Jul 01, 2012 Was updating my SGS when it got stuck on the screen where Android is digging in the dirt and says Downloading. Do no turn off target. Do I take the battery out to get it to shut down I am not too impressed with this phone already and now its possessed it should have had a dead battery. Jan 15, 2013 HELP PLEASE -Galaxy Tab stuck on 'Downloading. Do not turn off target!! - Answered by a verified Android Device Expert. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our cookie policy unless you have disabled them. Jan 17, 2018 Have tried all options in forum.tablet is still stuck, says could not do normal boot. Product SM-T320. Does not turn off or on, just stuck on screen.
Welcome to another post that answers some questions posed by #GalaxyS4 users. We want to share you some of the easy potential solutions to your power- and charging-related problems.
These are the specific topics discussed today:
If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.
Problem #1: Galaxy S4 “Downloading…Do not turn off target!” error during boot up
I dropped my phone in water and immediately took out the battery. Being a teenager, I didn’t know I had to take out the SIM and SD card as well. I did, however, put it in rice as soon as I could (within an hour since I was at school and it occurred as I was walking home). I left it in rice for the average amount of time until my dad and I were completely sure it was 100% dry. When I booted it up, it turned on but in an unusual way.
The screen is black but it’s got a blown up Android bot in the middle with the words “Downloading…Do not turn off target!!” In the upper left hand corner, however, is a little square of tiny words. I don’t know what all is important in the wording so, to be on the safe side, I’m gonna type it all out. Better safe than sorry right?
“Factory Mode
Product Name: SCH-R970
Current Binary: Samsung Official
System Status: Official
Reactivation Lock: Off
Knox Kernel Lock: 0x0
Knox Warranty Void: 0x1
CSB-CONFIG-LSB: 0x30
Secure Download : Enable
Write Protection: Enable
eMMC Burst Mode enabled”
The first part about it saying Factory Mode is what worries me not only because this phone isn’t on a contract plan but also because that line is in red and the line that says “Secure Download : Enable” is in blue. I’m honestly not sure if any of that is important but I can’t take my phone in right now because my family has hospital bills to pay for and my phone is the least of our concerns money wise. Please help, even if I’m just being paranoid and it’s just a software update (which I checked for last week but it said it had already downloaded the latest update). — Tapanga
Solution: Hi Tapanga. We can see that you flashed a non-Samsung recognized ROM in your phone (because of the Knox Warranty Void: 0x1 flag). This means that your phone’s Knox status (which is Knox-disabled) will no longer allow you to upgrade to official firmware only possible if Knox status is enabled. It also means that you cannot change Knox status back to Knox-enabled. This is, however, not that important if you no longer plan on installing official Samsung firmware that requires Knox-enabled status.
If your phone boots up fine after the incident but shows a different boot up screen only, we think there’s anything to worry at this time.
Problem #2: “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped.” error on Galaxy S4
Today, 23rd July, I powered off the phone because I was in a meeting. After 2 hours I powered ON the phone (Galaxy S4), the phone booted until the screen prompting PIN code for SIM card, then a permanent message is being displayed, “Unfortunately, Phone has stopped.”
I can input PIN code and Security code to unlock the phone. However I cannot operate the phone as the error message is permanently displayed. I cannot also shutdown the phone using Power Off button. I have to remove the battery to shutdown the phone. Please assist. I purchased the phone in June 2013. — Juma
Solution: Hi Juma. If your S4 is unusable when in normal mode, try to do the basic software troubleshooting and see what happens. These are the specific things that you can do:
Wipe the cache partition
This first task aims to refresh the phone’s system cache. Sometimes, an outdated or corrupted system cache can lead to issues like the one you have. Deleting it to force the phone to create a new one usually works wonders. Here’s how to do it:
- Turn the phone off completely.
- Press and hold the Volume Up, Home and Power buttons.
- Release the Power button when the phone vibrates but continue holding on to the Volume Up and Home buttons.
- When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release both the Home and Volume Up buttons.
- Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
- Press the Power button to select the option.
- The phone will automatically restart once cache data are wiped out.
Perform a factory reset
If deleting the system cache won’t help, the next procedure to do is resetting your S4 firmware and settings to factory defaults. Also known as master reset, this procedure will erase everything that’s stored in the phone’s primary storage device. Make sure to create a backup of your personal data (photos, videos, contacts, etc) before you proceed. Just follow these steps:
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the following three buttons at the same time: Volume Up key, Home key, Power key.
- When the phone vibrates, release the Power key but continue to press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key.
- When the Android System Recovery screen appears, release the Volume Up and Home keys.
- Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘delete all user data’ is highlighted.
- Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
- When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
Problem #3: Galaxy S4 stuck at Samsung and AT&T logo screen
The phone sometimes randomly shuts down, and when I turn it back on it comes up with no signal then shuts back down after about 1 minute.
Then it reboots to the Samsung, then AT&T screen and does move from there.
If I do a battery pull the same thing happens again. I have done countless clear cache partition, factory resets, and also wiping my phone but nothing works.. And also the Wi-Fi was not able to turn on, but that issue was resolved.. What is happening with my phone. — Errol
Solution: Hi Errol. If the phone is stuck at the Samsung logo or AT&T screen, there must be something that prevents the entire boot sequence from being completed. And since you have tried the other basic troubleshooting stuff (wiping the cache, reset, etc), the next thing that you can do at your end is to flash a new or customized ROM. This process is similar to the process of installing a new operating system to a personal computer. You can use Google to search for relevant resources on how to do this.
Problem #4: Galaxy S4 screen flickers
Hey, I was hoping you guys could help me with my distress. recently my phone has just been shutting off randomly. This problem has only occurred a handful of times, but the issue I’m more worried about is that there seems to be a LED problem or problem with screen, or just the phone in general.
It started with some static flickers and LED static on the screen all the way on the right side of the phone. now it’s only been a few hours and the “static” has taken to cover almost half the phone on the right side. What should I do? Will I have to buy a new phone? — Taha
Solution: Hi Taha. An issue like this usually happens if a device was dropped or suffered hardware malfunction (especially on the screen assembly area). This cannot be resolved by the usual tips we provide in our blog. We also do not provide troubleshooting advice for any hardware issue so your best bet here is to bring the device to a shop so it can be checked. Lines or “static” flickers on the screen usually leads to screen replacement so you can expect to invest some bucks to have it fixed.
Problem #5: Galaxy S4 won’t power on when not connected to a charger
Whenever I turn my S4 off and I go to turn it on, it boots up and the Samsung logo appears then a few seconds later it it shuts down and shows a black screen and when I press the power button I then know it’s off. But when I turn it off and plug in my charger into a wall outlet and try to turn it on it boots up and shows the Samsung logo and then it stays on.
Can you please help me to understand why this happens. It works fine when it’s on but then this happens and it has only started a few days ago. — Shaun
Solution: Hi Shaun. A battery malfunction might be the reason behind this problem. If the current battery is failing and is no longer able to hold a charge, the phone won’t stay on for long before it shuts down again. Make sure to try another battery first, then do the basic troubleshooting suggested for others in this post.
Problem #6: Galaxy S4 battery drains fast and screen showing a colored line
I had used Lookout for years with no problems. My phone was at 50%, but it seemed to consume battery more quickly every day. I even use an accelerator. Today I tried a soft reset, a hard reset and all I can get is color across the screen. I have tried every tip I’ve come across. I am desperate! I am disabled, so I don’t have a way to go to a tech and I still owe a year on this phone! Please help. With my condition, I can’t be without a phone. Thanks for all of your help. — Jamie
Solution: Hi Jamie. If you have already tried doing the basic software troubleshooting (wiping the cache partition, factory reset, etc), there might be a hardware issue that needs special attention. As mentioned above, we don’t provide hardware troubleshooting and diagnostic tips so you are really left without much choice in the matter. We know it’s a difficult situation for you but your best option right now is to have the device checked by a professional.
If you are one of the users who encounters a problem with your device, let us know. We offer solutions for Android-related problems for free so if you have an issue with your Android device, simply fill in the short questionnaire in this link and we will try to publish our answers in the next posts. We cannot guarantee a quick response so if your issue is time sensitive, please find another way to resolve your problem.
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Welcome to another installment of our troubleshooting series where we aim to help our readers who own the #Samsung #Galaxy #J3 fix the issues that they are experiencing with their phone. This is a low cost smartphone aimed at the budget conscious consumer. While it does not have most of the features found on the high end premium smartphones this device can still provide an excellent user experience. Although this is a solid performing phone there are instances when certain issues can occur which we will be addressing today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the Galaxy J3 stuck in downloading mode issue and other related problems.
If you own a Samsung Galaxy J3 or any other Android device for that matter then feel free to contact us using this form. We will be more than happy to assist you with any concern that you may have with your device. This is a free service we are offering with no strings attached. We however ask that when you do contact us try to be as detailed as possible so that an accurate assessment can be made and the correct solution can be given.
If you would like to browse the previous parts in this series then check out this link.
You may also reach us at our Facebook and Google+ social media accounts.
J3 Stuck In Downloading Mode
Problem:My Galaxy J3 phone battery has been going down quickly over the last couple of weeks. Just assumed it was because I use the phone a lot. So it had died completely tonight and I plugged in the car charger. Got home and unplugged it and there is a blue screen with “Downloading… Do not turn off target” At the top left is Factory Mode (I think. It is too damn small to read), Current Binary: Samsung official, System Status: Official, Reactivation Lock: Off, Secure Download: Enabled. Can’t turn it off from the power button. Of course, this phone you can’t do a soft reset on. I do not want to go back to a factory reset cause I will never get my contact list back. What do I do?
Solution: To fix this problem try pressing and holding both power and volume down buttons for at least 10 seconds. Your phone should restart after this. In case the issue still persists then try wiping the cache partition of the phone from the recovery mode. This won’t delete your phone data.
If the above steps fails to fix the problem then you should consider doing a factory reset in recovery mode. Take note that this will erase your phone data.
J3 Stuck On Samsung Logo Screen
Problem: Samsung Galaxy J3, T-Mobile. Never rooted. Here is my issue(s) and what I tried without success:
- Few days ago, my phone was running flawlessly. Then I started receiving the message below:
“System UIDs Inconsistent UIDs on your system are inconsistent, you need to wipe your data partition or your device will be unstable”
Foolishly I ignored it every time it appeared. But lesson learned!
- Now, my phone is stuck at Samsung Boot Logon screen
- Worse, I didn’t make a backup of my phone data (contacts, photos, etc …). Therefore I do NOT want to wipe out data partition and start over.
What I tried:
- Smart Switch does not recognize my phone, nor does my pc. Even the latest version with newest USB driver
- Wipe cache partition did not work resulting in errors saying ‘E: can’t open’ and ‘Can’t mount’
- And various quick fixes that did not work such as removing SIM and SD cards
- I have exhausted all avenues suggested on web …
I am NOT versed into rooting and advanced troubleshooting techniques, but can follow directions to resolve the issue. Once more, I do not care about the phone, I ONLY need to retrieve contacts and photos …. I cannot do anything except go into recovery mode or download mode. Again, I do NOT want to lose the DATA on the phone especially contacts and photos….any suggestion is appreciated … many thanks!
S7 Edge Stuck Downloading Do Not Turn Off Target
Solution: If wiping the cache partition of the phone from the recovery mode does not fix the problem then it’s going to be difficult to retrieve your phone data as the next step that you will need to do in this case is a factory reset in recovery mode. You can however try to start the phone in Safe Mode. If you can access this mode then you will be able to retrieve your phone dtaa. Once the data has been retrieved you can then proceed with the factory reset.
J3 Constantly Freezing
Problem: Hi, I have a Samsung galaxy J3 that is constantly freezing. When the phone freezes, all the tasks continue but I can’t use the touchscreen, only the bottom touch buttons or physical buttons (if someone is calling me and it’s frozen, I can’t answer because the touch stop working but the phone continues normally). I already tried to factory reset and wipe cache in that reset mode but it’s always happening the same. Any thoughts on what can be the problem?
Solution: If a factory reset fails to fix the problem then this is most likely caused by a faulty display assembly or other internal component. The best thing that you can do right now is to bring the phone to a service center and have it checked.
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Downloading.. Do Not Turn Off Target Stuck
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