Android 14 putting Zenfone 9 into endless boot cycle

[tbessie]

After I upgraded to Android 14, the first time I rebooted, the phone went into an endless reboot cycle.

I forced it to turn off, then started it again and it worked.

Just now I restarted it, and it went into the boot cycle again.

I've restarted it 4 times, and each time it's gone into the boot cycle.

This seems to happen as soon as the SIM is registered and it connects to a network.

Is this happening with anyone else? Anyone at Asus know about this?

- Tim

[jheckard]

Although I have never owned any of the ROG series of phones I am actually regretting not purchasing the upgraded Zenfone 10 when it was available to order direct from ASUS. I had actually already seen discussions about the Zenfone 11 or even 12 being in the works, before the 10 was even officially released in the North American Region so was holding out. My hopes were shot down when the Zenfone 11 Ultra was announced, without a smaller form factor counterpart. I have no interest in purchasing a larger phone, and have been feeling quite anxious about my 9 being no longer dependable after these reboots began. With any luck, this latest update will save a little time for my decision about how to move forward with any new phone shopping. 

[Gutter_Fool]

The boot loop issue affected ALL AT&T customers with the new Zenfone 10 and ROG 8. So to be fair, it wouldn't be the greatest feeling of confidence either way to have recently bought the ZF10 and then experience this issue immediately afterwards. All of us are in the same boat regardless of what model we have, it's just a matter of holding out until you it's not worth your time anymore 🖤

[jheckard]

Just wanted to follow up that I have absolutely loved the functionality of my Zenfone 9 since originally activating it right after it's North American Release. I was strongly considering the upgrade to the 10, not only for the newer 2nd generation Snapdragon processor but mainly for the wireless charging which was lacking in the 9. I had only hesitated about purchasing the 10 because it was difficult to justify the expense when my Zenfone 9 was working so very well. Then when I saw the ongoing discussions about the upcoming version 11, with the anticipated Gen 3 processor and larger battery, not to mention the wireless charging capability and hoped for WiFi 7 capability, I made the decision to hold off on purchasing the 10. I only now regret not purchasing the 10, because I have no desire or interest in any larger phone to carry, such as the 11 Ultra or any other brand of large cellphone. Regardless of specification, I have plenty of access to high end laptop and destop computers, not to mention tablets to use any time a larger screen might be helpful to utilize. Yet now, unless something changes in the near future, it appears that the Zenfone 10 may be the last compact flagship phone version that was released by Asus. I am hesitant to purchase one of the remaining lower specification version 10s which migh still be avaiable, since I was anxiously awaiting the 11 and or future releases of the Zenfone line of smaller phones. IF I had wanted a larger phone, I would have invested in one of the ROG series long ago or gone with another brand of phones altogether. Not because I have ever utilized a cellphone for any type of gaming, but mostly for the larger battery. I prefer a phone that I can comfortably carry in my pocket, and use one-handed, instead of needing to have some type of carry case or pouch on my belt or other such area. 

[AdamColligan]

Hi -- while others are waiting on any further updates from Asus (thanks to @Gutter_Fool for linking someone's acknowledgement), I got a resolution (/s) with my phone and so wanted to share it....

I went to an AT&T store, and I first asked them to try a different SIM in it, as this reddit poster had indicated that a store rep's different (postpaid?) SIM had actually worked. Unfortunately my store reps said they no longer received any physical SIMs from AT&T. It's all e-SIM activations or ones included in new devices.

What the store *did* have was a box with something called an "S24" in it. I brought that box home, broke out the the included SIM, and inserted it...into the S24. Then I booted my ZF9 with SIM removed so I could use WiFi,  and I also attached the two phones with a USB cable. Next I used the Smart Switch app to transfer what I could from the ZF9 (man do I miss the days of root-access backup/restore). Then I put the S24 in my pocket. So far I've been able to access all mobile bands and WiFi simultaneously without crashing. All my other ZF9 hardware/firmwae issues have also gone away since I stopped carrying around the ZF9.

Look, I don't like what I think is Samsung's increasingly Apple-like direction, and I hate the way carriers like AT&T seem all-in on profit synergy with select partner hardware brands rather than neutral spaces for the device market. But the point of paying full retail for an unlocked ZF9 was to get great hardware with more personal flexibility and a manufacturer incentivized to be responsive to their beachhead of US/AT&T consumers. So if we see poor QA and hardware/firmware issues getting ignored, and a devastating carrier-specific bug doesn't get caught or acknowledged for weeks after user reports? And if both Android features and ASUS updates go away if I ever take advantage of the touted root-ability of my ZF9? Then why pay so much more for something with low marketshare that nobody else is incentivized to work with?

The S24 is basically just as compact as a ZenFone with a lot more screen area. AT&T has a deal now on the 128GB where I pay the tax up front, then $11/mo for 36 ($396 / $800), with AT&T writing off the other half each month, and me just paying off the remaining balance if I want to leave early. And if my wife wants to get another one to upgrade her line, she'll only have to pay the tax plus $6 for 36 ($216) on the same terms. I am absolutely no fan of the structure or culture of the market that creates this kind of consumer value disparity on hardware. And I'm one of those people willing to pay full retail to go outside the carrier's garden, in part to avoid feeding into it. But whoever is providing the alternative has to actually meet a standard commensurate with that choice. ASUS just hasn't done that for me at all with the ZF9. So I couldn't see any good reason to keep holding my breath for fixes or to give them another shot with a ZF10.

[tbessie]

Hooray for the system update!  I applied it today and put my SIM in, and it worked without causing a boot loop!

Strangely, it DID ask twice for my SIM unlock code, which is a bit concerning.  Hopefully it was just a one-time thing.