S21 bricked after crashing during OTA update

[SteefR1]

Last night, I got an update notification. I was doing other things so I clicked 'update now', and the update began. After about 20 minutes, I noticed that my screen was black. I waited a while, maybe a reboot was in progress, but it stayed black. When I tried to power it on, I got the 'empty battery icon' (circle with lightning bolt).  So I connected it to my powerbank, and noticed it wasn't charging. Connected it to my Samsung high speed charger, still not charging. Tried both my wireless chargers, they too cut out after about 10 seconds. Leaving it on the charger overnight didn't help either.

The phone won't boot at all. Sometimes I get the Samsung logo for 2 seconds, and then a black screen again, sometimes I get the empty battery icon, followed by a black screen. Force boot with volume down + power button gives the same results. Plugging it into a computer gives a 'USB connected ping' on the computer, but that's it. I can't see the device and can't connect to it.

So it won't charge and won't boot. Looks like it crashed in the middle of the update and the phone is now thouroughly corrupted. Is there any way so salvage this phone??

[Scoobs222]

Another victim of samsungs planned obsolescence I'm sorry to say! Seek legal action and if enough of us do it, samsungs phones will never break again! They do this on purpose to phones just over two years old, not ALL phones but enough not to be obvious. It's to make you buy the newer models and get rid of the older ones. In Italy they got fined millions for this and I'm sure they're doing it in every country, Italians just wised up to it quicker

[Rajsahab]

Try connecting with a pc and press power button plus volume up same time, hold it for few seconds and see what happens.

[SteefR1]

Same thing. I get the Samsung logo for 2 seconds, then nothing...

[JAMES4578]

@SteefR1  As indicated see if you can boot into Recovery Mode. 

 Connect To Computer or plug in USB-C Headphones , Press and hold the Volume Up key and then press and hold the Power key.  When the Android logo displays, release all keys,Wait until the Android system recovery menu options appear.

Select Reboot system Now which is the first option via the Power Key.  

Another idea is to see if you can enter Safe Mode,  press and hold the power key until power off is displayed.  Tap and hold the power off Icon until Safe Mode is displayed.  

More information here https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/how-to-start-my-galaxy-device-in-safe-mode/ 

[Scoobs222]

Guys nothing will work just trust me on this.. its happened to mine, my cousins, friends. You can factory reset it, it will still be there, its a software issue.. I really don't know why people keep giving the same advice, none of it works! Realistically either get rid of it or take legal action , there's no other option. Google samsung planned obsolescence and you will see they've been fined millions for this practice but they're still doing it because it's still making them more money than losing

[SteefR1]

I can't force boot into recovery mode. I just get two seconds of Samsung logo, then nothing.

[JAMES4578]

Ok,you may need to contact Samsung Support for options or visit Samsung Experience store.

[SteefR1]

I read the cases in Italy. This is not an obscolescence issue. Obscolescence is something that happens very gradually, a little bit at every update. Also it doesn't render your phone useless, it makes it slow and buggy, just enough so that you get annoyed and buy a new phone. In my case, the phone is bricked and it happened suddenly. No manufacturer would build in something that obvious. 

[Scoobs222]

You say that but the amount of s20's that got messed up this time last year and the s21's this year.. you never know! A device costing over a grand shouldn't be bricking after an update 2 years later but it's happening a lot. Also it doesn't necessarily mean it will be a slow demise, they could set it up so 80% of phones mess up slowly and 20% just die, that way it's less obvious.. if they did it in Italy, they are doing it everywhere