!!!Stop SAMSUNG GALAXY S3 FREEZING Problems!!!

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froycard

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2014
67
4
Caracas
Well, here is my story...
My cell phone is a Samsung Galaxy S3 mod. GT-I9300. Locked for Digitel (Venezuela mobile carrier). Android Stock Rom version: 4.1.2.

Preamble:
I bought this cellular a year ago, and it worked flawlessly almost for 12 months straight. I haven't experienced any single freezing or rebooting problem. I downloaded KIES and the program detected that a new version of Android was available for downloading for my phone. Bump! Error. I should have backed up my EFS first before doing the upgrading. BACKUP YOURS, IMPORTANT!)

NOTE: Backup your personal data as well since any ROM installation will remove for sure your personal data and info.

After upgrading and a few days later, my cellphone started to act somewhat funny. I started to got some freezing. To be specifically, my phone started to freeze, the screen just froze and nothing happened when I touched the screen, pressed any button. The only thing worked was to restart the cell (by pressing and holding the POWER button or by removing the batteries). Anyway, the freaking freezing problems continue occurring.

By the way, the warranty expired just a few days ago...

Since I couldn't do anything to stop the freezing problems, I decided to root the cell and install a new version of Android not official for Samsung and test its performance. But before that, I factory reset my cellphone, but it didn't work at all.

I tested several Android version I could find on internet: cm-11-20140....-i9300.zip, specifically, the SNAPSHOT, STABLE, NIGHTLY version. None of that worked, I also tested the cm-10-20... without luck. In fact, the freezing problems with those versions got worse and worse.

Taking the above in consideration, I decided to re-install the stock rom version (ver. 4.1.0) the one that was shipped with my phone when I bought it. You can find these version for any carrier in the world at: sammobile
I flashed and I used it for almost a day or so. During that period of time, I could feel that the freezing issues were gone, not even a freezing event. But unfortunately, I couldn't connect to any Mobile Network!!, so I had just bricked my cell phone !!! I took it to the cell carrier company (DIGITEL) and they could not do anything since my warranty already expired. WTF ! I was alone with my own problem now to sort it out.

SOLUTION !!

By no means I mean this is a cure but I have just stopped getting the hellish freezing and rebooting problems, and I just wanna share my experience with you so maybe I could help you to get rid of this annoying issues for the time being.

Picking up where I was left off, all I had was my bricked phone and a working ROM: ver. 4.1.2, So I decided to to reinstall this version back on my phone and see if it connected to the mobile carrier.

I reinstalled it and of course, after erasing cache partitions and making a factory reset. The procedures to install any ROM on your cellphone you can find it on internet (for instance, youtube may help a lot).

After I installed the version 4.1.2. my cellphone could connect to the mobile carrier once again... phewww!! But the freezing problems continued to appear in the fuc# phone. Well, now the only option I had to test thoroughly my cell was to install any application one after another but testing if the application was the culprit for the freezing issue.

But right after installing the stock Rom, I got a error message when my phone run to the first screen (Home Screen): TOUCHWIZ stopped responding... it lit my LIGHT BULB! I searched the web for the TOUCHWIZ and found out reports regarding many problems with Touchwiz.

Holy craps! The TOUCHWIZ is a BUGGY APPLICATION that comes with the STOCK ROM developed by SAMSUNG.

My friends there is no way to UNINSTALL that application but to use another LAUNCHER. I fired up and decided to download KIT KAT Launcher. Well, I downloaded the launcher and when you first run this application a windows pops up so you can decide what launcher the cellphone may use and the time to use it. I select ALWAYS I press the HOME button, the launcher to use is KIT KAT.

In addition to that I disable various stuffs, follows (you have to go through the setting app):
Disable Touch wiz (delete CACHE, and FORCE STOP)
Disable GPS
Disable Multi Windows
Disable Swipe Lock ( I found my cellphone freezes a lot while this is on)
I don't use a lot of widgets... but only one: The Clock and Alarm widget.

So far (it has passed 5 days straight without freezing). My phone froze on me while I was downloading something (maybe the phone was updating an app) and at the same time I was texting someone. I am suspicious that there is something to do with the downloading system too and the phone that could trigger a freeze.

Anyway, if you have experienced the freezing issue on your Galaxy S3 just like me, then try what I just outlined and give it a test. But do not download a bunch of program at the same time, just pick one by one, and allow some time to test your application and check if your phone is stable before continue with the next app to download and so forth. I have downloaded so far: whatsapp, BBM, sudoku and other games.

Hope you can get rid of the freezing problems just the way I did, any question feel free to ask.

I will continue posting any advance with my phone.

:D

FROYCARD

PS: excuse my standard English. :cowboy:
 

kariiim

Member
Jan 20, 2014
14
4
Flashing a custom rom would help with the freezing issues too! :p
Try temasek's 4.4 rom its a lot more smooth than ur stock ull feel u have a new phone
You also lost ur carrier signal because ur efs partition was read only or something so backup ur efs before flashing the rom
 

froycard

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2014
67
4
Caracas
Flashing a custom rom would help with the freezing issues too! :p
Try temasek's 4.4 rom its a lot more smooth than ur stock ull feel u have a new phone
You also lost ur carrier signal because ur efs partition was read only or something so backup ur efs before flashing the rom

Nope,, it didn't work with my cellphone. I already tested it. As a matter of fact, I can name you all the ROM I flashed to my cellphone:

cm-11-20131115-UNOFFICIAL-i9300-V2
cm-11-20140104-SNAPSHOT-M2-i9300
cm-11-20140117-UNOFFICIAL-temasek-i9300-V36
cm-11-20140125-NIGHTLY-i9300
cm-10.2.0-i9300

None of the above rom I used stopped the freezing issue, that's why I needed to return to stock rom, and since then I am using it without experiencing any laggy or freezing.

Thanks anyway. :good:
 

snakerdlk

Member
Aug 31, 2009
23
1
Isnt it possible to create a rom with all of Samsungs bloat ripped off (TouchWiz included) and replaced with stock apps?
The problem is that non stock kernel roms use up a lot more battery than the stock one...
 

jinosong

Senior Member
Jan 22, 2011
1,075
544
Seoul
Dude, you seem like a total beginner at this. You might want to start by trying a proper wipe, install a rom like Temasek and install a kernel like Boeffla.

Touchwiz is not the problem for your freezing. Get a custom kernel on there and try undervolting to lower the temp your phone. It may be too hot and may lock up.

You don't have to stick to roms available from your carrier either. You might just want to try any recent 4.3 rom from Sammy.
 
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froycard

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2014
67
4
Caracas
Dude, you seem like a total beginner at this. You might want to start by trying a proper wipe, install a rom like Temasek and install a kernel like Boeffla.

Touchwiz is not the problem for your freezing. Get a custom kernel on there and try undervolting to lower the temp your phone. It may be too hot and may lock up.

You don't have to stick to roms available from your carrier either. You might just want to try any recent 4.3 rom from Sammy.

Yeah,,, you may be right I am a newbie... but since I stopped using TOUCHWIZ, I have experienced fewer a fewer lock-ups. I dunno what it is happening with my phone, but that is a fact. I am using KITKAT launcher.

The current stock ROM I am using is: 4.1.2 .... (I9300UBEMH2)

I am not familiar with undervolting to lower my phone's temp... maybe you can guide me about using it, or I could search the web for it.

UPDATE: I installed TWITTER Apps yesterday and each time I used it, it froze my phone for 12 min approx. Any suggestion?

:confused:
 

froycard

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2014
67
4
Caracas
Well I just want to update my post.

Yesterday I just wanted to continue figuring this freezing problem out. Since I published my experiences about freezing until yesterday the problem appears to have reduced significantly. I was using stock ROM ver. 4.1.2 flashed with KIES.

But I wanted to continue testing other ROM's. I tried to install a ROM named SAMMY'S ROM developed by guy named JustArchi (that I found in this forum). However I could not install it on my phone (SGS3 - GT-I9300) since it gave me some errors when I tried to install: ERROR STATUS 7
A margin note: This techie or nerdie called JustArchi gave me the boot from his thread for trying to seek help on this error.. so I trashed this SAMMY'S ROM and move on with another solution.

Whatever, I downloaded another official stock Rom ver. 4.3, released by SAMSUNG, intended for IRELAND - I am not from Ireland, but Venezuela (I founded it at SAMMOBILE under the top 10 latest firmware just released). By using ODIN, I flashed my phone, and to tell the truth, my phone feels differently. I haven't experimented any sluggish or lagging, not even a freezing so far (knocking on wood).

For precaution, I am installing one app at the time, and giving it time to see if everything is stable.

Conclusion: to any guys who is getting the annoying freezing, I think you must stick with it until your mobile carrier makes ROM ver. 4.3 available. Otherwise, if you are like me, wanting to work things out for yourself, download any ROM (ver. 4.3 compatible with your phone model) and test it on your phone. Before doing that, you just have to search the Internet for directions to do so, I am not responsible for what you do with your phone. I'll keep updating if another problem arises.

Note: since I am getting some rude comments from senior members who think they are too techie to read newbie's comments, queries, etc. I am not interested in their replies since they are not helping at all, thus I just ignore your lame comments from now on. Just scram. :cool:
 

jinosong

Senior Member
Jan 22, 2011
1,075
544
Seoul
Dude, you're really not helping anybody here with your information here. I don't know what you think you're sharing. The error 7 pertains to recover error which can be eliminated by installing an alternate recovery version.

I don't care if you're a newbie or not but you are spreading false info.

I'll scram now. :D
 
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