S22 Ultra Boot Loop Action

[bbruckshaw17]

Hello all,

I have decided to take action against Samsung for this boot loop issue after the update.  I have contacted the FCC and am in the process of finalizing a Class Action Lawsuit Lawyer. I have attached my experience with this issue and the letter the FCC has. Furthermore, I have saved the chats from samsung rep showing that they are unaware of any update issues. 

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to submit a formal complaint against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., for what I believe to be deceptive, unethical, and unlawful business practices surrounding a firmware update that has rendered my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone inoperable. This issue is not isolated to me. A brief review of consumer forums, technical boards, and social media shows hundreds—if not thousands—of affected consumers reporting the exact same problem. These consumers, like me, are now being told they must pay out-of-pocket for a fix to a problem created solely by Samsung’s software update.

I am a combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient. I rely heavily on my phone for access to healthcare services, legal communications (including an ongoing custody matter), school coordination with my daughter’s educators, and basic daily functioning. Samsung’s conduct has left me completely without access to my phone, my stored data, and any form of reliable communication—all of which are vital to my life and well-being.

Background

In 2022, I purchased a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G, 256 GB model. I selected this particular model due to its reputation for reliability, long-term performance, and Samsung’s standing as a global technology leader. For nearly two years, the device operated as expected. I kept the phone updated through Samsung’s over-the-air (OTA) updates, which I trusted were safe and tested. However, following a recent official software update pushed by Samsung, the phone became trapped in a permanent boot loop. It restarts repeatedly and never reaches the home screen. The device is unusable.

This was not caused by damage, misuse, third-party software, or unauthorized hardware modifications. This was the direct result of Samsung’s own firmware update, pushed via official system notifications.

Samsung’s Response

Upon experiencing the boot loop, I immediately contacted Samsung’s customer service. Over the course of several attempts to resolve this, I was transferred between departments multiple times, often held on the phone for over two hours, and disconnected repeatedly. Eventually, I was informed that I would need to take the phone to a Samsung authorized service center and pay approximately $350 for the repair. This includes diagnostic fees and replacement of system hardware damaged by the update. No effort was made by Samsung to waive the fee, to offer a replacement device, or even to acknowledge that their update may have caused the issue.

Even more alarming, Samsung representatives implied that I should be grateful that the phone can be repaired at all—despite the company itself causing the failure. The support agents also acknowledged that the device was no longer under warranty and that Samsung has ceased production of the S22 Ultra model, meaning support is now limited.

Samsung further refused to guarantee that the data stored on my phone could be recovered. This includes irreplaceable personal documents, critical contacts, VA medical appointment information, and legal evidence tied to family court proceedings. All of this is now inaccessible unless I pay Samsung for a fix.

Pattern of Widespread Impact

This issue is not unique to me. A simple search using terms such as “S22 Ultra boot loop after update” yields hundreds of reports from other users who describe the exact same symptoms. These include continuous restarts, system crashes immediately following an update, and complete inability to reach the main screen. These issues span across geographic regions and providers, indicating that the problem lies with the firmware itself and not with third-party carriers or local networks.

In many cases, users have paid hundreds of dollars to fix devices that were bricked by Samsung’s update, only for the problem to reoccur or for users to be forced into buying a new phone altogether. At the time of this writing, there is no official statement, recall, or repair program from Samsung addressing this update-related defect, despite the clear evidence of a systemic failure.

This shows not only an unwillingness to accept responsibility but also an active decision to conceal the problem from the general public. This is a form of digital misconduct and is entirely at odds with fair consumer treatment and ethical software distribution.

Deceptive Conduct and Planned Obsolescence

Samsung’s failure to disclose the risk of this update, and its subsequent demand for payment to repair the damage caused by that update, represents a form of unfair and deceptive trade practice. This practice is compounded by the fact that Samsung has stopped manufacturing the S22 Ultra, leading to a strong inference that this software update was designed to disable older devices and coerce users into purchasing newer models or paying high repair costs.

The actions taken by Samsung could fall under the legal doctrine of planned obsolescence, wherein a manufacturer deliberately causes a product to degrade in functionality to induce new purchases. While difficult to prove without internal documentation, the circumstantial evidence—timing of the update, discontinuation of the phone, widespread failure, and refusal to assist—supports a theory that this update was deployed with full knowledge it would brick affected devices.

This also raises questions about violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act, particularly Section 5, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts in commerce. Samsung’s conduct meets the legal threshold for deception:

• A representation, omission, or practice likely to mislead the consumer. Samsung omitted any warning that the update could disable the device, and now misleads consumers by treating this as an unrelated malfunction.

• A consumer acting reasonably under the circumstances. Consumers like myself trust that official software updates from device manufacturers will maintain or improve functionality—not destroy it.

• The representation, omission, or practice is material. The consequences of installing the update are financially and functionally significant and would absolutely affect a consumer’s decision to proceed with the update.

Samsung continues to profit from this deception by charging service fees to restore phones it knowingly bricked. That is not merely negligent—it’s predatory.

Personal Harm and Damages

The consequences of this have gone far beyond inconvenience. As mentioned, I am a Purple Heart recipient who depends on reliable mobile communication for medical care, school contact with my child, and legal communication related to an ongoing family court matter. The loss of access to this phone has caused me:

• Missed VA appointment confirmations and follow-up care

• Disruption in communication with my daughter’s school

• Delay in legal filings and evidence submission

• Loss of contact with clients and personal networks

• Emotional distress, frustration, and significant lost time

Additionally, I have lost access to photos, videos, legal documents, and business-related materials stored on the device. Samsung has made no attempt to assist with data recovery or offer interim support. I cannot afford the $350+ service Samsung is demanding for something they caused—and I should not have to pay to recover a device that failed only after following Samsung’s own instructions.

Requested Action by the FCC

Given the facts above, I respectfully request that the Federal Communications Commission open an inquiry into Samsung’s firmware update practices as they pertain to the Galaxy S22 Ultra and related devices. I ask that the FCC investigate whether Samsung’s software update constitutes a breach of consumer protection laws, and whether this pattern of conduct may rise to the level of corporate misconduct warranting enforcement action, penalties, or a class-wide corrective remedy.

Specifically, I request that the FCC:

1. Require Samsung to issue a formal acknowledgment of the update-related boot loop issue and notify affected users.

2. Mandate Samsung to provide free repairs or device replacements for any affected consumers, regardless of warranty status.

3. Require Samsung to publish the results of internal testing or investigations that preceded the deployment of the update in question.

4. Consider referring the matter to the Federal Trade Commission for joint review regarding deceptive trade practices and consumer fraud.

5. Establish guidelines to ensure that future software updates from mobile device manufacturers are tested for safety, compatibility, and do not involuntarily disable functional devices.

Final Thoughts

Consumers deserve transparency, fairness, and accountability from large corporations—especially in the technology sector, where software control can be used as a tool of coercion. Samsung’s decision to push an update that bricks thousands of phones and then demand hundreds of dollars to repair them is a betrayal of customer trust. It is also an abuse of the asymmetry of power that exists between multinational corporations and ordinary consumers.

This issue is about more than just a broken phone. It is about protecting consumer rights in an increasingly digital and connected world. I urge the FCC to act swiftly and thoroughly to hold Samsung accountable for its actions.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

[rogersdave77]

UK group only group. USA must have their own members group

[keith30]

As you appear to be a US user please be aware this forum is a UK forum so you should post this in the US groups.

[1Adam1]

bot confirmed

[Raffa86]

Confirmed also in S906BXXSFFYF1 EUX version of firmware. Please, keep us upsate. I want proceed like yourself. Have a nice day.

[raptor_claus]

I would be interested in jumping in on this. This just happened to me when they pushed the update to my S22 Ultra. My phone is now bricked.