[Q] Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300 Freezes, Crashes etc - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have Samsung Galaxy S3 International (i9300) with OmniROM 4.4 installed from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2524285 and rooted.
I'm experiencing a very very weird and annoying behavoiur with it, it freezes for about 5-20 minutes at a time and it happens very often, sometimes when it's on sleep mode it just turn off for no reason (Or maybe it's the same freeze problem as above, just when the phone is in sleep mode...). Sometimes when I enter applications (It doesnt matter what applications, it happens randomly across all of them) it just get stuck at the black screen after the transition animation from the launcher to the app's page (again it might be the same freeze problem as above, just exatcly when I open the application).
Before I installed OmniROM I had CyanogeonMod 10.2.0 installed on this phone and while the above problems still accourd from time to time, they were in way smaller numbers, they happened once in a few days or even weeks, but now, they happen almost every hour which makes it unbearable.
I searched the internet for this problem alot before I came here to post here about it, and the closest I got is this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2133401 which seems to describe exactly my problem, so I read it, but none of the solutions there worked. Dummy File Generator just keep crushing after 20-30% and then when I start it again it crashes instantly. And I am pretty sure the kernel I'm using is newer than the kernel version they said was stable (XXEMB1).
By the way my eMMC is the affected model.
Is there some other solution? Is there a system debug log or something like that which contains the information about this freezes/crashes?
Sorry for my bad english. Thanks in advance!
Edit 1:
I forgot to mention that also it get stuck for a few seconds sometimes when I try to perform certain actions (For example sometimes when I open the keyboard it get stuck for a few minutes or not open at all)

Go back to full stock rom and test. If still the same then you have bad memory blocks, the freezes are the os 'stepping around' them. Only solution is a new motherboard.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

boomboomer said:
Go back to full stock rom and test. If still the same then you have bad memory blocks, the freezes are the os 'stepping around' them. Only solution is a new motherboard.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer!
What is exactly a "bad memory block" and how a certain memory block become one? How can it be avoided? I have some experience with micro-processors and low-level memory and I developed some apps for android so I know a little about the system, so I'd be glad if someone can give me a more technical explanation of this problem.

Samsung fitted an eMMC chip with low specification (my opinion) then botched the wear levelling of memory write operations, until 4.1.2 was released. Users who remained on 4.0 suffered most, with nand damage (maximum writes exceeded) on the worst blocks.

Well, I ended up flashing the stock ROM, but it didnt solved my problem, according to your last reply, I understood there is no solution to this problem from the software side, so I guess ill have to buy a new one.
The weird part is, I got the phone with 4.0.4 version installed, but I didnt stayed with this version long before I started to flash custom ROM's. So maybe it has nothing to do with the way Samsung treated the wear levelling problem and it's just the eMMC chip itself which is low quality. After all, many other Samsung products we're using this version and I didn't heard people complaining about similiar issues on devices other than the Samsung S3 i9300 model.
Thanks for your time anyway!

Related

Super slow performance I9300

Hi guys,
I have a problem,
Since last week I was using the omega rom. I was following it since version 8, I guess, and I always had a really poor performance:
Home screen redraw, no matter which launcher I use
Poor multitasking, I tried different kernels and swap
Freezing while typing or running the applications
No response to touch or scrolling and then going crazy
And probably more stuff...
so I decided to go back to stock rom.
I reset the counter, flash stock rom with odin to the latest version which Samsung just pushed to Italy and factory reset. then I decided not to install any unnecessary application to see the results but unfortunately all problems are still present
Any idea what can I do?!!!
Thanks in advance
Total wipe of the phone .
Questions = Q&A
jje
Factory Tezer and woord all data
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
I forgot to mention but after going back to stock I already did factory wipe and wipe cache, so the phone status is normal right now. No root after that but still facing all the issues.
Go to Samsung. May be a faulty unit
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
u interested in trying CM?
I can go for CM, but I really don't know my phone has a problem or not. Most of my friends around me have S3 and I was trying to face the same problems on their phone but I wasn't successful. So I started thinking maybe there is something wrong with my phone. Specially when I face stupid problems like scrolling in the app menu or redrawing of home screen even if I just check the phone-book or messages.
Does this sudden death of S3 has anything in common with my problems?!!! just curiosity...
h_b1985 said:
I can go for CM, but I really don't know my phone has a problem or not. Most of my friends around me have S3 and I was trying to face the same problems on their phone but I wasn't successful. So I started thinking maybe there is something wrong with my phone. Specially when I face stupid problems like scrolling in the app menu or redrawing of home screen even if I just check the phone-book or messages.
Does this sudden death of S3 has anything in common with my problems?!!! just curiosity...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some users reported very laggy and poor performance before their phones died. It is a known problem of emmc wear it seems.
How old is your phone anyway?i am sorry but my phone is superfast no matter the rom i have used. And i had quite some...i doubt that CM will do you any good.
I bough it on June, which makes my phone almost 6-7 months...
h_b1985 said:
I bough it on June, which makes my phone almost 6-7 months...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do one more thing. Install EMMC Brickbug Check from the play store. Once you started check if you have the infamous VTU00M chipset and revision 0xf1. It seems that a specific lot of this chip revision have the firmware issue that leads to SDS.
I checked that, and yes I have that chip set but since I did the check on all my friends phone including five S3 and one galaxy note and all of them were showing same result I was considering maybe it's not the problem.
h_b1985 said:
I checked that, and yes I have that chip set but since I did the check on all my friends phone including five S3 and one galaxy note and all of them were showing same result I was considering maybe it's not the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only some of the VTU00M chips have this problem. The problem is caused by corrupted data due to a bug in the emmc's firmware and the new XELLA kernel (and others)
are supposed to fix that.
So should I take the phone to Samsung or wait for a complete death to hit my phone
It's kind of difficult to convince them that the phone has a problem, because most of the problems will go after a reset and then after couple of hours everything will be again super slow...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
h_b1985 said:
So should I take the phone to Samsung or wait for a complete death to hit my phone
It's kind of difficult to convince them that the phone has a problem, because most of the problems will go after a reset and then after couple of hours everything will be again super slow...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If i were you i would put my phone in a totally stock status. With TA and all that. After that if the problem persists i will go to samsung after some time
so at least will show the poor performance when checked. At this moment i bet most of the Samsung service centers know about the emmc issue and you might get a motherboard replacement.
Total wipe,reset,format + stock jellybean = high performance
Hope it helps
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Thanks my friend, I already went back to stock. I will try to go to Samsung service center as soon as possible.
qavro said:
Do one more thing. Install EMMC Brickbug Check from the play store. Once you started check if you have the infamous VTU00M chipset and revision 0xf1. It seems that a specific lot of this chip revision have the firmware issue that leads to SDS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had the sudden death issue before. Sent my phone off, had it fixed and returned. Mother board replaced. but after getting it back my phone feels rather laggy and slow.
Just downloaded the EMMC app and found I do have VTU00M chipset and revision 0xf1. (after being fixed)
so what should I do now? Currently running stock JB, no root. would i be best off rooting and adding xella kernal?
cheers

SIII Dying/freezing - SDS?

So sometime in the last week or 2, my I9300 started randomly freezing up and/or shutting off by itself.
it's usually a while after booting - i'll come to unlock it, and the LED will be showing Blue. Clicking any of the buttons doesn't do anything, nor does waiting a while.
Holding down the power button for a few seconds boot/reboots the phone though, and it works normally when it starts back up again - although after a while it will die again.
Sometimes it runs for hours, sometimes just minutes.
Occasionally, it will freeze up while i'm actually using it - the screen stays on, frozen in place, but the touchscreen and buttons won't do anything (although oddly, multiple clicks of the home button make the colours invert?).
Anyway, i thought this soundsed a bit like this 'Sudden Death' bug, but how do I know? I installed and ran the eMMC check app and it says:
Phone Model: Samsung GT-I9300
eMMC chip: Type VTu00M, Date 05/2012, CID 15010056545530304df1f900755f5f5f, FwRev oxf1
SGS3 Sudden Death? YES. Insane chip.
My question is - what does this mean? Do i have the problem and just need to make sure i run a kernel with the fix, or is the phone now broken and needs replacing/fixing?
If it does need fixing, do i need to revert it to stock ROM and run triangleaway or anything before i send it in, or is it fine how it is?
It's currently running crDroid 11.1 XXELLC, and it was at the time i started noticing the problem. I'm using Siyah 1.8.9, although i was using an earlier version before (can't remember what).
Same problem here... i don´t know what to do... today i make a lot of things to attempt to restore all but everything fail... i decided to talk with samsung and send the phone to repair, in a few days I hope to come to pick up the phone, I have to say that I had to pay 24 € for the shipping and after playing wait month or month and a half. is frustrating but hopefully come good repair.
One read the SDS thread . Two if you think you have the problem or a problem follow the how to revert to stock post and take to a service centre .
Freeze is more likely rom and or kernel .
???????
although oddly, multiple clicks of the home button make the colours invert AS IT SHOULD .
jje
thanks - have read the SDS thread and the stuff people were talking about there didn't really sound like what's happening for me, which is why i posted this thread.
I also thought that it sounded like the ROM or kernel, which is why I have now tried Siyah, tank, and boeffla kernel latest versions, as well as the foxhound, android revolution, and darky roms.
none have made a difference so far
I'm just looking for some ideas on what to do next - should i try reverting back to an Old rom/kernel, should i try a non-sammy based one, is it possible that my SD card is somehow causing the problem?
i didn't know that the multi-click thing inverted the colours - why does it though? it doesn't seem like something i'd want a shortcut to.
Wipe phone flash stock rom .
jje
Fixed it by moving from ELLA modem & wiping.
This thread is your solution : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2091045
so i wiped again and installed the MA2 modem - this made the freezing problem even worse so i wiped again and installed the ELKC modem.
this was on Monday and I hadn't had a single freeze until this morning, when it's frozen 4 times in the space of a few hours.
so i guess i'm flashing back to the factory image...
Lear95 said:
Fixed it by moving from ELLA modem & wiping.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Samsung S3 xxEMC2 and xxEMG4 lag/freeze problem, not insane chip f07

i looked on here for tips on how to fix my lag problem
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...php?p=50499120
I dont have the insane chip, u have fw7, bought samsung s3 on may 2013, manufacture date dec 2012. updated the rom 3 times from what i think originally was EMB1-EMB3-EMB5 and now EMC2 (supposedly an excellent stable rom with excellent battery life)
since monday I have been having a lag/freeze problem where the phone will become unsusable for about 5 secs, then if i start typing again, it''l freeze again.
can anyone shed light as to what has happened?
I tried the dummy file generator method, it didn't crash or freeze once when producing 5-6gb of data. it freezes after a few hours use and the only way to get it to work again is to either update an app or remove an app. very strange.
could it be a corrupted chip?
i've just updated to xxEMG4 (dont know why, i downloaded another yesterday but it failed to install so had to download again).
now i've tried it with the xxEMG4 and it still has the same problem, i'm trying to remove apps one by one to see if that improves the situation.
how can i test if my chip is damaged or in bad condition without rooting? is there any apps i can use? i've already tried the brickbug app but i am not rooted so unable to do the memory test
Don't post multiple threads on the exact same subject.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
I've been experiencing the same problem lately and think I might found a solution: it seems that, at least in my case, the problem is with the battery.
I switched batteries with a friend and the freezes stopped. The strange part is that my friend doesn't have freezes either.
I really don't know why the freezes happened or why changing the battery fixed it (or why my friend doesn't have the problem when using my battery).
So, try changing the battery if you can and test it. It's been a week with freeze-free for me, maybe it works for you too.
can anyone shed light on what is happening please?
a further update, i removed bbm app from it and tried to recreate the lag and freezing problems and it didn't so i was relieved that it was an app problem all along.. however i was experiencing battery drain problems which i couldnt figure out so i updated to the latest 4.3 and used that for a month. no lag or freeze problems at all.. the only issue is that 4.3 drained my battery quicker than on 4.1.2 as the lowest brightness wasn't as low as on 4.1.2. so i took the plunge and used odin and reflashed a fresh xxemg4 to my s3 on friday. i did a factory reset as settings kept closing and failing then initially when i started using an app it froze for a few secs then was ok so i thought nothing of it.. spoke too soon. i had the newest bbm on 4.3 and for a month did not experience any freezing, but then today it's freezing again!! i'm on 4.1.2 xxemg4 bear in mind.. i immediately removed bbm as that's what cured it originally, but the lagging/freezing is still there and comes abruptly like when i was using 3g, when i switch on wifi it goes away but am unable to recreate the problem,
is it likely that it's a hardware problem with the chip? remember for a whole month while i used 4.3. i had no freeze lag problem whatsoever (i dont want to use 4.3 by the way so that's not a solution) so does that rule out it being a hardware issue and must be software?
i really want to avoid taking it in to a service centre as all they'll do is flash to the latest rom which is 4.3. (which i have already done) and the removing bbm didn't work unfortunately so im stuck now as to what is causing this freezing/lagging??
is there anyway to diagnose it?
pete101 said:
can anyone shed light on what is happening please?
a further update, i removed bbm app from it and tried to recreate the lag and freezing problems and it didn't so i was relieved that it was an app problem all along.. however i was experiencing battery drain problems which i couldnt figure out so i updated to the latest 4.3 and used that for a month. no lag or freeze problems at all.. the only issue is that 4.3 drained my battery quicker than on 4.1.2 as the lowest brightness wasn't as low as on 4.1.2. so i took the plunge and used odin and reflashed a fresh xxemg4 to my s3 on friday. i did a factory reset as settings kept closing and failing then initially when i started using an app it froze for a few secs then was ok so i thought nothing of it.. spoke too soon. i had the newest bbm on 4.3 and for a month did not experience any freezing, but then today it's freezing again!! i'm on 4.1.2 xxemg4 bear in mind.. i immediately removed bbm as that's what cured it originally, but the lagging/freezing is still there and comes abruptly like when i was using 3g, when i switch on wifi it goes away but am unable to recreate the problem,
is it likely that it's a hardware problem with the chip? remember for a whole month while i used 4.3. i had no freeze lag problem whatsoever (i dont want to use 4.3 by the way so that's not a solution) so does that rule out it being a hardware issue and must be software?
i really want to avoid taking it in to a service centre as all they'll do is flash to the latest rom which is 4.3. (which i have already done) and the removing bbm didn't work unfortunately so im stuck now as to what is causing this freezing/lagging??
is there anyway to diagnose it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so i've tried it for 2 days now and the lag and freeze keeps coming back and the only thing which stops it is if i install another app and it seems to reset for a couple days.. could it be to do with the sudden wake up opening the device?
i dont have the insane chip and it never freezes or lags in 4.3. (but i dont want to use that cos it has bigger battery drain than 4.1.2) is this definitely a hardware issue but if i go to the store they'll just flash it to the latest firmware (4.3.) which i dont want AND it wont freeze lag anymore.. but that still doesn't resolve the underlying issue that it may be a hardware problem with the chip? how would i get them to replace the chip if i cant show them the issue in 4.3.??
can someone help me please???
pete101 said:
can someone help me please???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok i've diagnosed it down to the fact one of the cores seems to go offline during the freezing lagging and usually after i wake it up from sleep.
i use os moniter which tells me the info about the device.. it's a quad core phone international model and has the cores listed 0, 1, 2, 3.
i've noticed that when it lags and freezes cores 1 and 2 go to 'offline' with a '?' next to the info as oppose to 100000 or 4000000 etc
does anyone have any idea what is happening to my handset?
is it really a hardware issue? as i mentioend before when i used 4.3. i have no lag issues whatsoever at least i think i dont but if there is an underlying hardware issue it'll be hard for me to get this fixed. it seems the firmware just smoothes over the problems rather than fixes it.

[Q] Xperia Ultra increasingly slow/ unresponsive screen

To keep things simple, I had a cracked screen on the Ultra which was replaced last week. However now the phone screen is slow and unresponsive after about a minute of use (fast & like new after right turning on however).
Ive tried the mod tweak found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2522657
As well as the thermal screen calibration here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2470070
There is no change with either mode. Cleaning with alcohol only works for a few minutes, and yes Ive removed the ASF for no change.
It should be noted that when booted at first minute or two, the touch inferface is quick and brilliant. After a minute or so it gets slower and remains so. Typing a text is a gruelling affair at that point,
Ran 4.3 android and updated to 4.4.4 and also no change in performance.
Does anyone have any ideas/ tips or pointers?
HELP!?!
An app with a memory leak?
Looks quite normal. RAM 1.1GB used; 600MB free.
Unless thats not what were talking about?
EDIT: might be up to something. using advanced kill on Go taskmanager EX and its seemed to do improve the situation in the short term. Will keep testing
Well got about that far thus far. The advanced kill works sometimes, but none of the apps look out of whack (from my basic knowledge anyhow)
Any help/ links in diagnosing a memory leak would be very appreciated.
Don't suppose you've got the Google now launcher? I had to uninstall as they introduced a memory leak in the last update.
Un updated it just in case.
Its tough as even watchdog lite isint detecting much. com.google.android.gms:snet at startup took 22% CPu but otherwise its steady.
Grr jezz I even did a factory reset to 4.4.4 and its still there. Would trying a custom rom help?
Well as an update manage to completely wipe and reinstall the OS. No change in performance however
Does anyone know if a faulty screen install could be to blame for this?
icehawk223 said:
Well as an update manage to completely wipe and reinstall the OS. No change in performance however
Does anyone know if a faulty screen install could be to blame for this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could well be, but i find it strange that it acts normal again after a reboot? That alone indicates that it's something wrong with the software. I still hold a finger on a process gone wild. Do you have Recovery installed? If yes, re-flash the ROM or flash something else and see if that solves it. I would personally flash a stock ROM and flash it with Flashtool so you don't have to root or void any warranties, and it'll be the simplest thing to do in case the screen is still acting weird after flash, and you want to get it checked out again (since it most certainly will be a hardware issue at that point).
So, fire up Flashtool, download a complete stock ROM (TFT), flash it, test it. Is it working fine now? Sweet. Keep using the ROM. Is it still the same thing? Contact the repair center again and tell them what's up and please do tell them that you've already done a factory reset, since that's the first thing they'll do themselves. Do not tell them about Flashtool or any other hacks or tweaks. They'll probably blame you if they think that you're an XDA user. "Oh, so you've been playing with it, and you bricked it and wanna fix it for free, bla bla".
Ask if they can open the device again and check that everything is fine and that you haven't received a faulty panel.
Ive actually did a complete tft flash of the original xperia ultra software. No change whatsoever vs previous state.
Im increasingly suspecting a hardware issue. Could it be a poorly plugged in cable? Its random chugging/ smooth response is completely confusing...
icehawk223 said:
Ive actually did a complete tft flash of the original xperia ultra software. No change whatsoever vs previous state.
Im increasingly suspecting a hardware issue. Could it be a poorly plugged in cable? Its random chugging/ smooth response is completely confusing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you flash the exact same FTF that you've always used, or did you flash one from a different region? I would try the GPe ROM if i were you, just to be sure, but don't bother doing it if you're not rooted and ready to flash. Yes it can easily be a hardware issue, and you should probably contact Sony or your nearest service center.
As an update I tried installing a fresh tft flash of a different build but same issue.
Notably noticed that the notification light on the screen is not working at all, so currently looks like a hardware issue. Will keep updated for reference & visit a repair centre

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...
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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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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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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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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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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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