How to Rescue a Samsung Phone Stuck on the One UI 9 Setup Screen
Samsung has started rolling out One UI 9 to its latest Galaxy phones, and the update is already causing trouble for some owners. According to t3n, users who installed One UI 9 and restarted their device are being met with the setup screen and an error message instead of the normal home screen. The phone appears to boot, but it lands on the setup screen and never reaches the interface. The device is not necessarily bricked, and a Safe Mode workaround can get it working again.
The update error
The symptom is the same across affected models. After the system update finishes, the phone reboots and then shows the initial setup screen with an error. Apps, settings, and personal files are not reachable from that state. t3n reports that the issue is not limited to a single device family. The Galaxy S24, S25, and S26 series are all named in the report, and some foldable Galaxy smartphones are also affected. The broad spread points to a problem in the update or the software environment rather than a defective device or a bad download.
The Safe Mode workaround
t3n describes a recovery process that uses Safe Mode. The goal is to start the phone in a restricted state, disconnect it from the internet, and then reboot normally. The steps are:
- Press the volume-down button and the power button at the same time to force a restart.
- When the Samsung logo appears, press and hold the volume-down button again to enter Safe Mode.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the quick settings panel.
- Turn off both Wi-Fi and mobile data.
- Restart the phone normally.
After that final restart, the error should no longer appear, according to t3n. The phone boots to the home screen, and Wi-Fi and mobile data can be switched back on.
A mysterious cause and an unknown fix date
Samsung has not confirmed a root cause. Samsung insider Fahad Ali Javed, cited by t3n, suspects the error comes from a change on Samsung's servers, possibly designed to prevent leaks of unreleased software such as One UI 9. That would explain why devices stall during setup after connecting to the internet, but it remains a theory. No official patch has been announced, and there is no timeline for one. In the meantime, anyone affected by the boot problem has a practical fix: get into Safe Mode, turn off the network connections, and restart.