Hi, 
This morning i was very angry, and i had a big hesitation to reinstall the official Samsung ROM, on my phone because i’m very bored with /e/ hardware issues appearing all the time few weeks after fresh install (this is my 4th fresh install in 6 month). 
My phone is a Samsung A5 2017.
When i do a fresh install, everything is working well, and to get the best stability i decided to change my habits and create a minimalist install by mainly using default apps & settings coming from the ROM :
- I’m using default settings with just few customizations (dark mode, browser settings, secure boot with password …)
- I use /e/ account with only contacts sync (agenda, mail, notes disabled)
- I just installed only 5 apps from /e/ store : Signal, AntennaPod, Bitwarden, SD Maid & F-Droid
- I replaced many apps by the use of the Browser or instead using my Linux Desktop
Even if i do this, i observe everytime the same scenario :
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Firstly the GPS without any reason stop working (if i do a direct reinstall with the same version of /e/ it’s working again but i’m bored to do reinstallation all the time) 
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Then i have crashes occuring when tapping basic shortcuts on the top of UI (Wifi, Airplane, Battery Saving). When i’m tapping one of these icons the phone freeze and reboot. 
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Then i get the same issue with home button and power button 
. If i touch home button or power button the phone freeze and reboot. This is happening most the time after a normal manual reboot or when i plug the phone to my computer to charge the battery … i feel completely overwhelmed by this issues i don’t have the skills to fix this.
All of this is issues are very boring, they are appearing randomly and that’s frustrating in daily life, but today i’m writing this topic because i jut need to understand how and why this kind of issues appear. 
I’m not touching anything on hardware or firmware level, and i’m on a not rooted phone so i imagine that apps might not touch anything on this level too, … where and how the GPS chip or my home/power buttons are affected in a way that all the system crash and reboot ? How this happen and how can i prevent this sh*t ? (sorry for language i’m very very angry because i dedicate so much time and i still have a phone with issues in daily life) 
Had once a phone with an sdcard used as internal card that acted similiar. What /e/ version are you using? What about that?
To save some nerves and hassle after a fresh installation I would at least make a backup with TWRP ;- )
On an brief overlook regarding bug report and forum you seem to be the only one with such a massive malfunction.
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Excellent idea you are absolutely right !
I’m using /e/OS version 0.16-20210423112062.
About upgrade i never did installation from recent version to older version (original Samsung ROM was based on Oreo, and the first version installed with /e/ was based on Pie, and then this current version of /e/ is based on Android 10.
Edit : i tried to backup with TWRP, every partition succeed except “system image” which failed i don’t know why … maybe partition corruption or somethong like that ?
Would check TWRP version & filesystem typ,space,integrity and perhaps go to stock and make a TWRP backup and see what happens.
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Hello.
No problem for me, (eOS-0.16 q-GSI / Galaxy A3 2017)… Did you format data and reboot into recovery before flashing the ROM ? From TWRP, can you mount ‘system’ before launching a backup ?
I couldn’t flash with Heimdal (Debian 10.9) and had to use Odin (‘under’ W$ 10)…
Good luck and lot of ‘zen’! 
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Ahah thank you ^^ i will practice zen meditation much !
I give you feedback when i’ve a moment to try these solutions with TWRP. All i know is that i’ve not the last version i think that’s around version 3.8 or something like that … but i will look at this carefully and i will give the results when i have accurate informations.
About the flash i don’t remember the details but i think that i did the flash with Heimdal in 2020 with Debian 10 but it wasn’t the last release ahah (i will use windows if needed but i hope that i won’t ^^)
Hi,
A little update about this topic : i discovered one very interesting thing about GPS issue.
As expected after some days of use (no change on settings, no new apps installed) the GPS stopped working again (no position on Magic Earth).
BUT i discovered that when i switch of wi-fi, GPS is instantly working again in Magic Earth (in this experience i’m always using default GPS mode without high precision bluetooth and wifi scan)
Edit : i see that if GPS is not working i must play with 4G and wifi buttons by switching them on & off randomly until the GPS works. That’s very weird but it works
Hello, i took the time to make some test with TWRP.
@trefix Yes I format data and reboot into recovery before flashing rom the last time i did it. A you told me i mounted system before launching backup and the error remain (at around 80% - 90% the backup stop and the backup system clean temporary files)
@Doppel-D My TWRP version is 3.5.0_9-0, should i update TWRP ? (i updated eOS with version 0.17 released in May). I don’t know how to check partition integrity i found nothing on TWRP how can i do that ?
Use the officially tested TWRP version twrp-3.3.1-1 or the newest v3.5.2. Make the backup to an SD card with enough space, if necessary turn on compression. If unsure about the integrity of the card do a fresh format with whatever computer you got and the filesystem of your choice e.g. exfat or ext4.
Have you followed and verified that the main functions of the phone were working properly and that you got the latest updates from Samsung?
Why do I need to flash Stock ROM before flashing the /e/ROM to upgrade?
The stock ROM has firmware and configuration settings which is not included in the /e/OS ROM. These files are required for the hardware to work correctly. By flashing the stock your smartphone is optimized to receive this operating system update. This will be a one time process and subsequent /e/OS updates will be available OTA (over the air).
Flashing the /e/OS upgrade directly without flashing the stock ROM can result in the device going into a bootloop.
Which Samsung is yours?
- SM-A520F
- SM-A520F/DS
- SM-A520K
- SM-A520L
- SM-A520S
- SM-A520W
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Ok i will upgrade TWRP to the last version.
Mine is SM-A520F.
I downloaded the original Samsung ROM for my device here in December 2020 and i did a fresh install with it (i was thinking that it would have set back default firmwares) but i’m not sure that i did an update after that (it was the last version on the website so maybe it wasn’t necessary ?).
Are stock ROM and Samsung original ROM the same ? or is it different ?
There can be different versions/revisions out in the wild. Your link doesn’t work.
Sorry or the wrong link : https://www.sammobile.com/samsung/galaxy-a5-2017/firmware/SM-A520F/FTM/#SM-A520F
Yesterday my phone fell on the ground and now the screen don’t work anymore and the flash light switch on and off frequently i think this device is definitively dead 