If you are unable to turn on your phone after an update or your phone gets stuck while booting, the problem is most likely firmware related and it’s not really a thing to be scared of as you can easily fix the problem by implementing few troubleshooting tips which we shall discuss in this post.
If you notice your Galaxy S20 is stuck or not booting successfully, here are solutions you can try to fix the issue.
In this guide, we’ll take you through some effective tips that you can try when your Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ or S20 Ultra won’t start or boot up due to some reason. Read on.
How to fix booting issue on Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra
1. Force restart the phone
This is the first line of action you must perform while encountering most smartphone problems. When you force restart the device, it basically shuts down and restarts all system services back again. This can help if the problem is minor and only software related. Follow the below steps to force restart your device.
- Press and hold the Volume down button and the power key together for 10 seconds
- When the device logo appears, release both keys and wait until the device restarts
If the phone is still not booting up, proceed to the next solution.
2. Restart your phone in safe mode
Safe mode is basically running your phone with limited functionality. When you activate safe mode, it basically disables all downloaded applications except the native apps that came preinstalled on the device. By doing this, it helps you figure out which app is causing the problem. To turn on safe mode, follow the steps below.
- Turn off your phone
- Press and hold your phone’s Power button until the device logo appears
- When the Samsung logo appears on the screen, release the Power key
- Then immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key
- Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device restarts
- Safe mode will show in the bottom left corner of the screen
- Release the Volume down key when you see Safe mode
3. Reset your phone
This solution is recommended if you think the issue is due to software bug and can be eliminated by restoring your device back to factory default. This procedure will delete all your files and data so backup is important but then since you cannot boot your phone, that won’t be possible.
Follow the steps below to factory reset your device.
- Press and hold the Volume down button and the Power key for a few seconds until the device turns off
- Then press and hold the Power and Volume Up keys for few seconds
- When the device logo is displayed, release the keys and wait until the Recovery menu appears
- Use the Volume Down key to highlight and select Wipe Data/Factory Reset
- Press the Power key to select the option
- Use the Volume Down button and highlight Factory data reset option
- Press the Power key to proceed
- After the factory reset completes, you will see the recovery menu again.
- Select Reboot System Now and press Power to restart the device
5. Flash the stock firmware
You can also choose to flash the device firmware and reinstall the ROM for a fresh installation. But we recommend this option only if you are sure about what you are doing as the procedure is a bit complicated.
Here is a step by step guide in how to flash the Samsung stock firmware.
1. Download latest Odin flasher from here
2. Install Samsung USB Drivers from here
3. Download official stock firmware depending on your model and region
- Samsung Galaxy S20: (SM-G981N), (SM-G981U), (SM-G981U1)
- Samsung Galaxy S20+: (SM-G986N), (SM-G986U), (SM-G986U1)
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: (SM-G988N), (SM-G988U), (SM-G988U1)
4. Extract the firmware file you just downloaded. You should get 5 files:
- AP (System &Recovery)
- BL (Bootloader)
- CP (Modem / Radio)
- CSC_*** (Country / Region / Operator)
- HOME_CSC_*** (Country / Region / Operator)
5. Extract Odin ZIP file
6. Open Odin and add each file to its respective field in Odin. Use CSC_*** for a clean flash or HOME_CSC_*** if you want to keep your apps and data. For example, you can add HOME_CSC_ prefix to generate the following file.
HOME_CSC_OMC_ODM_M315FODM1ATB8_CL17908533_QB29301746_REV00_user_low_ship.tar.md5
7. Reboot your phone in Download/Odin mode with one of the following button combos
- Power + Volume Down + Bixby
- Volume Down + Volume Up then USB cable
- Power + Volume Down + Volume Up
- Power + Volume Down + Home Button
8. Connect your phone to the PC with the USB cable you got with your phone. Odin should detect your device and a blue box will show up with the COM port number.
9. Make sure you do not tick any extra boxes.
10. Click the start button, wait for Odin to say ‘PASS’ in a GREEN box. Once the flash is complete, your phone will reboot, and you can disconnect your phone from the PC.
5. Visit Samsung care center
If the problem is still not resolved even after trying all the above solutions, you should visit your nearest Samsung care center for further assistance on the issue by a certified technician.