them. You'll probably have to fight with htc or your carrier, but should be able to get it replaced.
Hi guys. Another question:
I'm considering doing a hard reset. How do I store my messages before doing it? I can't seem to locate the folder that keeps all my messages.
TIA.
HD2 is an odd one
Thanks for replies. I really don't want to send it in .. but it will probably be the only way to resolve the issue. It will cost me courier there and back, and $20 'triage' fee .. total cost to me will be ~$100 just to have them look at it. Price of doing business I guess.
Anyways, I realized that one of my issues was that it was crashing when syncing. A little digging reveals that HTC Sense does something to all contacts when syncing first time putting a bit of html in contact notes field (weird but it is true .. its their way of reminding you bought an HTC phone?) So once I got it up and running, I disabled Sense and syncing went fine, no crashing.
(Btw, Sense also appears to do something with SMS msgs too so if you have lots it crashes on due to this reason too).
However, even with plain Jane MS today screen (eg not using Sense) it still crashed once on sync and again when listening to radio. Both times had to remove battery for few minutes before it would reboot without getting stuck at bootup logo.
But so far it seemed to be working 'better' without using Sense.
So, I re-enabled Sense to see what would happen and over a day it has crashed twice. I am going to see how it behaves for few days before sending it in as RMA repair.
Still, important point is that it was ok for 7 weeks, and then started crashing, more and more, even after hard reset, though some of issues may have been due to Sense (which is reported by many users).
It is still not a 'normal' thing for a $700 consumer device to have such erratic behaviour. So, given others have exchanged crashing handsets for new handset that has no issues points to underlying hardware issues as suggested above eg motherboard.
As comparison I also have HTC Diamond 2 which has been rock solid for 2 years of continuous use even with lots of software install, tweaking, reg hacks, etc.
Stormrider75 said:
Hi guys. Another question:
I'm considering doing a hard reset. How do I store my messages before doing it? I can't seem to locate the folder that keeps all my messages.
TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't text a lot so i just hard reset without saving .. but do a quick search on on XDA for SMS backup or PIM backup .. during my searches I am sure i have seen a couple of utilities that do what you want.
genoki said:
I don't text a lot so i just hard reset without saving .. but do a quick search on on XDA for SMS backup or PIM backup .. during my searches I am sure i have seen a couple of utilities that do what you want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Btw I read before we can actually 'disable' Sense.
How do we do that?
Sense - go to Today
Go to Start - Settings
- iI you see the black HTC Settings (has 'Personalize' on top of items) then go to Menu and select 'All Settings' (this will show Windows Mobile's Settings. HTC Sense 'Settings' doesn't everything Windows Mobile Settings has or shows it differently)
- Select 'Today'
- Select the 'Items' tab in Today
- Check 'Windows Default' and click OK in top right.
This will 'swap' out HTC Sense 'today' with Windows Mobile standard Today screen and voila you will have 'disabled' HTC Sense and you are back to using Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 version of Sense (not anywhere near as useful or neat-o to look at but hey they are pretty happy with it )
genoki said:
However, even with plain Jane MS today screen (eg not using Sense) it still crashed once on sync and again when listening to radio. Both times had to remove battery for few minutes before it would reboot without getting stuck at bootup logo.
But so far it seemed to be working 'better' without using Sense.
So, I re-enabled Sense to see what would happen and over a day it has crashed twice. I am going to see how it behaves for few days before sending it in as RMA repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just by disabling Sense is not going to make it work. I had this problem with my HD2 also and without using Sense it seemed to be working (there were fewer crashes), but only for few days. My HD2 was getting worse day by day - it was not crashing only if it was not touched (it was crashing just cycling between Sense tabs or by initiating a call).
At repair center they told me (after three weeks of waiting) that the motherboard must to be changed.
Is it possible to damage it by flashing custom ROMs?
For me, this problem appeared after just one month of usage. I was flashed some custom ROMs.
Now, I have a new HD2 but I'm affraid to flash a custom ROM (at least in the near future).
I have my HD2 back. Took me 2 weeks, the repair center changed the motherboard and got an new IMEI.
Now all is working, no more stuck at bootlogo.
But i'm on stock rom (1.66) with 2.07 radio. No way to run Android with this radio. Hmm...
axman79 said:
Is it possible to damage it by flashing custom ROMs?
For me, this problem appeared after just one month of usage. I was flashed some custom ROMs.
Now, I have a new HD2 but I'm affraid to flash a custom ROM (at least in the near future).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm afraid as well to flash any custom rom now. For Android i need to HSPL and flash a 2.08 radio or greater to use it. But i'm stick on stock rom for sure.
I want to know as well if it possible to damage it by flashing customs roms ?
As i stated earlier, i flashed plenty of roms, doing task 29 etc., in the end stuck on bootlogo.
Thanks for the feedback on your repairs axman79 and Kalip. Btw, aside from courier cost there and back, did you have to pay the $30 'triage' fee or whatever they call it? Also, did they challenge your observations at all or did they just replace motherboard without question?
Yah, disabling Sense hasn't stopped my HD2 from crashing eith. Without using Sense it crashed several times while using Opera and more than a few times while syncing over the past three days. Also, it still gets stuck on reboot often, requiring battery to be removed for few minutes before rebooting.
So, guess I will send my HD2 in for RMA repair too (and wait for up to 3 weeks) and hope I get a functioning device in return.
Interesting though I didn't flash my HD2 but it went from 'good' to 'bad' in similar way that your two HD2's. From reading other posts around here on XDA and elsewhere it appears that HD2 motherboards fail with surprising frequency and for variety of reasons.
Would be nice to know if HD2 motherboards are unusually delicate and something physically breaks, or if there is some electrical operation, eg charging it on USB or unusual combination of button pushes that shorts something out?
The fact that battery has to be removed for few minutes in order to get thing to reboot hints that something requires charge to dissipate eg a component somehow 'locks up' which causes crash, and needs to be discharged by removing battery?
genoki said:
Thanks for the feedback on your repairs axman79 and Kalip. Btw, aside from courier cost there and back, did you have to pay the $30 'triage' fee or whatever they call it? Also, did they challenge your observations at all or did they just replace motherboard without question?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was flashing stock rom with stock SPL, was at the shop where i bought it and they send it. I told them it stucks at bootlogo. Repair center changed motherboard without any question. Cost me nothing.
genoki said:
Also, it still gets stuck on reboot often, requiring battery to be removed for few minutes before rebooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ja ja, same here.
genoki said:
So, guess I will send my HD2 in for RMA repair too (and wait for up to 3 weeks) and hope I get a functioning device in return.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you will, but dont forget to flash back stock rom regarding SPL !
genoki said:
Interesting though I didn't flash my HD2 but it went from 'good' to 'bad' in similar way that your two HD2's. From reading other posts around here on XDA and elsewhere it appears that HD2 motherboards fail with surprising frequency and for variety of reasons.
Would be nice to know if HD2 motherboards are unusually delicate and something physically breaks, or if there is some electrical operation, eg charging it on USB or unusual combination of button pushes that shorts something out?
The fact that battery has to be removed for few minutes in order to get thing to reboot hints that something requires charge to dissipate eg a component somehow 'locks up' which causes crash, and needs to be discharged by removing battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to know as well !
hey guys. I am so glad I found this post! I have exact same issues ith my HD2, it's driving me nuts.
I kept sort of log and described my problems in this post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=712729
I think I have to send my HD2 for replacement or repair.
Can you please tell me how can I get my phone fixed/replaced?
I got the US T-Mobile version, but I don't have account in T-Mobile. Can I deal directly with HTC? Where do I have to call to get RMA number etc.
I would greatly appreciate your help!
KML

[Q] Unique issues; screen unresponsive, random reboots, freezing

Soo I have a Galaxy S II I9100. And it was great until something happened. Lord knows what happened to it. But I was running the latest version of Sensation ROM (1.6) smoothly. Then yesterday all of the sudden my phone kinda stops working more or less. The screen became unresponsive at times, the screen would activate on its own and then I would not be able to use it. After taking the battery out and restarting it things were OK for about 5 minutes.
Then after trying to open any sort of applications the Voice Command app would start and I wouldn't be able to exit out of it. After mashing the home button I could get out of it and then trying to open anything would result in a black screen (status bar active at top). So I figured maybe something went wrong with the software. I happened to have an update .zip of Sensation from 1.5 to 1.6, so I reflashed. This did not really help out. Even plugging in the USB cable was a 50/50 chance, Windows would tell me that the device is seemingly defective and sometimes it would work. But then trying to open USB Mass Storage was a big headache as well.
So I let it sit the night and then this morning I used Odin to flash a stock kernel. This seemed to help out somewhat, it made the system more stable and usable for a little bit. In the meantime I went to the so called "Samsung Cell Phone Service Center" in my city which turned out to be some repair shop for iPhones (go figure). After elaborately explaining my problems they said "must be a software issue". Which it is't. Anyways in the meantime I called Samsung America for direction, after talking to 3 different CS reps they referred me to call Samsung UK because that's where the phone was manufactured.
After that I did a factory reset and that made the issues even worse.
So I'm at a cross roads. I am probably going to be putting a call into Samsung UK tomorrow to try and figure something out.
Do a FULL wipe in CWM and then flash a stock rom. See if that helps. If not, then it's a hardware problem.
I had done that and then flashed a stock ROM which removed CWM, root, and the Sensation ROM. While that seemed to have helped, it would still randomly reboot (fewer than now) and the same issues persisted but less frequently. In the SGS2 stock recovery mode I did factory reset and wiped all data and cache and the problems are back and more frequent. I did take the phone to the beach but it was in a bag wrapped in a shirt..
could that have somehow caused this issue with the hardware?
I'm thinking that this is a hardware issue.
Yes, I think it is. One thing that comes to mind, did your modem change when flashing different roms? If not try a different modem. Otherwise it's really a hardware problem.

[Q] Help LG-P760 frequent crash

LG-P760 stock Android 4.1.2
Only basic apps, FB, gmail etc.
1. Factory/hard reset
2. Works around 3-4 days perfectly, then starts to crash.
By crash I mean black screen, nothing helps, only battery pull.
3. After first crash, starts crashing more frequently. Happens only in standby.
Worst was today: If I start phone, log in, then it wont crash before I put it in standby. First time in standby, within 30 second, it had crashed.
twice crashed when someone tried to call me. Vibrated once, then crashed.
I would like to avoid replacing my phone.
Any ideas how to find the source of this problem? Any recommendations?
lamui said:
LG-P760 stock Android 4.1.2
Only basic apps, FB, gmail etc.
1. Factory/hard reset
2. Works around 3-4 days perfectly, then starts to crash.
By crash I mean black screen, nothing helps, only battery pull.
3. After first crash, starts crashing more frequently. Happens only in standby.
Worst was today: If I start phone, log in, then it wont crash before I put it in standby. First time in standby, within 30 second, it had crashed.
twice crashed when someone tried to call me. Vibrated once, then crashed.
I would like to avoid replacing my phone.
Any ideas how to find the source of this problem? Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem with Vietnam Rom and it was the baseband. I changed to the baseband from ICS from a Rom of my country so I have Vietnam Rom+Original ICS baseband and everything works well.
Thanks.
Although, I understand it mostly is problem when you have unlocked bootloader.
I am running stock everything.
And they have problem with rebooting phone, mine crashes and freezes.
Weird is that it starts around third day of normal use.
I think I have to take on a quest with a warranty. Does anyone know, can I contact LG straight without the provider, where I bought the phone?
lamui said:
Thanks.
Although, I understand it mostly is problem when you have unlocked bootloader.
I am running stock everything.
And they have problem with rebooting phone, mine crashes and freezes.
Weird is that it starts around third day of normal use.
I think I have to take on a quest with a warranty. Does anyone know, can I contact LG straight without the provider, where I bought the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can.
lamui said:
Thanks.
Although, I understand it mostly is problem when you have unlocked bootloader.
I am running stock everything.
And they have problem with rebooting phone, mine crashes and freezes.
Weird is that it starts around third day of normal use.
I think I have to take on a quest with a warranty. Does anyone know, can I contact LG straight without the provider, where I bought the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't unlocked it. The problem was the same: SOD sleep of death, when the screen goes off you can't do anything but pull the battery.
But if you can use the warranty use it. You should find the warranty info in the box to know where send it in your city.
Sent from my LG-P768 using xda app-developers app
Thanks. I will search into it. Sleep of death is new expression for me.
I only have phone, it came from relatives who threw away receipt + box.
Luckily I managed to get new receipt from provider yesterday (I dont think they usually give out receipts twice), so now I can use local warranty.
Thanks everyone for replying. I will post update when I have final solution.
Since you are stock you might want to consider flashing the kdz to see if that helps. Good luck!
Sent from my LG-P769(20d) using the xda-developers app. If I helped you please hit the "thank you" button.
I'm having the exact same issue with mine. I've heard everything from "try a different SD card" to "factory reset," and nothing seems to permanently fix the issue. What I've found kind of sort of works is just reboot it a whole bunch until it finally comes up and doesn't do it any more. From there, I'm good to go until the battery runs out or I need to reboot it because all the bloatware is causing it to glitch. This usually means that I have to reboot my device 10+ times in a row every few days. Hopefully, you found a more viable fix than this.
neo1piv014 said:
I'm having the exact same issue with mine. I've heard everything from "try a different SD card" to "factory reset," and nothing seems to permanently fix the issue. What I've found kind of sort of works is just reboot it a whole bunch until it finally comes up and doesn't do it any more. From there, I'm good to go until the battery runs out or I need to reboot it because all the bloatware is causing it to glitch. This usually means that I have to reboot my device 10+ times in a row every few days. Hopefully, you found a more viable fix than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
I managed to kind of solve this issue. Because I am not sure how, I haven't closed thread yet.
Anyway, I warranted device, they re-installed soft. Came back, same thing. After around weeks use, SOD. Factory reset. After that, things went interesting.
I tried not to leave it idle. Always had something running. I also had noticed by the time it never occurred when it was plugged in or music was playing.
One day it did it again, but I was in a hurry and just disregarded it. I did something(I was busy, maybe just plugged it in automatically?) and it came back up. It took like 10 sec for screen to start, but it did just wake up. And it haven't had crash ever since. I have no idea is this solution or is this just some coincidence and I am not keen to factory reset again, to see will it reoccur. It's my only phone
TLDR: Managed to get out of sleep of death, haven't reoccurred since.

[Q] Not sure what's wrong, random reboots, battery or ram issue?

EDIT: Wow the issue was really REALLY stupid. turned out i was using a HUGE picture as my lockscreen wallpaper, and it was causing hang ups because I guess it was trying to load that huge picture into ram every time it went to sleep or something. change the picture, everything was fine. I'm really dumb.
My galaxy s2 has been fine pretty much since launch. Switched over to cyanogenmod a long time ago, been updating to their nightlies about once a month. Recently tho, starting like this week, my phone has been randomly rebooting like crazy, to the point that the phone is unusable. Any thing I try to do results in a soft reset. The fastest way I've found to recreate the issue is to turn on and off the screen twice quickly, causes a crash/reboot, dont know what to call this.
AFAIK I still have access to recovery, odin, etc.
I've tried flashing an older nightly, wiping cache, factory reset, still get crashes really easily. I've ruled out my micro sd card being the problem, it still randomly reboots without it. Any idea what I can do to try and narrow down what the problem is?
Do a clean install of stock in the first instance, run it for a few days & see if it persists. If it stops happening, then obviously something CM-side causing it. If it doesn't replace battery. If that doesn't fix it, take it to a local mobile repair shop for diagnosis.

S21 crashing/rebooting 1-2 times/day. Any tips on troubleshooting?

I have as SM-G991U (256 GB S21 US version, stock everything but using Nova Launcher) that is randomly freezing/crashing then rebooting on me 1-2 times/day. Does android have any kind of crash log I could look at to try and figure out what's causing the problem? On the samsung forums, their support reps suggest running in Safe Mode, which I have, but it's not very useful because I can't reproduce the problem on demand and it usually happens 1-2/day, but sometimes less, so unless I just ran in safe mode all the time, that wouldn't tell me much. Plus, it would only tell me it's an issue caused by one of a hundred or so apps which, again, is not helpful.
So I'm hoping there is a crash log or something somewhere because I have no idea what triggers the crashes. The other night, it was sitting on a wireless charger, the screen wasn't on, then all the sudden it rebooted. It's not specific to any app or anything I'm doing. If there are no crash logs (which would be frustrating and disappointing), any other troubleshooting ideas are welcome!
Look for a memory leak. Typically a poorly written 3rd party apk.
Try clearing system cache.
Make sure auto restart isn't enabled...
dougleto said:
I have as SM-G991U (256 GB S21 US version, stock everything but using Nova Launcher) that is randomly freezing/crashing then rebooting on me 1-2 times/day. Does android have any kind of crash log I could look at to try and figure out what's causing the problem? On the samsung forums, their support reps suggest running in Safe Mode, which I have, but it's not very useful because I can't reproduce the problem on demand and it usually happens 1-2/day, but sometimes less, so unless I just ran in safe mode all the time, that wouldn't tell me much. Plus, it would only tell me it's an issue caused by one of a hundred or so apps which, again, is not helpful.
So I'm hoping there is a crash log or something somewhere because I have no idea what triggers the crashes. The other night, it was sitting on a wireless charger, the screen wasn't on, then all the sudden it rebooted. It's not specific to any app or anything I'm doing. If there are no crash logs (which would be frustrating and disappointing), any other troubleshooting ideas are welcome!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi mate
For logs info check here and here
You can always flash firmware , using home_csc , to avoid factory reset the phone , if the problem is system related it will help
If is app related
Try booting in safe mode to see if problem goes away...
MAX 404 said:
Hi mate
For logs info check here and here
You can always flash firmware , using home_csc , to avoid factory reset the phone , if the problem is system related it will help
If is app related
Try booting in safe mode to see if problem goes away...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I'll definitely try these out. I tried safe mode, the trouble is it's not really great as a diagnostic because the phone will go from 4-24 hrs between resets during normal operation, and since a phone in safe mode isn't terribly useful, it's hard to keep it in safe mode for long enough to see if that fixed the issue, if that makes sense. And then, if it did fix the issue, it just narrows it down to 1 out of a hundred apps! But maybe I'm missing something. Is there additional information I can find if I run in safe mode that would help suss out the problem?
blackhawk said:
Look for a memory leak. Typically a poorly written 3rd party apk.
Try clearing system cache.
Make sure auto restart isn't enabled...
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Click to collapse
Thanks! I know how to clear cache but not how to check for memory leaks. Do you have a tool you'd recommend to do that? And I had never heard of auto restart before, so thanks for that. I confirmed that it is NOT enabled (that would have been a face palm moment!).
dougleto said:
Thanks! I'll definitely try these out. I tried safe mode, the trouble is it's not really great as a diagnostic because the phone will go from 4-24 hrs between resets during normal operation, and since a phone in safe mode isn't terribly useful, it's hard to keep it in safe mode for long enough to see if that fixed the issue, if that makes sense. And then, if it did fix the issue, it just narrows it down to 1 out of a hundred apps! But maybe I'm missing something. Is there additional information I can find if I run in safe mode that would help suss out the problem?
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Click to collapse
Is not easy , you just need to be methodic
See if you can find anything useful in the logs first
Reflash firmware , use home-csc , see if it help
Have you notice if the phone fails under any specific circumstances?
If that does not help and if you can really relate the problem with any specific app you may try to freeze or uninstall suspicious app and let it run for a day , Package disabler app is a good option , it is easy to enable or disable app but is not free, you could try this one , is a debloater tool , it allow you to disable app... may be easy that having to uninstall / install by hand
I'm also having the same problem. Had the phone since June, it didn't start to occur until late August, which leads me to suspect it is an update related issue.
GillBates21 said:
I'm also having the same problem. Had the phone since June, it didn't start to occur until late August, which leads me to suspect it is an update related issue.
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Click to collapse
I'm glad you posted today, I've been meaning to post again here because I tried troubleshooting and am still having issues. In fact, it crashed twice today when I was trying to send a text message.
I installed one of the log applications (can't remember which one at the moment) but it wasn't really helpful. They didn't seem to catch any information related to a crash even though they were logging data at least twice when it crashed.
Then I tried reflashing using home-csc using ODIN and that ended up soft-bricking my phone (and yes, I followed all the instructions and used home-csc) so I had to reflash everything and do a full factory reset. That seemed to help, reducing the crashes from once/day to once/2-3 days for a few weeks, but now it's back to ~once a day (sometimes more, sometimes less).
So if anyone has any other idea, I'm all ears. When I was reflashing and stuff, I noticed in the recovery mode (or whatever it's called) options that you can look at logs. Does anyone know if one of those logs would have crash-related data or any other ideas of what to try? This is incredibly frustrating, especially that it's persisting after a factory reset. Argh!
dougleto said:
I'm glad you posted today, I've been meaning to post again here because I tried troubleshooting and am still having issues. In fact, it crashed twice today when I was trying to send a text message.
I installed one of the log applications (can't remember which one at the moment) but it wasn't really helpful. They didn't seem to catch any information related to a crash even though they were logging data at least twice when it crashed.
Then I tried reflashing using home-csc using ODIN and that ended up soft-bricking my phone (and yes, I followed all the instructions and used home-csc) so I had to reflash everything and do a full factory reset. That seemed to help, reducing the crashes from once/day to once/2-3 days for a few weeks, but now it's back to ~once a day (sometimes more, sometimes less).
So if anyone has any other idea, I'm all ears. When I was reflashing and stuff, I noticed in the recovery mode (or whatever it's called) options that you can look at logs. Does anyone know if one of those logs would have crash-related data or any other ideas of what to try? This is incredibly frustrating, especially that it's persisting after a factory reset. Argh!
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Click to collapse
So what I tried to do is roll back all the default google app updates. Ex: Android system webview, Google app itself, etc etc. I factory reset it without backing up any apps (but pictures and messages etc), It was working for a few days and then it happened again. Which further reinforces my thinking that my problem is software based.
GillBates21 said:
So what I tried to do is roll back all the default google app updates. Ex: Android system webview, Google app itself, etc etc. I factory reset it without backing up any apps (but pictures and messages etc), It was working for a few days and then it happened again. Which further reinforces my thinking that my problem is software based.
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Click to collapse
So I'm curious why you think that means it's a software issue. If this isn't a widespread issue with the S21 and after we've both done a factory reset and still have the issue, that makes me think it could be a hardware issue. Of course, there could be some software incompatibility with an app that most people don't have installed or a bluetooth connection or something, which is why I really want to find a useful crash log (and find it rather absurb how hard it is to find a useful crash log on android, come on guys, it's a mature OS, some kind of crash log seems pretty basic!), because otherwise, it could be a ton of issues and I can't reproduce it. Ugh.
The reason is that the "few days" after the reset and restoring pictures, messages (but not apps) from backup, where there were no crashes at all (where previously it would happen at least 2 times per day).
GillBates21 said:
The reason is that the "few days" after the reset and restoring pictures, messages (but not apps) from backup, where there were no crashes at all (where previously it would happen at least 2 times per day).
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Got it, that makes sense. I'm on t-mobile and just got an update this morning. We'll see if that improves anything because my device restarted 4 times yesterday
I havent had a crash like this since i disabled chrome and other google stuff, and downgrading google apps lol.
GillBates21 said:
I havent had a crash like this since i disabled chrome and other google stuff, and downgrading google apps lol.
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Click to collapse
How did you disable chrome and what other google stuff did you disable? (There's obviously quite a lot of google services that can't be disabled)
After the most recent monthly update, my phone has gone from rebooting multiple times/day to once every 2-3 days, which is more manageable but still super annoying. It is incredibly frustrating to me that there are no good tools to troubleshoot a crash (at least that I've ben able to find). Honestly, it's driven me to consider an iPhone for the first time in my life .
My trouble is back... I will be scheduling a fix with samsung soon so I can RMA it
Check the below link. This seems to be a hardware problem which got solved after Samsung replaced the motherboard.
Samsung Restart problem
So I bought this phone for my wife. Since I received the phone, after a day the phone started crashing whatever app she was on and then take you back to lock screen without having to go through a full restart process but it was definitely a restart as you would need to enter your pin again as opposed to fingerprints.
Since it was within 15 days of purchase I returned and reordered another one from Samsung, and to my surprise exact same issue. What are the odds of having two brand new phones having exact same issues.
This leads me to believe it must be a software issue. I just received this 2nd new phone last Friday.
Yeah, I think what I was experiencing was a hardware issue (it definitely went through the full restart process, not what is described in the previous post). And from the link posted by sandystays above, it looks pretty common. I contacted Samsung support and was not impressed at all. They walked me through a number of troubleshooting steps that weren't helpful then had me take my phone to UBreakIFix. I did, they ran a diagnostic and their tools couldn't find anything wrong so they said Samsung should replace it.
Contacted Samsung, told them I had taken it in. They said I needed to take it to a technician (again, right after telling them I just had). They then said, oh, you'll have to mail it to us and you'll get your phone back in 7-10 business days. Their suggestion for what to do for a phone in the meantime? Buy a prepaid phone then return it when I get my phone back (which a) is unethical and b) wouldn't work anyways since they're locked). Ridiculous. They also admitted that this is a very common problem, so I asked why they just won't send me a replacement device if it's so common to which they had no real answer, just "that's our policy".
Eventually, I contacted T-mobile (my carrier) and was very pleasantly surprised. After me telling them the issue and the steps I'd taken to troubleshoot it, they sent me a replacement phone (recertified, but still) that arrived in 2 days. WAAAYYYY better than Samsung. The entire process made me a bit jealous of my wife's iPhone. If she had had a similar issue, we could have taken it to an apple store and not had the whole "our policy is that you have no phone for 7-10 business days" nonsense from Samsung AND the backup and restore process is still way better on iPhones than on any android I've ever owned. How there is no easy and reliable backup/restore mechanism on android after so long is beyond me.
Bottome line: if you have a similar issue, it's very likely a hardware problem (my replacement phone has been fine for 3 days now). And avoid Samsung support if you can!
dougleto said:
Yeah, I think what I was experiencing was a hardware issue (it definitely went through the full restart process, not what is described in the previous post). And from the link posted by sandystays above, it looks pretty common. I contacted Samsung support and was not impressed at all. They walked me through a number of troubleshooting steps that weren't helpful then had me take my phone to UBreakIFix. I did, they ran a diagnostic and their tools couldn't find anything wrong so they said Samsung should replace it.
Contacted Samsung, told them I had taken it in. They said I needed to take it to a technician (again, right after telling them I just had). They then said, oh, you'll have to mail it to us and you'll get your phone back in 7-10 business days. Their suggestion for what to do for a phone in the meantime? Buy a prepaid phone then return it when I get my phone back (which a) is unethical and b) wouldn't work anyways since they're locked). Ridiculous. They also admitted that this is a very common problem, so I asked why they just won't send me a replacement device if it's so common to which they had no real answer, just "that's our policy".
Eventually, I contacted T-mobile (my carrier) and was very pleasantly surprised. After me telling them the issue and the steps I'd taken to troubleshoot it, they sent me a replacement phone (recertified, but still) that arrived in 2 days. WAAAYYYY better than Samsung. The entire process made me a bit jealous of my wife's iPhone. If she had had a similar issue, we could have taken it to an apple store and not had the whole "our policy is that you have no phone for 7-10 business days" nonsense from Samsung AND the backup and restore process is still way better on iPhones than on any android I've ever owned. How there is no easy and reliable backup/restore mechanism on android after so long is beyond me.
Bottome line: if you have a similar issue, it's very likely a hardware problem (my replacement phone has been fine for 3 days now). And avoid Samsung support if you can!
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Click to collapse
On the second phone I still have the 2wk window to return. I am contemplating if I should just return altogether. I had bought an s21 Ultra as well and that seem to be working OK.
Two s21+ phones with same issue, what are the odds of hardware problem? But what if it is the entire batch that is bad.
isiddiqi said:
On the second phone I still have the 2wk window to return. I am contemplating if I should just return altogether. I had bought an s21 Ultra as well and that seem to be working OK.
Two s21+ phones with same issue, what are the odds of hardware problem? But what if it is the entire batch that is bad.
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Your issue sounds different to me. Mine definitely fully rebooted, I have no idea what is going on with yours, it sounds like your crashes are locking the phone or something, that could definitely be software. Good luck!

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