An Android phone that keeps restarting can point to anything from a bad app to overheating, low storage, a failing battery, or a damaged system installation. The fastest way to fix it is to pay attention to when the restart happens, because the pattern often reveals the cause.
A phone that restarts once or twice a day needs a different approach from one that reboots every time you open a particular app. A device that restarts only while charging also deserves different checks from one that never gets past the manufacturer logo.
Start by identifying which situation matches your phone, then work through the relevant checks below.
First, Identify the Restart Pattern
Before changing settings, note what happens immediately before the phone restarts.
It restarts after opening one app
The app may be crashing badly enough to destabilize the system, especially if the problem started after installing or updating that app.
Start with the app itself rather than resetting the entire phone.
It restarts while charging or when the phone gets hot
Heat, the charger, charging cable, battery, or charging circuitry may be involved.
Disconnect the charger and let the phone cool completely before testing again. If heat is a recurring problem, see Phone Overheating While Charging: Causes and Fixes.
It restarts at a certain battery percentage
For example, the phone may shut down at 30%, restart, then show a very different battery level.
That pattern can point to battery degradation rather than a normal Android software problem.
It started after an Android or app update
A software conflict, unfinished update, or incompatible app may be responsible.
Install any newer system and app updates before making more disruptive changes.
It keeps restarting before Android fully loads
That is closer to a boot loop than an occasional random restart.
You may need recovery options, device-specific troubleshooting, or professional repair if the phone cannot stay on long enough to reach Settings.
Check Recently Installed or Updated Apps
Downloaded apps are one of the first things I would investigate when a previously stable phone suddenly starts rebooting.
Think back to when the problem began. Did you:
- Install a new app or game?
- Install an APK from outside Google Play?
- Update an app shortly before the restarts started?
- Install a cleaner, antivirus, battery saver, launcher, VPN, or system-tweaking app?
If one app stands out, uninstall it temporarily and use the phone normally.
You can also open:
Settings > Apps > See all apps
Select the suspected app and choose Force stop before uninstalling it.
If several apps have also started crashing since an update, check Apps Keep Crashing After Android Update for more targeted troubleshooting.
Test the Phone in Safe Mode
Safe Mode is much more useful than randomly uninstalling apps because it temporarily disables downloaded apps while keeping Android’s core software running.
Google specifically recommends Safe Mode when an Android device restarts, freezes, crashes, or runs slowly.
The exact Safe Mode method varies by manufacturer. On many phones, you can press and hold the power button, then touch and hold Power off until the Safe Mode option appears. Some brands use a different button combination during startup.
Once Safe Mode is active, use the phone for a while.
- No more restarts: a downloaded app is probably responsible.
- The phone still restarts: the problem is more likely related to Android itself, storage, temperature, battery health, or hardware.
After leaving Safe Mode, remove recently installed apps one at a time until the problem stops.
Google’s current guidance is available here: Find problem apps by rebooting to safe mode on Android.
Make Sure the Phone Has Enough Free Storage
Very low storage can make Android unstable.
Google notes that phones can begin having problems when less than 10% of storage is free.
Check:
Settings > Storage
If the phone is nearly full, remove or move large files first. Videos, offline downloads, duplicate photos, old screen recordings, and unused apps usually free more space than repeatedly clearing tiny caches.
For a more complete cleanup process, use How to Free Up Storage Space on Android.
Restart the phone after freeing a meaningful amount of space and see whether the reboot problem continues.
Check for Overheating
A phone that becomes unusually hot before restarting should not be treated as a normal software glitch.
Stop charging it, close demanding apps, remove the case temporarily, and place the phone somewhere cool and dry. Do not put it in a refrigerator or freezer.
Then ask what was happening before the temperature increased.
Common triggers include:
- Long gaming sessions
- Camera or video recording
- Navigation
- Hotspot use
- Fast charging
- Poor mobile signal
- Heavy background activity
- Direct sunlight
If the restarts disappear after the device cools down but return whenever it becomes hot, solve the heat problem first.
Install Pending Android and App Updates
A restart problem can sometimes be fixed by a later software patch.
For Android updates, open:
Settings > System > Software update
The wording varies between Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, Motorola, OnePlus, Tecno, Infinix, and other manufacturers.
Then open Google Play Store and update your apps.
Restart the phone after the updates finish.
This is especially important when the issue started immediately after a major Android update. The first release may have introduced a compatibility problem that a later patch corrects.
Check Whether the Battery Is Failing
Battery problems do not always appear as simple battery drain.
A worn or damaged battery can cause:
- Sudden shutdowns
- Restarts under load
- Large jumps in battery percentage
- Restarts while charging
- Shutdowns even when 20% or 30% remains
- Swelling or separation of the back cover
- Unusual heat
Battery-related restarts become more likely on older phones or devices that have been exposed to excessive heat for a long time.
If the main symptom is rapid power loss rather than rebooting, Why Your Android Battery Drains Fast can help narrow down the cause.
A swollen battery should not be pressed, punctured, or kept charging. Stop using the device and have the battery inspected.
Remove Accessories That Can Interfere With the Phone
This check is easy to overlook.
Temporarily remove:
- The phone case
- External battery packs
- USB accessories
- OTG devices
- SD cards, if your phone supports them
A tight case can press the power button continuously. A failing SD card can sometimes create system instability, and a faulty accessory can cause problems while connected.
After removing the accessories, restart the phone and test it normally.
If removing the SD card stops the restarts, back up the card before using it again.
Clear Cache Only Where It Makes Sense
I would not use a vague “clear the system cache” instruction here because modern Android phones do not all provide the same recovery-cache options.
Instead, clear the cache of a specific app when the restart is clearly linked to that app:
Settings > Apps > [App name] > Storage & cache > Clear cache
Clearing cache removes temporary app data. It does not normally erase your account or personal files.
For a fuller explanation of what cache removal does and when it is useful, see How to Clear Cache on Android Without Losing Data.
Avoid clearing storage or app data unless you understand what will be removed.
What to Do When the Phone Is Stuck in a Boot Loop
A boot loop means the phone repeatedly restarts and cannot finish loading Android.
Start with the least destructive checks:
- Disconnect the charger and all USB accessories.
- Remove the case.
- Remove the SD card if the device has one.
- Hold the power button long enough to force a restart.
- Let the battery charge with a known-good charger if the battery may be critically low.
If the device still cannot boot, the next step depends heavily on the phone brand and model.
Recovery mode can provide options such as rebooting the system or performing a factory reset, but the button combinations and available menus are not identical across Android devices.
Do not select unfamiliar recovery options just because they appear on the screen.
If the boot loop began after the phone was dropped, exposed to water, or repaired, hardware damage becomes much more likely.
Use a Factory Reset Only After the Other Checks
A factory reset should be near the end of the troubleshooting process, not near the beginning.
It removes installed apps, accounts, settings, and data stored locally on the phone.
Before resetting:
- Back up important photos, documents, messages, and authentication data.
- Make sure you know the Google Account username and password used on the device.
- Make sure the phone has enough charge to complete the reset.
- Confirm that the problem still happens in Safe Mode when possible.
On many Android phones, the reset option is under:
Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset)
The exact path varies by manufacturer.
Google also recommends trying other troubleshooting steps before a factory reset because the reset removes device data.
If the phone continues restarting even after a clean factory reset before you reinstall your usual apps, that strongly shifts suspicion toward hardware.
Signs the Problem Is Probably Hardware
Software troubleshooting has limits.
I would consider repair or hardware inspection when:
- The phone restarts after being dropped.
- Restarts began after water exposure.
- The battery is swollen.
- The phone shuts down when lightly tapped or moved.
- It restarts mainly while charging despite trying another charger and cable.
- The power button feels stuck.
- The phone still restarts in Safe Mode.
- The phone still restarts after a factory reset.
- It cannot remain powered on long enough to complete setup.
At that point, repeated resets and app changes are unlikely to help.
A restart problem is much easier to solve once you stop treating every reboot the same way. App-related restarts usually become obvious in Safe Mode, low-storage problems improve after freeing meaningful space, overheating has a recognizable temperature pattern, and battery faults often appear at specific charge levels or under load.
When none of those patterns fits and the device still reboots after a clean reset, hardware inspection is the more sensible next step.
