A common question Android users may ask is “Why does my Android randomly restart itself?” At one point or another, every Android device I’ve owned has had this problem. There are a few common reasons your Android might restart on its own. Let’s take a look at them and see if we can fix it.
Cause #1 – Bad Apps
In most cases, random restarts are caused by a poor quality app. Try uninstalling apps you don’t use. Be sure the apps you do use are reliable, especially the apps that handle email or text messaging. My wife recently discovered her Galaxy S5 would restart sometimes when receiving a text message. Switching from the Verizon Messaging app to Hangouts for text messaging fixed that issue.
You may also have an app running in the background that is causing the Android to randomly restart. When a background app is the suspected cause, try the following, preferably in the order listed:
- Uninstall apps you don’t necessarily need. This goes especially for any apps that control sound, ringtones, wallpaper, have fancy widgets, or use GPS.
- Ensure all apps are on the latest version. Upgrade everything you have from the Play Store by going to “Menu” > “Settings” > “My Apps“.
- Uninstall apps that run in the background. From a fresh restart, go to “Settings” > “More…” > “Applications” > “Running“. If you see anything listed you can live without, uninstall it. If you cannot uninstall it, freeze the app if possible.
Cause #2 – System Apps Are Disabled
Did you play around with disabling Android apps? If you went too far and disabled apps that are required to run the Android OS, it may be causing your restarting issue. Have a look under “Settings” > “Applications” and swipe over to the list of apps that are “Turned Off” or “Disabled” and enable any apps that may be needed for your device to function properly.
Cause #3 – Overheating
Many Android devices are designed to shut off automatically if they become too hot. If you have your device out on a 100 degree day while trying to use 4G, GPS, and the screen is set to the brightest setting, it might restart itself or shut down. Try to take it easy and maybe disable features you don’t need.
Overheating shutdowns shouldn’t be a regular problem though. If your device is overheating regularly, contact the retailer or manufacturer about it.
Cause #4 – Loose Battery
Of course, this problem only occurs on devices with a removable battery. My Droid 1 and Samsung Galaxy S4 were notorious for suddenly restarting. Sometimes they would shut off and never turn back on. It turned out that in both cases, the battery was coming a bit loose. Just a slight jab at the device would quickly unseat, then re-seat the battery, causing it to reset.
The most common reason for this is the rear cover has become slightly bent and is no longer holding the battery into place. Another reason is the gold battery connectors are bent out of shape. Over time, the connectors may get worn down.
There are two ways to tackle a problem with a loose battery:
- Purchase some mounting tape, then affix a small piece to an area of the rear cover so that it holds the battery into place better.
- Turn the device off, remove the rear case and unseat the battery. Locate the battery connector pins. If possible, use a small screw driver to pry the connectors into a position where they will make better contact with the battery.
Cause #5 – Corrupted System Software
Sometimes the Android system software gets corrupted. If you are using a custom Android ROM, try a different version of the ROM or another type of ROM altogether. If you’re not using a custom ROM, your only option may be to try a factory reset of the device. Beware though, a factory reset will erase data from your device. On most Android devices, you can perform a factory reset by going to “Settings” > “Backup & reset” > “Reset device“.
Cause #6 – Stuck Button
Sometimes the “Power” button can get some water or gunk stuck in it. Be sure that nothing is jammed in the button opening. Also check to make sure your case is not putting pressure on the button at all.
Cause #7 – Defective Hardware
If everything above has been tried and your Android is still randomly restarting itself, you may just have a bad device. Contact the retailer or manufacturer about the problem. You may not have that option if you have a custom Android ROM installed. In that case, you may want to take your question to the maker of your particular ROM.
FAQ
My Android is low on battery power and restarts when plugged in. Why is it doing this?
You are likely not giving the device enough power. Ensure you use the correct power adapter and cable and plug the Android into a wall outlet, not a computer or other device with USB ports.
Do you have any other advice for your Android that restarts? Share it in the Comments section below.
Tomas Ström says
DO NOT pry on the battery contacts! I can’t even begin to tell you how many phone I have repaired in a workshop that people destroyed the contacts on. I have yet to see a phone where the contacts are the culprit for reboot issues.
Faro says
Hey guys, my Lenovo does the same thing as Rajat posted (pls see his comment). After two months, somehow it decided to wake up. It looks/looked perfect, but this morning it started to do that endless rebooting again. However, this time it decided to turn on, keep functioning normal for a while, and then get into that routine again. It must be a common problem with Lenovo (No more Lenovo again!)
DemnChris says
My sony phone keeps restarting whenever i turn it on. I really need help on this one :(
Shubha says
My mobile restarts when i close my recently used apps…Y is it so? Please help me solve this …
Keena says
Please help me, I can’t do anything at all on my phone. I think removing the battery would have solved this, but my phone has a non-removable battery. All my phone is doing is shutting off then back on. I can not do anything at all, I really need help!
Keena says
Ok so I was just watching a youtube video on my phone, and i turned the volume up. Then the whole screen froze and my phone shut off. Now it’s just shutting itself on and off and I can’t do anything with it!! I have an alcatel one touch fierce evolve 2 xl ( I think it’s called that ) CAN SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE??
jack says
hi my lenovo A916 keep restarting again and again until when I plug it on charger,what could be the problem please help
MrE says
the galaxy s3 mini I use only ran 2 apps now it just keeps restarting over and over I think its just defective
Bendo versluut says
Yes very helpful though unable to find what I need ,my umx phone just shut off and won’t turn back on when i plug it in the start up screen shows then phone shuts off and restarts when I put battery back in with it plugged in to the charger it shows100% it came on once for about a min n a half then the bs started over again n e help would be greatly appreciated thanx
Z says
IT WORKED FOR ME. Though factory reset was the worst option I could think about it helped…Thanks for reading this comment!
Wally Whyte says
My Innjoo i2s has been going off and on lately. Sometimes I plug it on when phone is down and I see 99%. Changed battery yesterday and still same thing. Now I’ve been charging for over 30 minutes and it’s still on 1%. What do I do? If I try making or receiving calls it goes off and reboots. Sometimes it goes off and never comes on making the phone to overheat.
Chris K. says
what if a factory reset does not solve the problem? Is there any way to check for missing or corrupt files Within The Android operating system? Sort of like a scan disk that Windows used to use? My phone now Works but it only sort of works if that makes sense. I don’t have many apps running on it and ironically, when it was working perfectly, I probably had about 135 apps. I probably now have something like 25. I have no malware, viruses or anything malicious on the phone. All of my temporary junk files and cache has been deleted. It’s an LG G3 running Android 5.0.1 that worked absolutely Flawless for a little over two years and now is not working. Occasionally it’ll take 5 minutes to boot from the logo screen but sometimes it only takes 20 seconds. Other problems include apps that never load past the background colors. And sometimes, when I turn it on there’s an exclamation point where the data connection signal should be. Help! I probably put in a good 24 hours worth of work on this phone
Rajat says
My phone isn’t working properly. It is just showing two three seconds of boot animation and it looks like this same is put on loop. It never finishes its booting operation and just keep on rebooting itself. First it shows company’s logo and then the model name and this happens again and again. It itself when it consumes all the power.
Mr farhan says
Hi . my lenovo s850 keep restarting again and again and again until i plugged in the charger even when my battery is 100% . pls help .
bekher says
I reset my phone for the first time, and it still cannot fix my phone…and I reset my phone with no memory card inside my phone for the second time, it fixed my phone and it works well now. I format my memory card to ensure that there is nothing left in my memory card to avoid the same problem happened again
Amal says
my nokia xl is restarting everytime after a service sometime it works upto 20 minutes sometimes it switch off at the time of booting itself normally it works for more time when the battery charge is below 50 percent????