Droid 3 Automatically Restarts

I first bought the Droid X2, which was a fine phone, if a little sluggish a little over a month ago. After swapping it out for the Droid 3, an overall terrific phone, the device started turning off and back on. It had been doing so since I first got it.

This would happen at least twice a day and for no apparent reason, so I called up Verizon and had it replaced with another Droid 3. It has been doing the same thing, albeit less frequently.

I have scoured other forums for advice and have learned that problems with the Droid 3 wifi settings has caused the device to restart/power cycle. Also, from my experience, sliding out the keyboard to access the unlock screen instead of just pressing the power button sometimes causes the phone to hang and eventually restart itself.

I really do not want to be a bother, I know what it is like dealing with trouble customers. I was wondering if anyone else has been experiencing frequent restarting/power cycling on the Droid 3. Any fixes? Or should I just complain some more and get another Droid 3?

Accepted answers

EdW_VZW

SP97 wrote:
My Daughter and I are having the same issue. It seems to only happen when using WiFi.
I tried the fix of disabling Back up my data in the privacy settings and then removing all remembered wifi connections and setting them back up and so far have not had any restarts.

Thanks to the community members for your input.

I apologize for the issue on some of the Droid 3 devices powering on randomly. This is a known issue being worked on diligently with Motorola for a requested solution. Your patience is being asked for as this matter is being addressed. As soon as a solution is provided, we will pass it along to our customers.

All comments

Wildman

NiGHTSdreamer wrote:
This would happen at least twice a day and for no apparent reason, so I called up Verizon and had it replaced with another Droid 3. It has been doing the same thing, albeit less frequently.
My thought if more than one device experiance the same issue then you may want to try removing things from the equation, like apps and system settings.

I have scoured other forums for advice and have learned that problems with the Droid 3 wifi settings has caused the device to restart/power cycle.
Sounds like this is a on going issue with all Motorale devices, the Droid X had this issues also...

Also, from my experience, sliding out the keyboard to access the unlock screen instead of just pressing the power button sometimes causes the phone to hang and eventually restart itself.
This is a new one reported for the devices.. Usually noting related to keyboard..

AnthonyTa_VZW

NiGHTSdreamer wrote:
I first bought the Droid X2, which was a fine phone, if a little sluggish a little over a month ago. After swapping it out for the Droid 3, an overall terrific phone, the device started turning off and back on. It had been doing so since I first got it.

This would happen at least twice a day and for no apparent reason, so I called up Verizon and had it replaced with another Droid 3. It has been doing the same thing, albeit less frequently.

I have scoured other forums for advice and have learned that problems with the Droid 3 wifi settings has caused the device to restart/power cycle. Also, from my experience, sliding out the keyboard to access the unlock screen instead of just pressing the power button sometimes causes the phone to hang and eventually restart itself.

I really do not want to be a bother, I know what it is like dealing with trouble customers. I was wondering if anyone else has been experiencing frequent restarting/power cycling on the Droid 3. Any fixes? Or should I just complain some more and get another Droid 3?

NiGHTSdreamer,

I do understand your frustrations with the Motorola Droid 3 restarts and would be happy to assist with getting this resolved!

Couple of questions, since I noticed you stated the restarts happened on your previous Droid 3, when you set up your current Droid did you sign in with the same Google account that was on your previous device? Have you downloaded any "Antivirus applications"? Sounds as though something that was associated with your Google account followed you to your replacement and may be causing your phone to respond in this manner.

mgerbasio1

See here for a thread on the Motorola forum:

https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/54002?tstart=0

DroidudeAZ

I turned my phone off last night. It shut down and I placed it on the table. About 3 seconds later it powered up on it's own. It's only done that once. The phone acts ok, except when you exit an app or browser, it takes about 5 seconds for the mainpage to come up. Otherwise it's not bad. Any advice?

techead

It could be your battery those problems sometimes are cause by a faulty battery. I would see if a new battery would solve your wows.

SP97

My Daughter and I are having the same issue. It seems to only happen when using WiFi.

I tried the fix of disabling Back up my data in the privacy settings and then removing all remembered wifi connections and setting them back up and so far have not had any restarts.

SP97

Sorry to report that we are still seeing random restarts while using WiFi.

EdW_VZW

SP97 wrote:
My Daughter and I are having the same issue. It seems to only happen when using WiFi.
I tried the fix of disabling Back up my data in the privacy settings and then removing all remembered wifi connections and setting them back up and so far have not had any restarts.

Thanks to the community members for your input.

em2ner

Personally, I think we should get some sort of compensation for this. After all we didn't pay $200 for a new phone plus $100 a month for a faulty device. Granted most new devices aren't perfect, but the service providing updates seems to be lacking effort. I have also had this problem with my DROID 3 restarting whenever Wi-Fi is enabled.

Elitist_Jerk

em2ner wrote:
Personally, I think we should get some sort of compensation for this. After all we didn't pay $200 for a new phone plus $100 a month for a faulty device. Granted most new devices aren't perfect, but the service providing updates seems to be lacking effort. I have also had this problem with my DROID 3 restarting whenever Wi-Fi is enabled.

What kind of compensation? Verizon service appears to be working... oh did you mean from Motorola? sure give them a call, see what happens.

btw you pay $100 for service, whatever device you get it on is already paid for. The $200 is a subsidized rate, full retail is like $500.. sounds like a nagging problem, but not one to whine about $4 in credits...

bobcox1

To: EdW and VZW support team: I've had my droidi3 for about a month, and it restarts several times a day. Even within a minute of shutting it down. My job requires my phone be off most of the time and the restarts create problems during my work time. I'm wondering if it has to do with data drops. Has a solution to this problem been found? Plz advise - thx, bobcox

PBG59

So it's been a month since you posted that you are working on it. I just bought mine a week ago and it does the same thing! What have you done to fix this???

StreetDocRN

Hey,

My wife and I both have Droid 3 devices. She has had the problem with the random restarts, however, I did not. We both also experienced our devices getting a bit warm, especially when the WiFi was enabled. I installed the latest software update for the Droid 3 that was released last week on both of our D3s. She has not had a problem with the restarts since the update and the over heating problem is gone too. I just thought I would pass this info along.

Doc

AnthonyTa_VZW

bobcox1 wrote:
To: EdW and VZW support team: I've had my droidi3 for about a month, and it restarts several times a day. Even within a minute of shutting it down. My job requires my phone be off most of the time and the restarts create problems during my work time. I'm wondering if it has to do with data drops. Has a solution to this problem been found? Plz advise - thx, bobcox

Thanks for posting bobcox1, and thank you for being patient!

This has been lifted up to our Product Support Team and to the manufacturer. They are aware of this issue and have advised it will be addressed with the next software release, however, I do not have a date as to when it will be released. Rest assure they are working diligently to provide this fix as soon as possible.

zobes55

My Droid has been starting and restarting itself. Lately when I power it off I have to take the battery out and put it back in to get the device to start again.

andyswilliams

i have had the same problem, but i found out on my own that it was the wifi. i always blamed it on the planes cause i live on a base

out4hike

my D2 got replaced in august b/c of a floating foam piece coming up from the bottom of the screen, they sent me another D2 which worked fine until last week when it started not picking up GPS, and restarting itself. The customer service sent me a D3 which was good for 24 hours, and then went into a restart loop. Cust Svc blamed the problem on my software, and had me do a factory reset. Within 24 hours of the factory reset, it went into an endless restart loop. When I went to the local store, the sales guy said "i thought we resolved this issue with the D2" and that he never saw this issue with the D3. He hooked me up with a D1 to borrow until my D3 gets to me.

Today I got another D3 from fedex. Tomorrow the back cover and battery arrive.

Hey Verizon Employee > what info you got for us today ?

sampson4455

U can do what u want take gmail out apps out but u still have problem it is in the software wifi is the biggest issue but verizon is not big enough too tell phone co too fix the problem it wants to blame someone else for the problem like you

tapnet

Yes... my issue is as follows; I turn my phone off (power button), and it starts back up on it's own. Sometimes it does this and somethings it doesn't. Typically when I power it down the second time it stays off. FYI: I have WiFi disabled.

DVP3101

Can we get a timeline on the new update that will fix this issue?

JohnB_VZW

@tapnet,

Have you checked to see if you have the most current SW version on your Droid 3? The most current SW version is 5.6.890.XT862.Verizon.en.US. If you do not have the most current SW version click here for steps on how to update.

If you have the correct SW try placing your device in Safe Mode and see if this still happens. If the auto restarts stop then the issue is with a third party application that was downloaded on the phone. You would then need to remove the downloaded application one at a time until you find the one causing the issue.

If the above doesn't help the next step would be a hard reset.

Post back if you need further assistance and I will be more than happy to help.

njfiddler

In trying Safe Mode, I shut the phone off and waited...sure enough, it started up again on its own....but not in Safe Mode (which I assume is the expected behavior).

I'm not sure this problem is worth all the hassle of a hard reset, but would welcome hearing if others users find apps that clear up the problem when they are uninstalled.

kafkaesque

duplication, deleted

kafkaesque

This has been a recurring problem since I got my phone. I have the most current SW on my Droid 3 and have not installed any apps.

My phone turned itself on last week while I was at a taping of a TV show. Fortunately, it was buried in my handbag beneath my coat. And last night, the phone restarted twice last night while at a Broadway play. (After the first time, I placed my phone on silent so I would not be humiliated when it turned on again.)

So are you still suggesting I need to do a hard reset?

Ellen

jazz2jazz

My droid3 which was charged suddenly turned off and would not restart. I attached phone to recharger with not effect.

SameerS

Just got mine on 12/15 and is rebooting. Didn't reboot for 2 days, then rebooted 5 times in the last 2 hours.

thetruth72

I also have an issue with a restarting droid 3. Been through 2 of them and the same problem exists. Happens frequently enough. I'm starting to regret not switching phones or getting a full refund when I had the chance. Could have waited like a month and got the Bionic when it came out and had not only dual core but also 4G. Dirty move selling that and not telling me what was coming. Extra dirty.

mat_edge05

Same issue here. ALthough I'm not using wifi but bluetooth. Usually does it when its in my car dock. I don't think the car dock is the issue, but that I always turn on the bluetooth, cause that's how I stream my music. Seems like bluetooth and wifi are causing it. It's been over 4 months and this is still not resolved! In 4 months I could have learned how to write the software codes and do the repair myself.

pskyner

Mine does that too but I don't use Wi-Fi on this phone at all..Normally when it freezes it will shut off by itself. But sometimes it's just sitting there and it will just turn off by itself while I am in the middle of doing something. Thinking of switching to the iPhone 4 now...

eclein

I have had 4 replacement phones-Droid 3-and everyone reboots, turns off, apps dissapear, missing phone calls....customer service was supposed to call me last week at a day and time and it never happened at the time. 6 hours later when I wasn't available someone called. I called and asked very politely if they could track the rep down and please have her call me when she gets back after holiday. "I am sending an email now sir"...nothing....I'm disabled and have difficulty with using my hands so the keyboard is a good thing for me as the virtual ones I seem to have trouble with. How many phones do I have to go through before you give me a better phone?? I have been a client for years??

This is sad.....

njfiddler

I actually have a happy ending to my sympton, which was my Droid 3 randomly turning itself back on. I talked to VZ Customer Service agent. We did two things: (1) removed/replaced the battery, then (2) dialed *228 (or was it *288?) and reactivated the phone. We did not remove any apps or change any other configuration parms.

The problem has not happened since, which is ~5 days ago; it would happen about 80% of the time before. I'm happy!

giversonjr

I was curious to know if anything has been done to resolve this? I have had this issue since I purchased my phone and I attempted to contact verizon. Thanks for any response in advance.

bettycr

Don't know if this is the problem or not, but when I was downloading an app and reading through all the fine print, it stated at the very bottom that agreeing to this app it would allow the Droid to never go to sleep. Perhaps that is why the phone turns itself back on - some app won't let it stay off. Worth checking out.

ginger99967

I am on my 3rd Droid3 due to auto reboot. Now my texting stopped working.

Someone do something!!!

mkpp

Well been quite a few weeks.... Had a Droid 2... calls couldn't be heard or they hear me. There is stuff all over this feed about it. Called Verizon.... they never heard of it.... did a master reset, cleared apps, etc.... didn't work sent me another Droid 2... Then in about a week kept doing it.... called again... did a master reset, cleared apps, etc... then they sent me a Droid 3.... First couldn't activate it because though a referb they didn't have the phone registered... Had the phone for 24 hours. It automatically rebooted about 30 times.... Called Verizon... did a master reset, cleared apps, etc... They figured it must be the 8 gig memory card. Having Droid 2 programing on a Droid 3.... They will send me another memory card.... took the card out... Still rebooting.... Called again... let them know I just did the master reset, cleared apps, etc. an hour ago. The guy on the phone heard somthing about this problem but not very often.... I asked if they ever actually check the forums they created.... So.... They are sending me another referbed Droid 3 phone.... Which from what I read hear will probably reboot again... Doesn't look like there has ever been a fix. My question to Verizon... why send phones you know doesn't work? They must think technical support is sending a referbed phone, I am on my 4 phone in the past 2 months.

sphilly920

I turn my Droid 3 off at work and place in my locker, but sometimes it turns on and drains the battery because it is always searches in there, or when I go the the movies and turn it off it turns on after 5 or 10 minutes? I reboot it and still does it.

dawnvzw

i have the same problem & my wifi isn't even turned on!!!

zzdonnazz

I have a Dreoid 3, got it in Sept 2011, just this past week or so my phone is doing random reboots. It could just be sitting in the desk or I could be in the middle of a call/text. This is becoming increasingly annoying. The original post was in August, it is now February...6 months...where's the update to fix this? Any new suggestions? I do not want to have to take the phone back, only to get another one that does the same thing!

nofear1

Is there a firmware update for this nonsense yet?

junquer

I went to a store and they said droids occasionaly do re-starts on their own when they get older. No help there.

Tirano

I have this happen at random times, but it seems to happen more consistently whenever I have my Droid 3 in the car dock and using it to navigate.

scbeachbum

Verizon posted this response to this issue in September 2011: "I apologize for the issue on some of the Droid 3 devices powering on randomly. This is a known issue being worked on diligently with Motorola for a requested solution. Your patience is being asked for as this matter is being addressed. As soon as a solution is provided, we will pass it along to our customers. "

Ok, it has been 6+ months since this "known problem" has been "worked on diligently" ..so where is the solution? yesterday, my 4th replacement phone powered off 11 times. WiFi is turned off, and there are no saved WiFi locations. There are no apps on the phone other than those pre-installed by Verizon or Motorola, the software is the latest release, and yet it still reboots over and over. It is obvious there is an issue with this phone, and it is obvious that many people have it and have complained, so where is the solution? And when is it coming? The Droid 4 is already out, and this issue has yet to be fixed on the Droid 3. Does Verizon seriously think we have just forgotten that our phones aren't working properly?

Davey690

Yes, I have been through 4 droid 3 phones with the same problem now and verizon will not do anything but send me their certified like new pieces of crap! The second one I got wouldn't even stay on for more than 5 minutes w/o it shutting off! You know wht Verizon tells me? It is not know to be a problem with these phones!

Verizon_Support

Hello Davey690!

Thank you so much for your post. The Droid 3 has a software update being developed in order to resolve this issue. If the replacement phone is unuseable, we would be able to replace the device in the meantime. You can contact us here, by dialing 800-933-0204, or contacting us on Twitter @VZWSupport. Our website will be updated when the software is available.

Here is a link to the device update page: http://support.verizonwireless.com/system_update/droid3.html

Thank you for your patience!

Katie H

VZW Support

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

Subfixer

To Katie H

VZW Support,

The response "The Droid 3 has a software update being developed in order to resolve this issue." is virtually the same response we received in Sept 2011, 7 months ago.

Sending us another "refurbished" phone with the same software/firmware/hardware problem is NOT the way to fix this problem. If Verizon/Motorola has not yet developed a fix for the existing problem, how can you think sending us another phone will fix it? Throwing "refurbished" phones at the problem will NOT make it go away.

Linking the Device Update page to your response was a waste of time, since there's nothing new there.

It is painfully obvious that Verizon/Motorola is doing NOTHING about this problem other than giving us all Lip Service.

Please have you supervisor's supervisor, someone who can speak for Verizon Management, contact me.

My contact information is contained on your site.

cr23

I agree with the above statement. its been a few months since ive had this D3 and its been shutting down randomly. I cant even use the camera. Sometimes when i try to take pictures it will completely freeze. I have to take out the battery and turn it back on. I really regret getting this phone. I should have just waited a month or so and got an iphone now im stuck with this #$%& for how long???

Verizon keeps giving the same answer for months about an update solving this issue and Nothing has been done yet

kuntrygirl150

I have had the updates to my phone and it still powers off and on.Then it jams and I have to take the battery out. I should have got the droid x like my husband because I have had the droid 1 and 3 and have not been satisfied with either. These phones stink.

CupidMist

I've had my Droid 3 for about a month and it's still doing the automatic restarts. Did they ever find a fix for that?

scarlet_sage

I have had this issue ever since I've had my Droid 3. The worst part was when it turned itself back on while I was in a job interview and my phone starting ringing. Eeek! Talk about embarrassing! As others have reported, Verizon seemed to be very surprised and "had never heard of the problem" when I finally reported it in May 2012. They transferred me to Motorola who seems as equally surprised and had no fix but said they were "noting the problem." They talked about doing the hard reset and then exchanging the phone. I declined, since I had already done a hard reset MULTIPLE TIMES and it didn't fix the problem. Also, I wouldn't have a phone for the time it was in their shop, and this is my only phone. Verizon told me to just take out my battery for situations like job interviews. Cheesh!!!

I should mention that I do have the latest software update for this phone.

commonsense101

ever call moto? see what they have for your device issues

i mean honestly remove advance task killer,lookout,watchdog. factory reset and format your sd card will fix your issue 100% of the time

bob1474

I had the same problem , just got THE fix 3 weeks ago ., the new software update was designed to fix this, just force the download from your settings on your phone , it takes about 30 minutes.My phone works great now.

armourbear4

cowboy 1.jpg A month after getting the Droid-3. I started having this problem of it turning itself off when you open the keyboard. Today August 22nd 2012, I went to the Verizon store to let them see this phone is repeating the same problem as the other 2 replacement phones that they sent me. Today they are sending me a Motorola DROID RAZR. This phone does not have a keyboard. I'm going to see if this works better.

commonsense101

hey congrats on whining till you got what you wanted

I'm sure when the iphone 5 comes out, your razr will "start acting up"

GOOD LUCK!

CoachJarvis

Mine just started shutting down and rebooting this morning. I have had my phone with little problem for quite some time now. Was there an update sent out? It seems like a problem with the OS? Any help? This is my only phone and I need it to work.

mallrats

I have been suffering this same problem since I got my Droid 3 (which I otherwise love). I considered it a good day when I could count the number of reboots during a day on one hand. It happened more frequently when being plugged in, opening or using Camera/Camcorder, or having just turned off or on the screen. Just last week my original one died (stayed on the Motorola screen indefinitely) so they sent me a replacement. This new one does the same thing! I noticed that the battery will get hotter than is typical of other rechargeable devices when charging and it also seems to be overly warm when these spontaneous reboots occur many times. I will be calling in again tomorrow for a battery replacement to hopefully correct this problem. I will update with the results.

reality1o1

had about 9 replacement of this phone due to same problems, it's never ending... motorola doesn't care and verizon doesn't care.. they blame each other and their new course is to attempt to use logic and comparison to explain it all as normal. shame on them for selling garbage and defending it.

It doesn't matter how many you send a replacement because they are still garbage and wasting everyone's time and money, do the right thing, stop selling garbage and or fix a broken system that allows for this... or do not participate in a system that involves taking garbage and painting it gold then selling it to customers that trust you....shame on everything that has led to this and shame on verizon for ever attempting to blame it on users.....

Droid 3 is not the only phone that does this, it's a pattern with all verizon smart phones, YES all of them... what ever the problem is it is not the customers fault for having faith in verizon and believing they would eventually fix it...

They really should be sued.

fn1003

Seems like this is still an ongoing issue with the droid 3 this phone is a nightmare, it has got worse since the last update the phone did that supposedly was making the camera better. The camera is worse and my phone has a mind of its own. It takes forever to make a call and when the it does the screen goes black, The camera freezes up the phone or takes a picture then doesn't save it and exits the camera mode function. The other day the phone was going by itself to different pages,I would also turn the sound off and it would turn back on. It is so slow now it seems like it was a deliberate maneuver to make you not want this phone anymore. It restarts all by itself and it also changes my wallpaper all the time, The thing that worries me is my husbands was doing this and now his does not work at all, it just keeps rebooting, the battery shows a question mark on it and will not charge on his Droid 3. the battery is a good one as it works fine on my droid 3.Of course we have not received much help from customer support with his phone and cannot upgrade until March 2013 at the earliest unless he wants to get a lower grade phone than the one he has but would be stuck with it for over 2 years.Or he could purchase another refurbished phone for $299. We thought they were insured as we were told that we had to have the insurance but then not told that we had to confirm it after 30 days or it would be cancelled (Thanks)... We are really thinking about leaving Verizon as it seems they do not want to help the customer and with all the reading up on this issue this has been and still is an ongoing issue with these phones..... My friend has this phone too and hers is doing the same thing,grrrrr ( I recommended it to her) Hoping someone has some answers....