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Android tablets no longer start

L
Lothar
Piepenbrock Service GmbH + Co. KG

When registering tablets (Samsung TAB A8, Samsung TAB A 2019) in the Enterprise environment with a Managed Google Play profile, the following error occurred. The device reboots without warning. When booting, it says " Safe Mode UI" in the top left of the display.
This reboot of the tablet came a few hours after registration. So it was almost given out to the employee.
The tablet goes into a boot loop and no longer starts. It gets stuck in the Samsung logo. This has happened with all 3 devices we have registered like this. On two devices I can no longer get the tablet to start.
Factory reset is deactivated by the Soti client. New firmware installed - without success.
These devices can be disposed of!
Does anyone know what happened? I can't give the devices out anymore and have to keep working in Android Classic mode.
Am grateful for any tips.

2 years ago
Android
ANSWERS
RS
Rafael Schäfer
2 years ago

"These devices can be disposed of!" is not true, if you have warranty and didn't root them.

I recommend to remove all configurations (to ensure no configuration will cause this issue), enroll a device and assign them step by step to see which causes this issue and solve it.

L
Lothar
2 years ago

Two units are still under warranty. They will be sent in. But you will see that an MDM lock prevents the recovery hard reset. We'll see what comes out of that.
I have now configured a new device and removed the device settings lock, but activated the settings blocker instead.
So far, the device is still running.

Is there a way to prevent the firmware update in Google Play managed mode? 

Greetings

RC
Raymond Chan Diamond Contributor
2 years ago

Some old or low-end Samsung devices does not support Android Enterprise fully.  The use of free/paid Samsung KNOX product/service may also have some impact if not done properly

Also, unstable network connection used when performing firmware upgrade may break the system such that a device gets stuck in the "Samsung" logo when rebooting.

The "Disallow Factory Reset" feature-control option in Samsung devices should be enabled with caution only after thorough tests on new firmware/device-mode to avoid inability to clean up the device to get a fresh start, eventually bricking a device in the worst case.

If your faulty devices are still under warranty, take them back to Samsung Service Centre to see if the problem can be fixed.

L
Lothar
2 years ago

 were Samsung tablets from TAB A 2019 to new latest TAB A8. There was also a TAB A7. They were supposed to be enterprise-capable. 
Unfortunately, the settings we changed did not help. Today, 2 devices were again in Safe Mode System UI mode. Of these, the TAB A8 was again in a boot loop and the third warranty case in 5 days.
I rule out an unstable network connection.

A
AMMOD@SOTI
2 years ago

Hi Lothar,

Thanks for posting on SOTI Pulse, Thanks Raymond and Rafael for responding to the post, your expertise and willingness to help are greatly appreciated!

To address the safe boot issue you've mentioned, I'd also like to offer the following suggestions.

Firstly, if your devices are still under warranty and haven't been rooted, I recommend visiting an authorized Samsung store for professional assistance and device repair.

Regarding the two devices that experienced the safe mode system UI followed by a boot loop recently, it would be beneficial to inquire whether a lockdown profile has been applied to these devices. If this is the case, consider removing the lockdown profile from the devices and closely monitoring their behavior. This step is crucial because we've observed instances involving Samsung devices entering random boot loops when a lockdown profile is active. Our development team has delved into this matter extensively and identified underlying factors contributing to this behavior.

If you've implemented any feature control profiles that restrict factory resets, I advise removing them if they have been applied to your devices.

Addressing your second query about preventing firmware updates in Google Play managed mode, a viable solution exists. We offer a method or feature that allows the postponement of OS or firmware upgrades for a duration of 30 days. This can be accomplished through the "System update policy" configuration available within the Android enterprise profile. This configuration empowers you to exercise control over the timing of updates, ensuring they align with your organization's operational needs.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're dedicated to providing assistance and support.

If the safe boot UI issue persists, I strongly recommend initiating a support ticket. This will enable us to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

Kindly let us know.

Kind regards,

Technical Support | SOTI Inc. |1.905.624.9828 | support@soti.net | www.soti.net |

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