Cell Phone Won't Turn On - You Can Do That

Your smartphone’s screen stays black after switching on, and the cell phone doesn’t turn on anymore? Fortunately, there is often a simple cause behind the problem, and we’ll show you what you can do now.

If the smartphone no longer works, there is no need to panic. The most important thing now is to keep a cool head. We’ll tell you what you can do to bring an Android phone back to life.

Table of Contents

Cell Phone No Longer Works: These Are Possible Reasons

Whether a Huawei, Samsung cell phone (here with a contract) or another smartphone: If the device does not show any visible damage, for example, after a fall, one of the following causes is usually to blame:

The battery is deeply discharged or has a defect
The operating system crashed completely
An attempt to bypass internal locks or to “root” the device has failed

Solve A Deeply Discharged Battery Or Other Battery Problem

One of the most common causes of a cell phone stopping power is an empty battery. If, for example, your Samsung cell phone can no longer be switched on, it may be because the energy stored in the battery is no longer sufficient even to start up.

This can be the solution to the problem:

If the smartphone battery can be removed, wait a few minutes after switching on in vain and remove the battery for at least a minute.
If the battery is permanently installed, you pull the power cable off for a few minutes.
Then reconnect the mobile phone to the power supply and leave it for at least 10 to 20 minutes.
Now you try to turn on the cell phone. If the standard switching on with a short press of a button does not work, you press the power button for a longer time.

Of course, this solution only works if the problem is not with the power supply or a mechanical malfunction. The best way to check the power supply is with another device. If that does not charge, the power supply unit or the cable may be broken. Try charging the cell phone via a socket on the computer or notebook to check the thread. Or maybe there is a little fluff in the phone’s charging socket. It would help if you also looked for problems here.

The Cell Phone Does Not Start: Try A Soft Reset

If the cell phone still cannot be switched on after the procedure with the battery, a soft reset can help. This will restart the operating system, whereby the data stored on the smartphone will be retained. The “soft reset” can therefore be compared to restarting your computer.

Press and hold the power button
Simultaneously press the “Volume down” button and hold it down as well
Now, wait until the device vibrates and then release the buttons again

The cell phone should now turn on by itself.

The Last Resort Is Recovery Mode

Device manufacturers call a “hard reset” very differently. It can be called “recovery mode” or “maintenance mode.” Regardless of the name: The measure is a last resort and irretrievably deletes all data on the mobile phone: i.e., all apps, stored photos and music files, all scores, and other information. If you are unsure whether you want to try that, it is best to go straight to a workshop, especially if you do not have a backup copy of the stored data.

The various manufacturers interpret Android very individually. So if, for example, your Huawei cell phone (here with a contract) no longer works, the recovery mode is different from that of a Samsung cell phone. To put a Samsung phone into recovery mode, you have to go through this key sequence:

Press and hold the power button, volume up button, and home button. The “Home” button is often called the “Bixby” button when the device uses the voice assistant.
If the device switches on, release the power button and press the other buttons.

For other devices with Android, this sequence should lead to recovery mode:

Simultaneously press the buttons “Home,” “Volume Up,” and “Power” and keep them pressed.
If the smartphone does not have a “Home” button, it tries only with “Louder” and “Power.”
Try the “Volume down” button if that doesn’t work either.
For some Huawei phones, you have to restart instead and press the “Power” button several times in quick succession while the Huawei logo is displayed.

Within the maintenance mode, you navigate with the volume buttons: