Samsung bricked many Galaxy phones with boot-loop inducing update

Facepalm: Samsung phone owners are furious over a recent bad patch. The tech giant issued an update that has caused multiple models to become unusable. Complaints flooded social media and forums shortly after the update was released.

On Wednesday, Samsung rolled out an update that rendered several older model Galaxy devices, including those in the Galaxy S10 series, Galaxy Note 10 series, Galaxy M51, and Galaxy A90, useless. The issue seems to be widespread, with cases reported in various countries such as Korea, the United States, Singapore, Australia, Belgium, France, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Germany.

Reddit users found that the faulty update resulted in their phones getting stuck in a boot loop. Even a hard reset did not solve the problem, with the cycle repeating upon restarting the phone. The only solution so far has been to perform a factory reset, causing some users distress over potentially losing valuable data.

“I just really really want my photos,” lamented one Redditor, highlighting the importance of regular data backups.

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While some users in South Korea managed to resolve the issue without data loss by visiting a repair shop, customers in the US faced difficulties with customer support.

“I contacted Samsung Care US on Twitter, and they mentioned they are working on a fix but have no definite timeline,” shared a Reddit user. “When I pointed out that Samsung Korea has a fix, they declined to comment on the actions of other regions.”

Samsung has reportedly fixed the software flaw and reissued the update. However, affected users are left with no choice but to perform a factory reset, restore a backup (if available), and then download the patched update.

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Samsung’s PR response downplays the situation, acknowledging the problem but emphasizing that it only impacts “a limited number” of devices.

“We are aware that a limited number of Galaxy smartphones running on Android 12 are rebooting continuously during an update to the latest version of the SmartThings app.”

The statement suggests that the issue stems from an update to the SmartThings app rather than the Android core, causing concern among users about future updates and device reliability.

Some users are questioning whether they can trust Samsung updates or invest in flagship phones after incidents like this. One Redditor expressed intent to opt for a used midrange phone instead of a flagship model to avoid potential issues.

This bug affects older devices on Android 12, reassuring users on later versions for now. However, the incident raises doubts about the longevity and reliability of Samsung devices.

Image credit: Petras Gagilas