S4 restarting/rebooting itself - a very common problem it seems

[Jimbeam76]

I've had my unbranded Vodafone S4 since June and for most of the time, trouble free until this weekend.

On Saturday morning the phone started restarting/rebooting itself. Between then and now it has done this 11 times that I know off.

I have just googled the problem this evening and it seems a quite.......sorry...... very common problem. I have the latest OS installed, 4.3

Can someone offer me some advice on how I can get to the bottom of this. I don't really want to do this but would a Factory Reset be a good place to start.

[Retired-Dave]

Hi Jimbeam76,

As an unbranded handset, I don't have that much information regarding the Galaxy S4 firmware available to you.

I'd recommend backing up and trying a factory reset to clear any software issues. Test it before restoring your data to ensure a "clean" test.

Dave

[Jimbeam76]

I decided to do a Factory Reset last night, so I'll see if the phone plays nicely Also in alot of posts I've read on various forums about this matter, it may seem it's Battery related so I'll order myself a new battery after Christmas and give that a try too.

[hrym]

There has been a problem with a batch of S4 batteries, though this generally manifests itself by short life.   If you have a look at the battery and it's swollen, this would be an indication of that problem.  Samsung are aware of this and are replacing batteries.   You can contact them via the Support tab of the website.

A factory reset would certainly be the first place to start if the issue isn't the battery.  Don't forget to back up your content before you do it!  Afterwards, let the phone run in its vanilla state for a bit and see if the problem recurs.  If it doesn't, put your apps back one at a time.   If the problem starts up again, remove the last app.  If that solves it, then that's the cause.

If none of that works, then you'll need to take or send the phone to Samsung for repair.

[turk]

My galaxy S4 repaired 2nd time still same problem.will take vodastore 3rd n last time.by law if same prob occurs they have to replace the handset.

[Ben_H]

Hi turk,

I'm afraid there's no law or policy in place that says we have to replace the phone. If the repair centre deems your device would be cheaper to replace than repair then there can be exceptions there only. More details on our repairs process can be found here.

Remember, if you're not completely satisfied with the service we provide, you can seek a second opinion from the manufacturer directly. You can find full details on how to contact Samsung for a repair here.

Cheers, Ben

[hrym]

I think what turk is referring to is the relatively common practice of doing that.  One of the other networks provides a mail-order replacement service if your phone is faulty and will allow you to choose an alternative handset after 3 repair attempts.

To the OP.  If Vodafone are struggling with a repair, it can be better to go direct to Samsung as they have specific experience with their own products.  If the fault is intermittent, they frequently have a better success rate.

[turk]

By the way "rebooting itself" issue doesnt resolve itself doing factory reset or downloading latest software.dont even try or bother.take it to voda for repair.

[turk]

If Samsung handset needs repair ; unless you need courtesy phone, dont take it to Vodastore.Deal with Samsung direct.Because they send you prepaid jiffy to send back handset, battery and charger so they can test them all.Vodastore just middleman for repair between Samsung.And Vodastore take just handset to send NOT battery and charger to get tested too. Samsung the ultimate point to decide to replace or not. Their no : 01932454358

[Jimbeam76]

Since the Factory Reset, I haven't had any more problems.

Also I've order a new geniune Samsung battery, just incase it's battery related, which should arrive just after Christmas.