Samsung produces high-quality smartwatches packed with necessary health-tracking features. The Galaxy Watch 4 is one of them that can help you stay aligned with your fitness goals. However, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Even a premium watch can run into problems.
There are many complaints regarding the bootloop issue on Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. The watch just keeps on rebooting itself in a loop. It will unlikely get back to normal until you try the troubleshooting methods.
Bootloop issues are frustrating, especially when it happens to your smartwatch. You won’t be able to track your daily fitness goals. There can be a lot of inconvenience and the battery will keep draining. So, if you’re a fitness freak who regularly monitors health data, you need to fix the bootloop issue at the earliest.
Before diving into the solutions, it’s important to understand the potential reasons that can trigger the bootloop condition. You’ll have a better understanding of the problem, resulting in effective troubleshooting.
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What Causes the Galaxy Watch 4 to Get Stuck in a Bootloop?
Third-party apps are found to be the most common reason for a Galaxy Watch to enter a bootloop. Although they extend the functionalities, some apps may not be compatible. They can cause various issues to the watch, including the bootloop issue.
If the bootloop issue has occurred after you’ve recently installed an app, most likely it is causing the trouble.
Sometimes, unfinished software updates also trigger the bootloop problem. You should also check if the power button is stuck in a pressed situation. It will keep restarting the device.
Long water exposure can also trouble your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. If you have dropped it in the water or worn it on your wrist during a long hot shower, it may trigger the bootloop.
How to Fix Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Stuck on Bootloop Issue
Fixing a Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 that is stuck on bootloop should not be complicated if you follow the steps correctly. If you already know the problem, navigate to the most effective solution. Others can follow the methods in the chronological order until the problem is resolved.
So, let’s begin our troubleshooting to get your Galaxy Watch up and running again.
1. Perform Some Basic Checks
First things first, check if the power button is stuck in a pressed condition. If so, your Galaxy Watch 4 will keep rebooting and it won’t fix itself. Remove the dust and dirt around the power button and press the button a couple of times.
If the watch is still stuck on the bootloop, carefully inspect the device if it’s wet or has signs of hardware damage. In case of hardware damage, you’ll need to take it to a Samsung service center to get it repaired. However, if the device is wet, dry it out as mentioned in solution #4.
2. Force Restart Your Galaxy Watch 4
Performing a forced restart on your Galaxy Watch 4 can fix the bootloop issue. It’s an effective solution if the bootloop issue is caused by updating the watch’s firmware, installing a third-party app, or updating an app.
Step 1: Hold Down the Home and Back Buttons
To force restart your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, locate the home/power button and the back button. Press both buttons simultaneously and hold them.
Step 2: Keep Holding the Buttons
Keep holding the home button and back button and carefully look at your watch’s screen.
Step 3: Release the Buttons
Release the buttons when you see “Rebooting…” on the screen. It can take up to 10 seconds.
After releasing both buttons, wait patiently for the watch to reboot. It can take a couple of minutes. Do not press any buttons while the watch is rebooting.
Force restart is an effective method to deal with pretty much all software issues on your Galaxy Watch. However, it does not work every time. If you had hard luck fixing the bootloop issue, don’t worry. There are still a couple of effective approaches to try.
3. Power Off Your Watch Using Reboot Mode
Samsung Galaxy watches have the Reboot Mode that can be used to tackle the bootloop issue.
Here’s how to enter the reboot mode:
- Press and hold the power/home button and back button.
- Release the buttons when you see “Rebooting…” on your Galaxy Watch 4 screen. [Important: Do not release the button when you watch shows Power off or Restart.]
- After releasing both buttons, quickly press the power/home button repeatedly until your watch enters the Reboot Mode.
- From the available option on Reboot Mode, select the Continue option. It should already be highlighted. To navigate through the options, you can use the home/power button.
- Now, press and hold the power/home button to reboot your Galaxy Watch.
- Keep holding down the button until your watch displays “Rebooting…”.
If it does not resolve the bootloop problem, go to the Reboot Mode options and select Power Off. Doing this will power off your Galaxy Watch 4. After a few minutes, power it on by holding down the power button for a few seconds.
4. Dry Out Your Watch
If your watch has accidentally come in contact with water, it could have triggered the bootloop issue. You need to dry it out to get it up and running again.
Do you remember those old tricks to quickly remove water droplets from electronic devices? If you can’t, let me refresh your memory. Simply put your watch in a bag full of rice. Leave it there for a few hours before you take it out and try turning it on.
Alternatively, you can place your water-affected Galaxy Watch 4 in a container along with a desiccant like the silica gel packets you get with electronics purchases. Forget your watch for 24 hours.
If you can’t manage to find silica gel packets, simply place the Galaxy Watch 4 near a fan that’s blowing room-temperature air. Do not use heated air as it can damage components.
5. Drain the Battery and Charge It Again
Some Galaxy Watch owners managed to fix the bootloop issue by draining the battery completely and charging it again to its maximum capacity.
Remove the charger (if it’s connected) and wait for the Galaxy Watch 4 to drain. When it’s drained completely, the screen won’t turn on. You can try powering it on to verify.
When the device can’t boot up itself, place it on the charger and leave it for 3-4 hours. Do not try to be cheeky by powering it on before fully charging the device.
After your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is charged fully, press and hold the power/home button to power it on.
6. Clear the Cache
The Galaxy Wearable app and the watch store cache for faster access to data/functions being accessed frequently. For those uninitiated, cache is temporary data stored on your device.
Although the cache is helpful, it can get corrupted. Sometimes, the store cache data is old and it creates many problems. You should clear the cache for the Galaxy Wearable app and the watch as well.
Before you start getting worried about your data, let me tell you that clearing the cache won’t remove any important files from your phone or the watch.
Steps to clear Galaxy Wearable app cache:
- Go to the Settings app on your Android phone.
- Tap on Apps to view the app list.
- Scroll through the list to find Galaxy Wearable and tap on it.
- Tap on Storage & cache and click Clear cache.
Steps to clear the cache on Galaxy Watch 4:
- Press and hold the power/home button and back button.
- Release the buttons when you see “Rebooting…” on your Galaxy Watch 4 screen. [Important: Do not release the button when you watch shows Power off or Restart.]
- After releasing both buttons, quickly press the power/home button repeatedly until your watch enters the Reboot Mode.
- Use the power/home button to navigate to the Recovery option.
- Press and hold the power/home button to select it. Release the button when the screen goes blank.
- You’ll see an additional menu on your watch screen. Use the back button to highlight the Wipe cache partition option.
- Choose the Wipe cache partition option by holding down the power/home button.
- Your watch will ask for confirmation. Press the back button to highlight the Yes option and press the home/power button to select it.
- Wait for the watch to do some cleanup. Once done, it will automatically go back to the previous menu. Do not press any button during the process.
- The Reboot system now option should be highlighted already. If not, use the back button to navigate through the options.
- Press the power/home button to select it.
Your Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 should boot up in a minute. You are ready to track your fitness activities.
If the watch still keeps rebooting, you can reset it. More on this in the next solution.
7. Reset Your Galaxy Watch 4
If you have tried all the aforementioned methods without success, try resetting your Galaxy Watch 4. It should fix all sorts of software bugs and issues from your watch, including the bootloop issue.
[Note: Resetting your Galaxy Watch 4 will remove all your health data, installed apps, and connected devices. There’ll be nothing left, including the software bugs that might be triggering the bootloop.]
Before resetting the watch, I recommend backing up your data. It may not be possible to back up the data when the watch is stuck on bootloop, but you can give it a try.
Launch the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone. If it connects to your watch, only then you can take a backup. If the connection is successful, select Watch Settings, tap on Account and backup, and click Back up data.
Steps to reset your Galaxy Watch:
- Press and hold the power button and back button.
- Release the buttons when you see “Rebooting…” on your Galaxy Watch 4 screen. [Important: Do not release the button when you watch shows Power off or Restart.]
- After releasing both buttons, quickly press the power/home button repeatedly until your watch enters the Reboot Mode.
- Use the power button to navigate to the Recovery option and press and hold the power button to select it.
- You’ll see another menu. Swipe down or use the back button to highlight the Wipe data/factory reset option.
- Press the power button to select the option.
- Use the back button to highlight the Factory data reset option and press the power button to select it.
- Wait for the resetting process to complete and then press the power button to reboot your watch.
After the reset is done, set up your Galaxy Watch 4 again. You can restore backup during the process.
8. Contact Samsung Support
Even after resetting the watch if the bootloop issue persists, it’s most likely caused by hardware damage. Either the display, battery, or component is faulty.
Samsung does not cover hardware or liquid damage under the warranty. So, you’ll have to pay if the damage is confirmed. Contact Samsung support to get further help or take your Galaxy Watch to a Samsung service center to get it repaired.
Wrapping It Up
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 is an excellent device for keeping track of fitness activities. But, at times, it can run into problems. Getting stuck on bootloop is a common problem that many Galaxy Watch users have complained about. Fortunately, there are effective solutions to deal with this problem.
This guide contains everything you need to know to get the bootloop issue fixed on your Galaxy Watch 4. If you have any questions or queries, write them in the comment section below.