Chosen Solution
How can I reverse it back to normal or buy new phone? I dont know what to do since it was rooted before I brought it
Hi Russel, You weren’t very specific about your phone, what you see, or the root of your device, so I will go over some things that have worked for me in the past. I know from reading that only certain models of newer Samsung phones have bootloaders that allow root access. I’ll assume you have one of these models, since you’ve mentioned it having been rooted, previously. First, there is a “hard brick” and “soft brick”. I’m also going to assume you have a “soft bricked” device, since you are seeing an “error” screen (a “hard bricked” device usually has very few, if any, signs of life). This can be caused by recent changes to system apps or firmware. The simple solution to this is to load a Nandroid Backup, which I don’t imagine you have. So, let’s try the usual stuff, starting from the beginning! if what you are seeing is a blue screen with a white android robot on it, it could be doing a couple different things based on what pictogram is on the robot’s torso. If the robot has a circular “recycle”-style pictogram, then your phone is in the process of installing an update. If the robot has a triangle with an exclamation mark, thenthen your phone is in “download mode”. It’s used for flashing firmware, mostly. The first thing to do is try a hard reboot. You do that by holding down the POWER and VOLUME DOWN buttons, at the same time, for about seven seconds. This will cause your device to restart, no matter what it is currently doing (WARNING: losing power during system updates, or other critical events, will cause your device to soft brick!). If your device starts normally after that, check to see if you need an OS update. You’ll need to be on Wi-Fi before you check for updates, usually. Go to Settings>Software Update>Download and Install. If there is an update for your phone, it will give you the option to install now, or at a later time. Your phone should be fully charged and plugged in before any system updates, so you don’t find yourself back here! The next thing you can try is booting your device into “safe mode”. It’s a little tricky, so don’t worry if you don’t get it the first time. You will need the phone powered off, completely. Hold down the power button. The device should begin to boot by showing “samsung GALAXY S8” “Secured by KNOX”. Continue holding the power button until that screen changes to black, then “SAMSUNG” starts to appear on the screen. Release the power button and immediately press and hold the volume down button until the device finishes booting. If you did it right, you should see a stock lock screen, and “SAFE MODE” in the lower left corner. While in safe mode, all installed third-party apps are disabled. It allows you to attempt to correct any issue with the apps that may be causing your device to malfunction. A good place to start, is by uninstalling the last app(s) you’ve installed. Even if the app just got an update. You can see what’s been installed and updated recently in Google Play Store, under Menu>My Apps & Games>Updates/Installed. If that doesn’t set your device back on track the next thing to try is wiping the DALVIK-CACHE (it’s actually ART after 4.4), which is a repository for Android app optimization files. Sometimes, changes to app settings or system settings can cause corruption here, and deleting it can correct some issues related to booting and normal operation. Usually, this is a last resort before you begin to consider flashing firmware. Boot your phone into Recovery Mode by starting with a powered down phone. Press and hold the Bixby Button and Volume UP, then ALSO press and hold the Power Button. You will see the model splash screen “samsung GALAXY S8”, then the screen may turn blue with the Android robot with a pictogram on him, briefly. It should continue to load and say Android Recovery at the top in yellow, followed by your official model codename, and whatever firmware is loaded. Using the Volume UP/DOWN buttons, scroll down to “wipe cache partition”, then use the Power button to select it. The next screen will say, in red, “wipe cache? THIS CAN NOT BE UNDONE!” Scroll down to “yes” and select it with the power button. It will wipe the cache then return you to the main menu of recovery. There, highlight and select “Reboot System Now”. Go ahead and give those things a try, in the order I’ve listed them (even if you’ve done some, or all, of them already!). Make sure to report back with whatever happens, good or bad! And if any of this works, go ahead and select “SOLVED” so somebody else in your shoes might find the fix they need!
