What do you do if your phone won’t turn on?
A phone that keeps going off is not only annoying but highly irritating as well. You could be in the middle of a phone call and it just goes off and people are left thinking that you are rude but before buying a new device run through a few of these troubleshooting steps to see if it still lives.
1. Is there any physical damage?
First, give your phone a good once-over. Did you drop the phone recently? Is the screen cracked or damaged? Is the battery swollen?
It’s possible your phone may be working, but just has a damaged screen—I’ve seen dropped phones with pristine, un-cracked glass that couldn’t show a picture. Try turning your phone off by holding the power button, then turning it back on. See if you feel a vibration when it turns on.
You can also try invoking “Hey Siri” or “Hey Google,” or call your phone from another device. If you hear sounds but the screen is blank, the phone is working and just needs a replacement display.
2. Charge the battery
This may sound silly, but it’s possible your phone is just out of battery. Try plugging your phone into a charger—if the battery is truly drained, it won’t necessarily light up right away. Try leaving it plugged in for 15 to 30 minutes or so before turning it on.
If that doesn’t work, you may also have a damaged charger. Try a different cable, power bank, and wall outlet. Check the charging port, too—lint can easily get caught in there and prevent the pins from making contact. A toothpick can help dislodge any debris that may have accumulated in the port, at which point you can try charging the phone again.
3. Do a hard reset
you’ll need to hold both Volume Up and Volume Down along with the power button until the screen turns on. Refer to your device’s manual, or search for reset instructions, if you have trouble. If your phone has a removable battery, you can also try pulling it out, waiting a few seconds, then putting the battery back in before turning the phone on normally.
4. Restore your phone
hold the Volume Down, and Power buttons for a few seconds until the recovery menu appears. Once in Recovery Mode, use the Volume buttons to scroll to Wipe Data/Factory Reset, and use the power button to select it. Again, Google your phone’s model if you have trouble finding this option.
