A common issue Android users experience with their device is a reboot loop or a sudden restart. For some, the phone will restart itself and then appear to work normally until it suddenly restarts again. These restarts could be hours or even days apart.
For other users, the phone may start a reboot loop. This is when the device restarts over and over without ever stopping. The phone never allows you to unlock it before it goes into another restart.
Read the article below to learn how to fix an Android phone that keeps rebooting.
How to Fix an Android Phone That Keeps Restarting
An Android phone could be restarting for a number of reasons. They range from software, faulty apps, settings, to hardware issues.
Update the OS
If your phone’s operating system is out of date, your phone may be struggling. This could initiate a restart. To resolve this issue, update your phone’s operating system to the latest version.
- Open “Settings.”
- Scroll down to “Advanced” and tap it.
- Select “System updates.”
- Tap “Check for Update.” Your phone will let you know if there is an update available. Follow the instructions on the screen to download the latest OS.
Your phone will automatically reboot during the update. When it’s done, it should begin working normally again.
Clear Storage
If you’ve used all the storage on your phone, the operating system may be struggling to function. If there’s insufficient storage to add and remove operating files, the phone may try restarting itself to fix the issue. To clear storage on your phone, do the following.
- Open “Settings.”
- Tap on “Storage.”
- Click the “Clean up space” button and follow the prompts to remove unneeded files.
Once you’ve cleared out some of your files, the phone should stop restarting itself.
Force Stop App
Sometimes it’s an app that’s causing the problem and making the phone restart itself. Even if you’ve closed the app, it may continue to work in the background. This is generally a glitch that can be resolved by force-stopping the app.
- Open “Settings.”
- Click on “Apps.”
- Tap on the app that won’t close.
- Choose “Force stop.”
Once the app is force-stopped, the phone should quit restarting. You can open the app again and use it as you usually would.
Force Restart
If your phone is stuck in a reboot loop, you may not even have the opportunity to access the operating system. In this case, a forced restart may work to shut the phone down and break the loop.
- Press and hold the power and volume down buttons at the same time.
- Hold these buttons for a minimum of twenty seconds.
- Let go when you see the screen turn off.
Once the phone goes through the restart process, it should break the loop.
Remove Case
Phone cases are phenomenal for protecting our phones from drops and other damage. They can also interfere with parts of the phone. Usually, cases will have cutouts for different components of the phone, like the charge port, camera, volume buttons, and speakers.
Some brands may not, and block different phone components the user doesn’t use daily. This can cause problems with overheating and could cause the phone to restart. Cases need to be precisely cut to avoid interfering with the buttons. If yours is flawed, it may be pressing on the power button just enough to cause a restart.
Remove the case and see if the restarting issue resolves.
Remove External Battery
If you use an external battery with your phone, you may experience a restart issue. External batteries only send the amount of power necessary to charge the phone. As the battery ages, this feature may start to fail and push too much power to the phone.
Your phone may start to force itself to restart to protect its internal battery. Remove the external battery, and the restart issue should resolve itself.
Plug Into Wall Outlet
You may also experience a restart issue if the battery is low on power. This is a prevalent issue as the battery in your phone ages. The battery forces the restart as part of a glitch. Try plugging the phone into a wall outlet.
If this resolves the problem, try to keep your phone from getting too low in battery power, and the restart issue should go away.
Turn Off Auto Restart
Some phone brands, such as Samsung, have an auto-restart feature as part of their device settings. While this feature is there to help extend the life of your device, if it ever glitches, it can cause the phone to restart when it shouldn’t.
- Open “Settings.”
- Tap on “Device Care.”
- Click the three dots in the upper-right corner.
- Choose “Automation”.
- Toggle the switch off on “Auto restart.”
The restart issue should resolve itself once this setting is turned off. Try restarting your phone and then turn the feature back on. Sometimes this is enough for the feature to begin functioning normally again. Other users may have to leave the feature turned off permanently.
Reboot in Safe Mode
If you suspect the phone may be restarting because of an app, try rebooting into safe mode to confirm. Safe mode is a test run to a factory reset. In this mode, the phone operates with no downloaded apps and no setting changes. To reboot in safe mode:
- Turn off the device.
- Turn the phone back on.
- When you see the logo, press and hold the volume down key.
If the phone operates normally in safe mode, the issue is likely due to a malfunctioning app.
Remove Apps
If you recently downloaded an app, try deleting it to see if the issue resolves. You’re more likely to experience problems if you downloaded an app from outside the Google Play Store, called sideloading.
Even apps downloaded from the Google Play Store can experience glitches and issues. Start with the apps you downloaded most recently. If the restart stops, it is likely the app. If the app is a Google Play Store verified app, the issue was probably a glitch in the software and not a malicious virus. Try re-downloading the app for a better result.
If the app was sideloaded or isn’t Google Play Store verified, it’s recommended that you remove it and not attempt to re-download.
Reset to Factory Settings
A factory reset should be your last resort. It removes all apps, media, and other files you’ve added to the phone. It also resets all of your settings. This will wipe out any hidden virus or faulty file.
- Open “Settings.”
- In the search bar, type “Factory data reset.”
- Select “Factory data reset.”
- Tap “Reset” to Erase all data.
Once you’ve reset your phone, it will ask if you want to restore the phone from a backup or start fresh. If you restore from backup and the virus was in a cache file, your phone will begin to work normally. If the restart issue resulted from an app or corrupt media file, the phone might experience a restart issue.
If the issue continues, factory reset and set up the phone without using your backup.
Faulty or Broken Hardware
If no solution seems to work, the restart may be from aging, faulty, or broken hardware. The culprit is most likely the battery. Older batteries can experience restart issues. If the phone was recently dropped, experienced water damage, or overheated, it could be restarting in an attempt to repair itself.
You may also have a phone with a rare faulty battery. Either way, you must contact your phone’s manufacturer, service provider, or a third-party repair shop. The battery needs to be replaced to resolve the issue.
Restarting All Day, Every Day
A restarting Android phone could result from various problems. Luckily, there are just as many potential solutions for you to try.
Were you able to fix an Android phone that keeps rebooting? Which solution worked for you? Let us know all about it in the comments section below.
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