How to fix a bricked android device

Before i state the solutions on fixing your bricked android device, I want to first explain each of the following:-

·       1.  What bricking means in computer terms

·        2. Types of bricking

·        3. What causes bricking in android device

·        4. How to know when your android device gets bricked

·        5. Ways to prevent bricking on your device.

What does it means to brick a device?

A bricked device is a device which has malfunctioned either due to a software or hardware error. Therefore such device stands to be useless in most ways.

Types of bricking;

We have two types of bricking which are

1.     Soft bricking: This is when an Android device malfunctions due to a software error and cannot startup normally. In this scenario, it either doesn't power up at all, gets stuck in a boot loop, bootloader or can't enter recovery mode and the likes.

2.     Hard bricking: This is when an Android device malfunctions due to a hardware error. In this scenario, your device has become 'a very expensive brick' and there's usually not much you can do about this. My best advice is that you take it back to the dealer and NEVER admit to rooting it!

Causes of bricking on an android device:

·        The device suffers a hardware abuse like falling hard, getting dropped in water etc

·        The custom ROM used is incompatible with the phone type.

·        Branded google apps are missing after installation of the custom ROM

·        The custom ROM does not match with the installed kernel

·        There's a failure in doing a full data wipe / factory reset / cache wipe after flashing with a custom ROM

·        A faulty application is installed

How to know when your android device is being bricked:

Here are some common reasons that helps you notify that your android device is being bricked:

·        The device suffers a hardware abuse like falling hard, getting dropped in water etc

·        The custom ROM used is incompatible with the phone type.

·        Branded google apps are missing after installation of the custom ROM

·        The custom ROM does not match with the installed kernel

·        There's a failure in doing a full data wipe / factory reset / cache wipe after flashing with a custom ROM

·        A faulty application is installed

Ways to prevent brinking on your android device:

I believe you can deduce preventive measures to protect your Android device from getting bricked from the above causes.

Now that you have gotten 99% of what bricking of an android device actually means, we can then proceed to the solutions on how to fix your android device whenever it gets bricked.

Solutions:-

We have different method to unbrick your android devices, these methods depends on the actual cause.

Generally, we make use of an application known as oneclickunbrick. It is a cross platform app so it should work on a wide range of devices.  Download oneclick unbrick to fix your bricked device.

When an Android device is stuck in a boot loop : An Android device getting stuck in a boot loot is usually caused by installing a new ROM over an existing one without first deleting the files associated with the previous ROM. To fix this, you'll need to format the Cache partition in recovery mode by:

·        Powering down your device

·        Booting it into Recovery mode ( * Note that the method of booting into recovery mode varies with the device in question so google the exact method for your device. Generally, holding down the volume down button and then pressing the power button does it). HTC phones will have to then select "Recovery" from a menu, while other phones will boot directly into ClockworkMod ( ClockworkMod Recovery will be displayed at the top )

·        Using your volume keys to navigate the menus, and your power button to select the menu items.

·        Scrolling down to 'Advanced', and choosing "Wipe Dalvik Cache".

·        Returning to the main screen upon completing the previous step then choosing "Wipe Cache Partition".

·        Heading to "Wipe Data / Factory Reset" to delete all your settings and apps, but ensuring you are using the correct ROM.

·        Rebooting your phone.

·        *Note: If the problem still persists, delete all the cache files and the user data then do a new flash of your desired ROM.

When the Android device won't boot past the brand logo or freezes during boot: If the Android phone freezes or stops at any point during boot then this can be resolved by :

·        Powering down your device

·        Booting it into Recovery mode ( * Note that the method of booting into recovery mode varies with the device in question so google the exact method for your device. Generally, holding down the volume down button and then pressing the power button does it). HTC phones will have to then select "Recovery" from a menu, while other phones will boot directly into ClockworkMod ( ClockworkMod Recovery will be displayed at the top )

·        Using your volume keys to navigate the menus, and your power button to select the menu items.

·        Scrolling down to 'Advanced', and choosing "Wipe Dalvik Cache".

·        Removing your battery and slotting it back in

·        If the above steps don't resolve the issue, repeat the above steps then go further by returning to the main screen upon completing the previous step then choosing "Wipe Cache Partition".

·        Heading to "Wipe Data / Factory Reset" to restore your Android device to factory state.

·        Rebooting your phone.

When the Android device keeps booting straight into recovery mode or botloader: In such a case, installing a new ROM should fix the issue. To do this:

·        Format a memory card to a FAT32 partition

·        Copy the new ROM onto the memory card then slot the memory card back into the bricked Android phone

·        Boot the Android device into recovery mode ( See the procedure above )

·        Mount the memory card by going to Mounts and Storage > Mount SD Card

·        Flash the Android phone by navigating to Install ZIP from SD card > Choosing the ZIP file from the SD memory card > Selecting Install > Selecting Yes to confirm).

·        If the problems persist, then unroot your smartphone and install the stock ROM (the one that the Android device came with).

                                                         

If your Android device is bricked and you wish to flash it using Odin 
This is applicable only if your android device can be flashed by Odin. To do this:

·        Download the stock firmware of your phone ( must be exact in model number )

·        Download Odin

·        Extract the contents of odin.zip

·        Put your device into Download Mode ( Volume Up key + Home key + Power key or as applicable to your Android device)

·        Connect the USB cable to your PC, but NOT your Android device yet

·        Remove then reinsert the battery

·        Hold down Volume Up and Volume Down keys

·        Insert the USB cable into your device

·        You should now be at Download Mode, click Start in Odin

·        Run Odin.exe

·        Prepare Odin: Check "auto-reboot", and uncheck all other options

·        Click PDA and select the TAR you downloaded

·        Tap the Phone button and choose the file named 'MODEM'

·        Ignore this step if such file is missing

·        Hit the CSC button and choose the file named 'CSC'

·        Ignore this step if such file is absent

o   Click the PIT button and choose the .pit file

·        If there is no such .pit file, please find another firmware which contains a .pit file

·        In ODIN, enable Auto Reboot and F

·        Reset Time options

·        In case of the Re-Partition option, check it ONLY if you chose a .pit file in the previous step

·        Choose the files to be flashed or installed on your phone, which can be found among the extracted firmware files which you downloaded previously

·        Click the Start button in ODIN and the firmware installation process will begin. It may take a few minutes to complete

·        Your device will autoreboot, and the Android device should be working properly again

When the Android device won't startup at all: If the Android device is so bricked that in wont boot into "Downloading Mode" and run Odin, there is a way to do this. However, to my knowledge, it works only on Samsung devices, so do a little digging before you try it.

·        You will need a micro USB cable (the one that you connect your phone to your computer) that you don't use any more. This is because you will have to cut the microUSB jig (the end that goes in your phone) and peel the plastic away until you get to the actual connectors. Notice that it has 5 pins, you will only need the last two pins (pin 4 and 5).

·        Next, you will need to buy 3 resistors of 100k Ohm each and solder them in series (you should have ~300k Ohm resistance, keep in mind that it won't work if you have a resistance under 300k Ohm). Now, isolate the resistors very good, because if you touch them, their resistance will change, and the then take two remaining ends (a positive and a negative) and touch them to the two pin connectors from the microUSB port.

·        Keep them together for about 4-5 seconds and your phone should go into Downloading Mode. From here, you can use Odin to flash your Recovery Image and ROM.