HOW TO REPAIR A DEAD ANDROID PHONE: TRY THESE FIXES IF YOUR PHONE WON’T TURN ON
From fixing a dead phone that won’t turn or charge to flashing a new ROM, here’s your all-in-one guide on how to repair a dead Android phone.
An Android phone that won’t turn on or charge can be the most infuriating experience you’ll ever experience using a smartphone. While you can easily trace a faulty part of your phone to a certain component, it’s clearly uncertain to point out why you have a dead Android phone in the first place. This article will guide you through various tips and tricks on how to repair a dead Android phone.
There can be various reasons why your Android phone died and won’t turn on. However, it can be grouped into two categories: hardware damage, and software malfunctions. Inconsiderate of why your Android phone is dead, the fixes below will help you revive it. For most software issues, you can fix them on your own. But hardware problems may require technical assistance from a certified repairer.
Part 1: How to fix a dead phone that won’t turn on.
My phone died and won’t turn on or charge: try the fixes below to troubleshoot your dead Android phone.
1) Fix the charging problem
If your phone died and won’t turn on or charge, the first thing to do is to troubleshoot the charging problem: your charger, USB cable, the charging port, and the power outlet.
At a non-technical level, you need to ensure your charger is delivering power to the phone. If not, your dead phone won’t turn on or charge. If you have any other working Android phone around you, try charging it with the original charger you’re using to charge your dead phone. If it doesn’t charge it, then the charger is faulty: you need to troubleshoot it first. Make sure you’re using the original charger that came with your phone or its equivalent, then try the fixes below to fix your charger
- First, ensure the USB cable is firmly connected to the charging brick (charger), and to your phone.
- Look into your phone’s charging port and ensure there’s no lint or dust inside it. If the port is dirty, try cleaning it first.
- If it’s still not charging, try plugging the charger into another (working) wall outlet. If you’re not sure the power outlet (wall socket) is working, try plugging in another appliance, such as a lamp or tester, into it.
The steps above should fix your phone’s charging problem. If not, you can try using another original charger and USB cable marked with your phone. You can also try charging from the USB port on your computer.
2) Keep charging the dead phone
After clarifying that your charger is working, the next solution on how to repair a dead Android phone is to charge your phone for a while. One of the common reasons why many users’ phones died and won’t turn on or charge is because the battery is drained to zero.
In that case, we recommend you plug in your phone with the working charger and let it charge for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours before try another solution. Doing so ensures your phone has enough battery juice to power it on.
If your phone has a charging indicator, make sure it’s working when your plug in the charger. And if you’re lucky, the screen may turn on when the battery is charging. Meanwhile, leave it to charge for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours before turning it on.
3) Try to force restart your dead phone
If your dead android phone still won’t turn on or charge after plugging it to a working charger for 30 minutes, you should force it to restart. Doing so will close all the active sessions on your phone and restart it. Try any of these methods to force your dead Android phone to restart.
- Press and hold the Power button for 8 – 10 seconds. OR,
- Press the Power + Volume down (or up) button for 8 – 10 seconds.
4) Is your screen Faulty?
Simply do a quick check-up before we move to some advanced troubleshooting to fix a dead phone that won’t turn on. If your phone normally vibrates or makes sounds when it’s powered on, you can use it to diagnose whether your screen is malfunctioning.
- Long-press the Power button for 10 – 30 seconds (trying to force your phone to restart)
- Wait for a few seconds to hear if your phone vibrates or make the boot-up sound.
- Otherwise, wait for like 5 minutes, then ask someone to call you. If your phone rings, your screen is probably the problem.
If you find out your screen is at fault, you may need to visit a repair center to fix it first. More so, if none of the fixes above worked, you may need to visit the service center for battery replacement or further checkup. OR, try the advanced troubleshooting methods below on how to repair a dead Android phone.
Part 2: Check your dead phone with Multimeter
If you have a multimeter at home, you can use it to diagnose and know how to repair a dead Android phone. Meanwhile, this will require you to open the phone and check various components on the motherboard with a multimeter. So, if you’re not a professional repairer, its better you stay off that area. Just visit a repair center straight.
If you’re a professional mobile repairer, then you should know how to check dead mobile with a multimeter. The thing is, the reason why your phone is dead might not be totally power issues, but a minor hardware problem. But by checking the phone hardware with a multimeter, you can know where to fix the problem.
Part 3: Flash your dead Android phone
Why many people think about how to fix a dead Android phone only by troubleshooting the hardware, it’s not the only thing to do. As far as it’s concerned, your dead Android phone could be as a result of corrupted firmware or flashing of incompatible custom firmware. If that’s the problem, what you need to do is to re-flash your phone with the stock firmware.
Now, that could be an arduous task or risky task based on your past experience with flashing phones. Risky in the sense that: flashing your dead Android phone with the wrong firmware can brick your phone. Meaning it’ll render your phone useless forever.
Meanwhile, if you’re scared, it’s best to visit a professional technician to help you look into it. If you can do it yourself, all you need is a PC, original USB cable, the ROM (firmware) you want to flash, and the flash tool compatible with your phone.
How to flash a dead Android phone
Depending on who made your phone, ways of flashing Android phones differ. For example, how to fix dead boot MediaTek phones is different from flashing a dead Samsung phone. So, the best thing to do is search for how to flash your phone mode on Google. Here’s how:
- Search for how to flash your phone on Google using this format: how to flash “brand name” + “phone model”.
For example, you can search for “how to flash TECNO CAMON 15”
- Click on any of the results from a trusted website.
- Download the required flash files (ROM, flash tool, and driver) on your computer.
- Follow the flash guide strictly.
Part 4: Visit the official service center
Relax, you’ve tried enough. But unfortunately, if flashing a new ROM and trying all the fixes above cannot power on your dead Android phone, the last resort is to visit the official service provider for your brand.
Most times, the official service provider may help you repair your dead Android phone for free if the problem wasn’t caused artificially or through mishandling.
If you use a TECNO, Infinix, or itel smartphone, Carlcare is your best bet to repair a dead Android phone. We’re the official service provider for these brands, and we have professional engineers who can help you diagnose and repair your dead Android device. Visit any of our service centers near you for high-quality mobile repair service.
