S3 Reboots On It's Own, Stuck on 4G LTE Screen - HELP!!!

[dhamway]

Everyone,

This is my first post so I hope it's in the right place. I have a problem that no one seems to be able to help me with (not even Verizon) and I can't find it anywhere on the net. My S3 keeps rebooting every week or two and gets stuck on the 4G LTE screen. The only way to get it back to normal is to do a factory reset. I am on my 3rd phone from Verizon so I know it is not a hardware issue. I have not rooted the phone either. I always update it to the latest firmware (4.1.2) after factory reset. Here is what I have done so far to troubleshoot.

NEW HARDWARE:

• Replaced the actual phone (I'm on my 3rd phone)
• Replaced the 32GB SanDisc card (apparently there were issues with older card versions used with the S3, so I got a brand new one from SanDisc)
• Replaced the SIM card from Verizon
• Switched my battery with my wife's battery. Her phone was still fine. Mine crashed again.

SCENARIOS:

• I tried the phone with the new Memory Card in...still got a reboot
• I tried the phone with the new Memory Card out...still got a reboot
• I tried the phone with all my apps (no 3rd party junk apps, only LinkedIn, eBay, etc)...still got a reboot
• I tried the phone with NO apps at all after factory reset, only Facebook...still got a reboot.

APPS:

• Apps such as Facebook, LinkedIn, K-9 Mail, eBay, Groupon, etc. Basic apps.

SETUP:

Only factory setup changes were made to the phone such as Displaying my name on the lock screen, adding weather to lock screen, adding Facebook feed to lock screen, etc. All stock options...still got a reboot.

Just sent the phone to Samsung a couple of days ago but they explained they will only check for issues with the phone, not deep dive into Apps. I doubt they will find something.

PLEASE HELP ME! My wife's phone is set up exactly like mine and hers is fine!

[#2]

i think its asking you to go ahead and get the galaxt s4

[dhamway]

If I find out what the issue is, then I am going to ask Verizon to get me out of this phone. How does a phone just reboot itself when the user isn't doing anything??

[Ann154]

Have you tried safe mode yet?

[dhamway]

Hi Ann154 - No I havent, but if I did it wouldn't resolve the root issue. Maybe I am wrong. What exactly does Safe Mode do? How long do I leave it in Safe Mode before I figure out what's wrong?

I just want to find out WHY this is happening and then i will feel alot better

[Ann154]

Safe mode restricts the phone to only the pre-installed applications. If the issue isn't reproduced in safe mode then the issue is caused by a application you have downloaded. From there you can start eliminating those apps one by one.

If it does happen in safe mode then it is a hardware issue or a problem with OS.

[dhamway]

Interesting. I will have to try that if Samsung cannot find anything. This is going to be a VERY long troubleshooting effort. However, as I stated above, the apps I loaded are completely "normal" apps (I.e. - Facebook, eBay, etc.). How can I be the only one having this issue when thousands of other people use these apps?

Someone else on another forum mentioned that it could possible be a bad ROM update from the cloud. Is that possible? I update it EVERY time is crashes so I doubt that each time it was a bad download.

Also, if it was bad, don't you think it would have crashed as soon as it was installed? This "crash" happens a week or so later...strange.