Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Galaxy S22 Ultra
TL;DR
- Many Galaxy S22 series users have been facing random bootloops, for which Samsung is swapping out motherboards at a cost since the phone is out of warranty.
- As a stop-gap solution, users have had luck reviving their phones by putting them in the freezer. The phone begins bootlooping again once it returns to ambient temperature.
- We’ve contacted Samsung for comment on the issue and its strange solution.
The Galaxy S22 series was one of the top Android smartphones of its era, and the phones have enough performance headroom to keep them relevant for a while. So, it’s unsurprising to spot people still using these phones. However, as the phone ages, more and more users are running into a peculiar Galaxy S22 problem where the phone enters into a bootloop. Believe it or not, the solution to get out of this bootloop is to put the phone into the freezer (!?!).
Do not put your phone in the freezer. We do not endorse this solution. This news article is merely for information on a recent issue and is not advice or recommendation of any sort.
Redditor Then_Whole_4146 ran into an issue where their Galaxy S22 randomly started bootlooping. Other users chimed in with their experience, and as it turns out, putting the phone in a freezer helps revive the phone out of the bootloop temporarily. However, as Redditor Pleasant-Apartment84 mentions, their Galaxy S22 went back into a bootloop once it had started heating up again, eventually getting a green line issue as well. However, this period was sufficient for the users to get their important data off the phone.
We spotted other threads on Reddit and Samsung’s community forums discussing this issue and its weird temporary solution. The solution also apparently comes from YouTuber WorldofTech, who posted about it in March 2022. Surprisingly, users didn’t notice any unnaturally high heat buildup prior to putting their phones in the freezer. When some users sent their phones to Samsung for repairs, the company replaced the motherboard, so the issue doesn’t appear to be related to the battery.
There are many other reports (1, 2, 3, 4) of Galaxy S22 series phones bootlooping in the recent past, with some users correlating the bootloop to the recent One UI 6.1 update. Since Samsung stopped selling the Galaxy S22 series a while ago, most users are out of warranty. Consequently, Samsung’s customer care service ends up quoting a relatively large sum for a motherboard swap.
We’ve contacted Samsung for a comment on the Galaxy S22 series’ bootloop issue and how putting it in the freezer seemingly fixes it. Note that we do not endorse putting your phone in the freezer as a solution of any kind, as you run the risk of different issues like condensation and damage to the battery and other internal components.
Have you faced a bootloop issue on your Galaxy S22? What solution worked to revive your phone? Let us know in the comments below!
