The Android ecosystem is smooth and user-friendly. However, if you are on an older Android version, your phone or tablet may be slow in downloading some OS files. It will, therefore, display a message “phone stuck on downloading do not turn off target.” Fortunately, you do not need to ship your phone to a certified technician (unless in extreme cases) to solve this issue.

Using Kies, my Gear device is stuck on stuck on Downloading - Do not turn off target! Any ideas on how to restart it? Pressing the power button for short or long press period just blanks and shows me same message again. Thanks and regards, H. I don't know how this happend but my Note8 is stuck on the OS downloading screen and it says do not turn off target. Holding the power button does not shut it down. Steps to fix Phone stuck on “downloading do not turn off target” To fix “downloading do not turn off target” error, follow these steps. Solution #1: Exit the “Download mode” on your Samsung device. If you are using Galaxy S7, S6, S5, and S4, exiting the download mode solves the problem. To exit the download mode, follow these steps.

Why does your phone say downloading do not turn off target? Some of the probable causes of this error include:

  • A software glitch on your smartphone
  • If you miss the correct button combination in the recovery mode
  • If the EFS folder is missing on your phone

Steps to fix Phone stuck on “downloading do not turn off target”

To fix “downloading do not turn off target” error, follow these steps.

Solution #1: Exit the “Download mode” on your Samsung device

If you are using Galaxy S7, S6, S5, and S4, exiting the download mode solves the problem. To exit the download mode, follow these steps.

  • Press and hold the Galaxy power button + Home button + Volume down simultaneously
  • Continue pressing the three buttons until the screen of your Galaxy gadget goes black
  • Release all the buttons and let the phone reboot automatically

Here is a video of the same:

Exiting the “download mode” solves this problem. If this solution does not remove the “do not turn off target on Samsung” error, move to the next solution.

Solution #2: Initiate a clean restart

If you are using a different Android phone, initiating a fresh restart solves the problem. Also, the solution works for Samsung Galaxy phones (only if the first solution did not work).

To initiate a clean restart;

  • Turn off the device by holding the power button for at least five seconds.
  • If holding the power button did not turn your device off, remove the battery (for older phones) or hold the power button + volume down.
  • Remove your SD card (if you have any) and SIM card
  • Wait for 20 seconds before powering up your device.

A “Clean restart” helps in discharging phone capacitors and refreshing the phone’s CPU. If you still get the error message, consider wiping the cache partition, as we explain below.

Solution #3: Wipe the cache partition

If your phone says downloading do not turn off target, it could be due to a firmware glitch. To solve the firmware glitch, follow these steps.

  • Power off your android device
  • After 30 seconds, press Home button + Volume up Key + Power button simultaneously
  • After 5 seconds, the phone will vibrate. Release the buttons
  • You will see five (5) options. Scroll down to the fifth option, and wipe the phone’s cache
  • Press the power button twice
  • The process will take about 5 seconds
  • After wiping the cache partition, scroll up to the first option and reboot your android device.

Here’s a video explaining the same:

When cleaning the cache partition, you should ensure that your phone has enough charge. If this solution does not work, send you an Android device to a certified phone technician.

Download without interruptions!

If your phone still gets Android updates, it is advisable to check new updates continuously. The new Android versions — from Android 8 — are stable, and it is rare to get software hitches. Also, ensure that all your files are backed up always.

Downloading Do Not Turn Off Target S8

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  • Updated on 2020-12-18 to Fix Android

The Note 4 downloading do not turn off target is a prevalent issue for many Samsung users. It usually happens when the phone reboots after accessing the recovery mode. In case you press the wrong button to access the recovery mode, you can get stuck with this error without any immediate option to tackle the solution.

We understand that you may think there is no solution at this point. However, we can suggest you some easy methods to get rid of Samsung S7 downloading do not turn off target, and other Samsung models as well.

Part 1. What Does Downloading Do Not Turn Off Target Mean

Before getting down to business, we must know what does Galaxy S7 downloading do not turn off target mean. Some Samsung users consider this error as merely a software glitch. But this error usually occurs in Download Mode. Samsung has an exclusive way of flashing Odin, which is Download Mode. If you somehow end up accessing download mode and are unable to exit, this message will pop up, leaving you with no immediate solution.

Other common causes of Samsung Galaxy S7 downloading do not turn off target involve:

  • Inaccurate key combinations to access Recovery mode
  • Software glitch
  • Messing up sensitive files of the device to the extent that it can’t boot up
  • Corrupted internal partition
  • Missing data in the EFS folder

All these causes are interlinked with each other as it affects the system software. Therefore, we have enlisted some methods that you can use to fix this error.

Part 2: How to Fix Samsung Downloading Do Not Turn Off Target

Take a look at the list of methods that can be useful in case you are facing Samsung Galaxy S6 downloading do not turn off target error.

Solution 1: Exit Download Mode on Samsung Device

The first thing to resort to is exiting the Download Mode. The process is very simple, yet some users confuse the steps. So, here is the one-step process that you need to follow to exit downloading do not turn off target screen.

Press the Home button + Power Button + Volume Down button at the same time. Keep the buttons pressed and let them go until the screen is entirely black.

Your device will automatically reboot. If not, press the Power button to restart it. There is a chance that even after trying to exit recovery mode, your device will stay stuck. Plus, the steps might differ slightly for different models.

Hence, you need to switch to an automatic way instead of relying on manual operation. We suggest using Tenorshare ReiBoot for Android. It is a system repair software that has a one-click process to exit recovery/download mode. Just follow the steps below:

  • Step 1 Download the Android System Repair tool on your system and launch it whenever the setup is complete. Connect your Samsung phone using a USB cable and hit the “One-Click to Exit Download Mode” option.

  • Step 2 Within a few seconds, the software will exit the download mode, and you will be able to use it once more.

Solution 2: Perform a Soft Restart

The next thing to try is to perform a soft restart. Whether it is the Galaxy S series phone stuck at this error or Note series showing downloading do not turn off target, soft restart might fix it right away.

Press the Power button and Volume down keys together and hold them for at least 45 seconds.

Wait as the device restarts, and the corrupted temporary data from your phone will be removed. Soft restart will also reset the phone network connection just in case it was the problem.

Solution 3: Boot Your Samsung Device in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is often used to ensure that the system applications are working fine. By logging into the Safe mode, you will be able to check if a particular application is causing the downloading do not turn off target error on the device. Only the pre-installed apps will run in safe mode, indicating that a newly installed app is to be blamed for your sufferings.

  1. Step 1: Turn off your phone and press the Power key. Keep the key pressed until you see Samsung appear on the screen.
  2. Step 2: Immediately after releasing the Power key, hit the Volume down key. Hold the key until the device finishes restarting, and it will turn on in Safe Mode.

In new devices, hold the Power button and tap two times on the Restart option to reboot the phone in Samsung mode. If the phone doesn’t give any error in Safe Mode, then find out which recently installed app is causing troubles and delete it from the phone.

Solution 4: Wipe Cache Partition

Another fix that is worth trying to get rid of 'downloading… do not turn off target' is wiping the cache partition. With this method, you can eliminate the possibility that a firmware glitch causes the problem.

  1. Step 1: Shut down your phone and press Volume Up + Home key simultaneously. Then press the Power key and release it when the device logo appears.
  2. Step 2: Release all buttons when the Android logo appears on the screen, and the phone will display “Install System Update” message.
  3. Step 3: As the Android System Recovery menu pops up, use the Volume down keys to get to the Wipe Cache Partition option. You can use the Power button to select the option and confirm the action.

  4. Step 4: When the wipe cache partition process finishes, the reboot option will highlight. Finally, reboot your device and check if the problem is resolved or not.

Solution 5: Factory Reset

When everything else fails and the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 downloading do not turn off target does not disappear then we might need to perform a factory reset. It will erase everything on your device, along with the cause of the problem. Let’s try it.

  1. Step 1: Turn your phone off and enter recovery mode by following the steps as in “Wipe Cache Partition” up to step 2.
  2. Step 2: Choose the Wipe data/ factory reset option using the power button and confirm to delete all user data. Master reset will initiate shortly, and when the process finishes, the “Reboot system now” will highlight.

Downloading Do Not Turn Off Target S6

All third-party apps on the phone, settings, and respective data will be erased from the device. Try accessing your phone and check if the problem still persists.

Solution 6: Still Stuck in Downloading... Do Not Turn Off Target? Repair Android System

If, after trying all these fixes, you still can’t get rid of Galaxy Note 4 downloading do not turn off target error; then we recommend using a professional system repair tool. Tenorshare ReiBoot for Android Repair is a software that is designed specifically to assist smartphone users in fixing software related issues. Along with download mode stuck, ReiBoot can fix over 50 different kinds of software issues.

Get the software installed on the system, and once the setup finishes, follow the steps below for system repair.

  1. Step 1: Launch Tenorshare Android system repair tool and connect your phone with the system. Check that the USB debugging option is enabled on your phone and click on the “Repair Android System” function. Start the process by hitting the “Repair Now” button.

  2. Step 2: The software will prompt you to enter device information. Check the device info carefully; otherwise, you’ll risk bricking your phone.

  3. Step 3: With the device info, ReiBoot will provide a suitable firmware package that matches your device specifications. Hit the Download button and wait for it to finish.

  4. Step 4: Finally, when the firmware is ready, hit the “Repair Now” button and ReiBoot will fix everything on your phone.

The software will notify when the repair finishes, and your device will reboot. If not, you can restart it manually as well. And the best thing is that it won't remove a single piece of data from your phone.

The Bottom Line

Phone Stuck On Downloading Do Not Turn Off Target

Now you know how to fix Samsung do not turn off target issue. If you have enough time, you can consider trying all methods. However, if you want an immediate solution, then try using Tenorshare ReiBoot right away.

Samsung

It is at such moments when we realize how important device backup can be. For a similar situation like this, you should consider using UltFone Android Data Recovery. This tool will provide you a recovery option for photos, videos, documents, messages, app data, etc. without any hassle.