How can I escape this Android Restart Infinity Loop?
October 5, 2020 9:11 AM Subscribe
My Pixel 3 has been acting erratically for a while, and now appears to be trapped inside a restart loop which cannot be interrupted. If I can't get the phone to work long/well enough to do a factory reset, what are my options?
Pixel 3 running Android 11, although this problem predates the latest update. In addition to the restarts, the weird behavior also includes swapping over to camera mode and/or acting as if I'm holding down the power button. For a while it was intermittent, but last night it took a turn for the worse -- it will restart itself until it runs out of battery, and when I plug it in again it immediately begins the loop anew.
Things that I have tried that did not fix this:
-- Restarting into Safe Mode
-- Uninstalling any apps I've downloaded recently
-- Uninstalling a ton of other apps out of desperation
This is apparently a known issue, and the official instructions (as well as most unofficial ones) indicate that I should back up the phone and then do a factory reset. However, because the phone will not actually turn on all the way, neither of these are possible.
Is there any other way that I can fix this problem? This is my first Android phone (after years in the iPhone ecosystem) and I'm trying to figure out what my options are.
Losing the data on my phone wouldn't be the end of the world, but would suck pretty hard. I had thought I was already backing up my data, but it looks like that may have gotten switched off somehow (??) without my noticing somewhere along the way. I'm also not in a financial position to be buying a new phone if I can possibly avoid it.
If it matters: I have an macbook air and an imac as my personal computers. I could probably get a friend to help me with solutions that require a PC, but given the Current Circumstances the logistics would be tricky.
Pixel 3 running Android 11, although this problem predates the latest update. In addition to the restarts, the weird behavior also includes swapping over to camera mode and/or acting as if I'm holding down the power button. For a while it was intermittent, but last night it took a turn for the worse -- it will restart itself until it runs out of battery, and when I plug it in again it immediately begins the loop anew.
Things that I have tried that did not fix this:
-- Restarting into Safe Mode
-- Uninstalling any apps I've downloaded recently
-- Uninstalling a ton of other apps out of desperation
This is apparently a known issue, and the official instructions (as well as most unofficial ones) indicate that I should back up the phone and then do a factory reset. However, because the phone will not actually turn on all the way, neither of these are possible.
Is there any other way that I can fix this problem? This is my first Android phone (after years in the iPhone ecosystem) and I'm trying to figure out what my options are.
Losing the data on my phone wouldn't be the end of the world, but would suck pretty hard. I had thought I was already backing up my data, but it looks like that may have gotten switched off somehow (??) without my noticing somewhere along the way. I'm also not in a financial position to be buying a new phone if I can possibly avoid it.
If it matters: I have an macbook air and an imac as my personal computers. I could probably get a friend to help me with solutions that require a PC, but given the Current Circumstances the logistics would be tricky.
Response by poster: I tried the power button whack solution, and that may have been part of the issue as the reload cycle stopped. However, now it's just showing me the rainbow-G loading screen forever while the phone slowly overheats. :/
posted by Narrative Priorities at 10:47 AM on October 5, 2020
posted by Narrative Priorities at 10:47 AM on October 5, 2020
Is your phone under warranty still? I have had excellent experiences with Google Support chat. You may be able to get a replacement.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 12:04 PM on October 5, 2020
posted by Kitchen Witch at 12:04 PM on October 5, 2020
Repair: check to see if your phone is still under warranty & can be sent off for repair by the manufacturer. Failing that, you could try getting quotes for repair and/or quotes for data recovery. Replace: check to see if any of your friends have an used phone sitting around that they don't need any more -- the resale value for many android phones that aren't made by google/samsung is roughly zero.
posted by are-coral-made at 12:07 PM on October 5, 2020
posted by are-coral-made at 12:07 PM on October 5, 2020
I had a very similar experience with a OnePlus phone a couple of years ago. It turned out to be a fault on the mainboard of the phone.
posted by pipeski at 1:35 PM on October 5, 2020
posted by pipeski at 1:35 PM on October 5, 2020
I would hook it up to a computer and use Nexus recovery tool to install a custom ROM and/or wipe. At the very least you want to be sure your data is gone before sending it off. Sorry, I can't take the time to dig up links; I literally just had surgery. If you hit a wall, ask on xda dev forums. They're good peeps.
posted by liminal_shadows at 3:22 PM on October 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by liminal_shadows at 3:22 PM on October 5, 2020 [1 favorite]
I had this issue with a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge a few years ago. It turned out to be an unfixable problem and I had to get a new phone.
posted by tacodave at 6:11 PM on October 5, 2020
posted by tacodave at 6:11 PM on October 5, 2020
Response by poster: UPDATE: It is a motherboard problem! Y'all called it, guess I'm buying a new phone. 💀
posted by Narrative Priorities at 9:49 AM on October 6, 2020
posted by Narrative Priorities at 9:49 AM on October 6, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/cpc1c2/power_button_jammedstuck/
posted by talkingmuffin at 9:29 AM on October 5, 2020 [1 favorite]