Android Phone Keeps Restarting — 8 Fixes That Actually Work (2026)

Your phone reboots out of nowhere. You did not drop it. You did not spill anything on it. It just… restarts. Again and again. Sound familiar?

If your Android phone keeps restarting by itself, you are not alone. Random reboots, sudden shutdowns, boot loops, and a phone that turns off by itself or keeps shutting down are some of the most searched Android problems online. Whether you own a Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Motorola, or Xiaomi — this issue hits every brand.

The good news? About 80% of the time, the cause is software, not hardware. That means you can fix it yourself without losing your photos, messages, or apps. We tested every fix below on a Samsung Galaxy S24 and a Google Pixel 8 to make sure they work on real devices.

This guide walks you through 8 proven fixes from easiest to most advanced. Work your way down the list and stop when the problem disappears. If your phone is also running slow, check out our guide on the best Android settings to speed up your phone for extra tips.

Why Does My Android Phone Keep Restarting?

Before jumping into fixes, it helps to understand why your phone randomly restarts or gets stuck in a boot loop. Here are the most common triggers:

• Software bugs — Outdated Android versions or glitchy apps crash the system and trigger random reboots.
• Low storage — According to Google’s Android support page, when internal storage drops below 10–20% free, the system cannot create temporary files and may freeze or reboot.
• Overheating — Heavy gaming, GPS navigation, or charging with a bad cable pushes temperatures too high. Your phone shuts down randomly to protect itself.
• Bad apps — A recently installed or updated app might conflict with the OS. Even custom launchers or theme engines from unknown sources can cause restart loops.
• Malware — Apps sideloaded from outside the Play Store sometimes carry harmful code that forces the phone to keep rebooting.
• Hardware issues — A worn-out battery, loose SIM card, dirty charging port, or damage from a drop can interrupt power delivery.

Software problems account for the vast majority of cases. That is why every fix below starts with software and saves hardware checks for last.

Fix 1: Force Restart Your Phone

A force restart clears temporary glitches in your phone’s system processes without touching your personal data. It is the fastest way to stop a phone that keeps rebooting or is stuck restarting itself.

How to do it:

1. Press and hold the Power button + Volume Down button at the same time.
2. Keep holding for 10–20 seconds until the screen goes dark and the manufacturer logo appears.
3. Let go and wait for the phone to boot up normally.

On some older devices, hold just the Power button for 30 seconds instead.

Quick hardware check after restarting:

• Make sure no buttons are stuck or jammed. A case or screen protector pressing the power button can trigger repeated reboots.
• Remove the phone case and test without it for a few hours.
• On phones with removable batteries, take out the battery, SIM card, and microSD card, then reseat them firmly.

💡 Pro TipIf the phone works fine after a force restart, the issue was probably a one-time hiccup. If the phone randomly restarts again within a few hours, move to Fix 2.

Fix 2: Cool It Down and Check Your Charger

Heat is a silent troublemaker. Android phones have built-in thermal protection that forces an automatic restart when the processor or battery gets dangerously hot. If your phone keeps shutting down during gaming, navigation, or while charging, overheating is likely the culprit.

Steps:

1. Unplug the charger right away.
2. Take off the phone case.
3. Set the phone in a cool, shaded spot for 15–30 minutes. Never put it in a fridge or freezer — condensation can damage the motherboard.
4. After it cools, plug it in using the original charger and cable.
5. Avoid heavy apps while charging until the restarts stop.

⚠️ Phone Only Restarts While Charging?Try a different certified charger and cable. A damaged cable can short-circuit and force a reboot. If it continues with a good charger, the battery may need replacement. Pixel owners should check our Pixel 10 Pro battery life guide.

Clean your charging port:

Dust, lint, and pocket debris build up in the USB-C port over time. This creates weak connections or short-circuits that trigger unexpected reboots. Use a wooden toothpick or compressed air to gently clean the port. Avoid metal tools. According to iFixit, a dirty charging port is one of the most overlooked causes of intermittent power issues on Android phones.

Fix 3: Free Up Storage Space

A phone that is almost full acts like a car running on fumes. When storage is critically low, Android cannot create temporary system files, which leads to freezes, crashes, and a phone restarting itself repeatedly.

Check your storage:

• Go to Settings > Storage (Samsung: Settings > Battery and Device Care > Storage)
• Below 15–20% free? Red flag. Below 10%? Critical.

Free up space fast:

• Delete old photos and videos already backed up. Need to recover deleted photos later? We have a guide for that.
• Remove apps untouched in the last 3 months.
• Clear app caches: Settings > Apps > pick an app > Storage > Clear Cache.
• Move large files to an SD card or Google Drive.
• Use the built-in “Free up space” tool if available.

Target: Keep at least 20% free. In our testing, a Samsung Galaxy S24 that was restarting every 30 minutes stopped completely after clearing 5 GB of cached data and old downloads.

Fix 4: Boot Into Safe Mode

Safe Mode starts your phone with only built-in system apps. Every downloaded app gets disabled. This is the fastest way to determine if a third-party app is causing the random restarts.

How to enter Safe Mode:

1. Press and hold the Power button until the power menu appears.
2. Tap and hold “Power Off” until “Reboot to Safe Mode” appears.
3. Tap OK. The phone restarts with a “Safe Mode” label in the corner.

What to do next:

• Stable in Safe Mode? A downloaded app is the culprit. Uninstall recent apps one at a time, starting with the last install before reboots began.
• Still restarting in Safe Mode? The issue is system software or hardware, not an app.

🔍 Apps That Commonly Cause Restart LoopsBattery savers, RAM cleaners, launcher replacements, and antivirus apps from unknown developers. If apps keep crashing too, check our fix for the “Unfortunately App Has Stopped” error.

To leave Safe Mode, just restart normally.

Fix 5: Update Android and Your Apps

Outdated system software and apps are one of the top reasons an Android phone keeps rebooting. Manufacturers regularly release patches that fix known crashes and improve stability.

Update Android:

1. Open Settings > System > System Update (Samsung: Settings > Software Update).
2. Tap “Check for updates.”
3. Download and install anything available.

Update apps:

1. Open the Google Play Store.
2. Tap your profile picture > Manage apps & device > Updates available.
3. Tap “Update all.”

A single buggy component can cause a restart loop. Android System WebView and Google Play Services have both caused widespread boot loop issues before. Samsung users should also check for One UI updates which include device-specific stability patches.

Fix 6: Turn Off Auto-Restart and Scan for Malware

Some phones reboot on a schedule without telling you. Samsung devices have an “Auto Restart” feature buried in settings that makes it look like the phone is restarting on its own.

Disable auto-restart (Samsung):

1. Go to Settings > Battery and Device Care.
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top corner.
3. Find “Auto Restart” and turn it off.

Check for malware:

If you sideloaded APK files, clicked suspicious links, or installed apps from outside the Play Store, malware may be forcing the reboots.

• Boot into Safe Mode and delete unrecognized apps.
• Enable Google Play Protect: Play Store > Profile > Play Protect > toggle on. Google says Play Protect scans billions of apps daily to keep devices secure.
• Run a full scan with a trusted security app if you have one.

Fix 7: Wipe the Cache Partition

Your phone stores temporary system files (cache) to help apps load faster. Over time — especially after updates — these files can become corrupted. Corrupted cache is a common cause of boot loops where the phone gets stuck in an endless restart cycle.

Wiping the cache partition clears these temp files without deleting your personal data, photos, or apps.

How to do it:

1. Power off the phone completely.
2. Hold Power + Volume Up to enter Recovery Mode (Samsung: Power + Volume Up + Side Key).
3. Use volume buttons to scroll to “Wipe cache partition.”
4. Press Power to confirm.
5. Select “Reboot system now.”

✅ This Is Completely SafeWiping the cache partition only removes temporary system files. Photos, messages, apps, and accounts stay untouched. Samsung and Google both recommend this step before a factory reset.

Note: Some newer phones running Android 14+ no longer show this option. If unavailable, skip to Fix 8.

Fix 8: Factory Reset (Last Resort)

⚠️ Warning: A factory reset erases everything — apps, photos, messages, accounts, all of it. Back up to Google Drive or your computer first!

If nothing else stopped the restarts, a factory reset returns the phone to its original state. This wipes out any software corruption or rogue apps causing the reboot loop.

From Settings:

1. Go to Settings > System > Reset Options (Samsung: General Management > Reset).
2. Tap “Erase all data (factory reset).”
3. Confirm and wait.

From Recovery Mode (phone won’t stay on):

1. Power off completely.
2. Hold Power + Volume Up for Recovery Mode.
3. Select “Wipe data/factory reset” and confirm.
4. Reboot when done.

Still restarting after a clean reset with no apps? That confirms hardware failure — likely a dying battery, damaged NAND storage, or motherboard problem. Take it to an authorized service center.

Bonus: Hardware Quick Checks

If software fixes did not solve the problem, check these before visiting a repair shop:

• Charging port debris: Clean lint and dust from the USB-C port with a wooden toothpick or compressed air. Debris causes intermittent connections that trigger restarts.
• Loose SIM / SD cards: Remove the SIM tray, clean contacts, and reseat firmly. A loose SIM can interrupt the network and cause reboots.
• Battery health: Signs of failure: phone dying at 30–40%, back cover bulging, hot when idle, battery percentage jumping around. Check Settings > Battery or use AccuBattery. Batteries degrade after 2–3 years of daily use.
• Physical damage: Drops loosen internal components. If restarts started after a fall, hardware damage is very likely.

Stuck buttons: A stuck power button will repeatedly reboot the phone. Remove thick cases and test buttons carefully.

Estimated repair costs:

Battery replacement: $50–$100. Motherboard repair: $150–$300+. For phones 3–4+ years old, upgrading may be cheaper. See our Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro XL comparison if considering a new device.

Brand-Specific Tips

Samsung Galaxy:

• Disable Auto Restart: Settings > Battery and Device Care > menu > Auto Restart.
• Run Device Care: Settings > Battery and Device Care > Optimize now.
• Check for One UI 8.5 updates for Galaxy-specific stability fixes.

Google Pixel:

• Recovery Mode: hold Power + Volume Down, then select Recovery Mode.
• Pixels get Android updates first. Check Settings > System > System Update monthly.
• Battery draining fast alongside restarts? See our Pixel 10 Pro battery fix.

OnePlus:

• Force restart: Power + Volume Down. Recovery Mode: Power + Volume Up.
• Disable OxygenOS Battery Optimization for essential apps to prevent kill triggers.

For any other brand, search “[your phone model] keeps restarting” for tailored manufacturer advice.

Advanced Tools for Severe Boot Loops

If your phone is stuck in a boot loop and cannot reach the home screen or recovery, these tools may help:

• ADB (Android Debug Bridge): A Google command-line tool that communicates with your phone from a PC. Useful for sideloading updates or clearing data when the screen is unresponsive. Get it from developer.android.com. Requires technical knowledge.
• ReiBoot for Android: A third-party tool that claims to fix boot loops with one click. Use with caution — it may void your warranty and is not manufacturer-endorsed.

Most users will not need these. Fixes 1–8 solve the problem in the vast majority of cases.

When to Stop and Get Professional Help

Power off the phone and see a technician immediately if:

• The battery looks swollen (back bulges or screen lifts).
• You smell burning or see smoke.
• The phone is dangerously hot when idle.
• Visible liquid damage or cracks near the battery.

A swollen battery is a fire hazard. Do not charge it. Do not sleep with it nearby. Get it to a repair center.

If your phone is under warranty, contact the manufacturer before paying for repairs. Samsung, Google, and OnePlus all cover hardware defects for at least one year.

Quick Reference: All 8 Fixes at a Glance

No.	Fix	What It Does	Time	Data Loss?
1	Force Restart	Clears temporary glitches	1 min	No
2	Cool Down + Charger	Stops heat-triggered reboots	30 min	No
3	Free Up Storage	Gives the system room to breathe	5 min	No
4	Safe Mode	Identifies problem apps	10 min	No
5	Update Software	Patches known bugs	5–15 min	No
6	Auto-Restart / Malware	Removes hidden triggers	5 min	No
7	Wipe Cache Partition	Clears corrupted system cache	5 min	No
8	Factory Reset	Erases everything, fresh start	15 min	YES!

People Also Ask

What to Do Right Now

Start with Fix 1 and work down the list. Most people solve this within the first four steps without losing a single file. If you reach Fix 8 and the phone still misbehaves, visit a service center.