Following this week’s report that some LG G7 ThinQ handsets are experiencing bootlooping issues, an LG spokesperson reached out to AndroidHeadlines, acknowledging the “tremendous” inconvenience the bug is causing and promising a fix within ‘the next several days’. A software update for the flagship that was delivered to a specific network across several European countries is said to be the underlying cause of the problem. The tech giant is now working directly with the carrier to push out an update that will roll the software back “as quickly as possible,” pending a permanent fix and new update package. No permanent damage is being caused by the glitch, according to LG, concluding that those who need additional assistance should contact LG support directly or visit a local service center.
Background: User reports earlier in the week indicated that T-Mobile SIMs in Europe were those affected by the bug in question. Summarily, bootlooping occurs when underlying software bugs or, in some cases, hardware deficiencies don’t allow a smartphone to start up. Instead of turning on normally, a handset or tablet will load up the appropriate boot animations and begin to go through the process before halting and starting over repeatedly. LG has had numerous run-ins with the problem over the past several generations of its flagships — running nearly the gamut with reports on the LG-built G4, G5, V10, V20, and the Nexus 5X. In fact, the issue has landed the Korean tech giant in court on at least one occasion, resulted in compensation for users who weren’t able to use their devices due to bootlooping despite the plaintiffs’ failure to grow the lawsuit into a class action suit. The newest bout of bootlooping problems is, at least, not so widespread. While T-Mobile’s European networks were not explicitly named, that seems to have been confirmed by LG’s statement that the problem only affects a single carrier network.
As previously reported, that may require users to remove their SIM entirely from their device prior to booting up before downloading the firmware roll-back over Wi-Fi. Ordinarily, users might try to access the Android OS recovery menu in order to enter Safe Mode and find a way around these types of issues. That’s accessed by long-pressing the volume and power physical keys during startup and then using the volume keys to navigate and the power key to select items within the menu. But that hasn’t been possible in every instance with this bug as users report they can’t move far enough into the startup to get to that menu. In at least some of those instances, removing the SIM card has worked as a temporary way to get around the smartphone failing to boot up.
Impact: LG may be no stranger to bootlooping on its handsets but it has at least two things going for it in this particular case. To begin with, the company’s rapid response here is a definitive step forward from previous incidents. It is also telling that the most recent reports pertain to only one carrier network and seem to be linked to the SIM card and associated network directly. That means it is unlikely to be a direct result of something that’s wrong with the hardware. That should go a long way toward mitigating any further reputational damage that might otherwise have been caused.