Have you tried everything that you could think of to get your phone to work properly and nothing has worked? Here are some tips that you might find useful.
First of all, if there is no physical or liquid damage on your phone, make sure that you have tried to perform a reset on the mobile phone. There are many types of resets; the one that you need to perform is a Factory Data Reset (also known as a master reset or a master clear on basic phones, or a factory clear, etc). You need to perform the reset that wipes everything from the phone deleting all of the information as well as putting it back to its factory default settings. It doesn’t sound pleasant in the least but that fixes most phone issues permanently. If you have an android phone and have not yet done this then read This Step-By-Step Guide Will Fix Most Android Smart Phone Issues. If you have not yet performed a factory data reset because your phone won’t let you then try an article about How to perform an alternate reset on an android phone.
If your phone has been reset, or its being extremely stubborn and not allowing you to reset it, then there are still some options available.
Option 1: Warranty
If your phone doesn’t have liquid or physical damage and you have had it for more than 14 days and less than a year then you’re most likely still under the manufactures warranty. Contact your Service Providers warranty department and see if they can replace your unit for you. Some providers can even replace your phone in the store. You can find most of the information you need at How to File a Warranty Claim on my Cell Phone, remember that if your service provider can’t or won’t replace your phone then contact the manufacturer itself to see if you can send your phone in for repair. The contact numbers for your phones manufactures are on that same article.
Option 2: Insurance
If your phone has physical damage, liquid damage, or is out of warranty and you have insurance then use it. Insurance covers everything that warranty doesn’t. Now if you’re not sure if you have insurance then you most likely don’t, but there are a few ways to check.
Most of the time the option to purchase insurance is provided to you when you first buy your phone, and in most cases you need to choose to get it within the first 30 days of purchase. Sorry you can’t order it just to file a claim, for those of you shady characters who were thinking that. The majority of people that have insurance also pay a monthly fee through their phone company, so check your monthly mobile phone bill. Mobile insurance is usually around or less than $10 dollars a month.
Most mobile phone service providers use the same 3rd party insurance company, so if you do have insurance then it’s probably through Asurion. How Asurion monopolized this market I do not know but can you imagine if there was only one car insurance company, a little crazy but that’s a whole other post.
To file an insurance claim on your phone through Asurion go to their website at www.phoneclaim.com. You can then select your mobile phones service provider and start the claim process, it’s usually pretty quick online and you won’t have to wait to talk to a representative on the phone. Note: when filing an insurance claim there is going to be a deductable involved, this deductable can be anywhere from $50-$200+ dollars.
If you remember purchasing insurance and it wasn’t through your mobile phones service provider or Asurion then it might have been from the store that you purchased your phone from and you should take it back to them.
Option 3: Fix it yourself
This option depends heavily on what exactly is wrong with your phone. If its software related and a factory data reset won’t fix it, then you might need to proceed to Option 4 maybe even Option 5. If it’s a hardware issue like the screen is cracked or shattered (which is an extremely common issue) then you might be able to just replace your screen and you’ll be good to go. Do a search online for the parts or check out RepairsUniverse.com their pretty amazing when it comes to replacement parts for mobile phones. Replacing parts for a mobile phone it not as hard or as expensive as you might think. Don’t let someone talk you into paying $50-$700+ dollars for another phone or lock you into a contract when you can fix the phone you have for $35 dollars.
Option 4: Take it in to get repaired
If you’re not confident in your own abilities to repair your phone, then you should consider taking it to a local repair shop and have someone else repair it for you. Again just do a search online find a local store and get an estimate. Obviously it might be a tad more expensive, maybe not even by that much, and if they have your parts in stock then a little faster too.
Option 5: Use one of your old phones
You might be locked into a contract but you are NOT locked into that make and model of phone. Don’t let your service provider or the store convince you otherwise. If you have an older phone lying around the house and it’s the same carrier as the one you’re having problems with, for example both phones are supported by AT&T, than just take your SIM card out of the problem phone and place it in your other phone and it should work fine (Some exceptions might include iPhones, which sometimes have micro SIM cards instead of the standard ones).
On that note if you don’t have an old phone ask around to your friends and family and see if they have any spare phones waiting for you in a drawer somewhere. Many people hear that they are upgrade eligible; they get a discount on the newest phone with the newest fastest processer and all the new features and bells and whistles, so they upgrade and put their perfectly good working phone in a drawer and there it sits waiting for someone like you to rescue it.
Option 6: Purchasing another phone
If you need to consider purchasing another unit, contact your service provider, let them know what happened to your phone and ask them what they can do to get you into a working unit. Many wireless phone service providers have an out of warranty option for their customers, it’s not always the best but you need a phone. Contact them and see what options you have then shop around, choose the best thing for you, but try contacting them first, heck if you have a two year contract and don’t have a phone to actually use then what’s the point. I don’t recommend canceling your contract it can be pretty expensive, and there are more affordable options available.
Consider purchasing a prepaid phone sold by your service provider. They are often times very affordable and the perfect solution if you need a temporary phone while you wait for replacement parts or your upgrade to become available. Don’t bother activating it on the SIM or number it came with. Just using the SIM card from your malfunctioning mobile phone, should work fine. Using your original SIM should also allow you to keep your phone number and if you had saved your contacts to it previously from your original phone then your address book as well. If not ask the store representative to assist you. If it’s a store owned by your provider they can assist you with getting your prepaid phone activated and functional. As soon as you put the SIM card in the phone though, the phone should pretty much do everything automatically all by itself, power it up and enjoy your new phone.
Check your upgrade options too. Your service provider might be able to get you into an early upgrade for a reasonable price.
Conclusion
Those are but a few good options available for someone who cannot get their phone to function correctly. Do you have any additional suggestions? Leave a comment down below and let us know. I hope this article was helpful. Don’t forget to check out some other articles on the site you might find some other information helpful as well. Also don’t forget if you have any questions or comments to leave them below.
56 thoughts on “I can’t fix my phone, now what should I do?”
sony xperia smartphones
My phone switched off on its own and then would not power up at all. I dont feel that I should pay to get it repaired when its clearly a worldwide fault that sony havent sorted out! Never had a phone do that to me before. Thanka sony for a waste of money.
Yes. Phone issues can be extremely frustrating
Hi Chris
Yeah… if a phone won’t turn on then it’s pretty much a paperweight at that point and it can be pretty frustrating when you know the issue had nothing or little to do with you. Especially if your phone hasn’t been dropped or damaged. If you’re like me and take care of your phone as best as you can, investing in a good case and screen protector it can become even more frustrating. Warranty doesn’t cover replacement accessories like screen protectors.
As far as powering itself off… that unfortunately can, and does, happen on all types of phones. Phones don’t last forever, or as long as they should in my opinion. A one year warranty on your phone and typically a two year contract, talk about mad when your phone only lasts a year and a couple months and you’re locked into a contract that isn’t broken easily. But that’s a topic for another day.
Like I mentioned phones can power off, malfunction, or just plain stop working, and these types of issues are covered under the manufacturer’s warranty for up to a year after getting your device so make sure that if you cannot troubleshoot your phone and get it working correctly again then to most certainly look into your warranty and replacement or repair options. In most cases it won’t cost you a dime, just a few days while you wait for a replacement to arrive or for them to fix your phone and send it back. Popular wireless providers even have locations you can go into and get it replaced same day.
Sony Xperia phones do seem to have an issue on some models where the phone can have a hard time starting and can seem frozen unresponsive or even broken with no signs of life. Make sure to read How to fix a Sony Xperia that’s frozen or will not power on it could help to power your phone back on in a matter of seconds.
Good luck Chris, thank you for reading.
Oh and if you do end up choosing another smartphone you might be interested in reading some of the tips listed in Choosing a Smartphone: Over 70 things to know before buying a Smartphone. Thanks again and have a wonderful day my friend.
Hello Chris!
Hello Chris!
Hold the power and the volume up button at the same time until it vibrates 3 times In a row. Then try turning on your phone.
Your welcome!
I only paid 69.99 for this
I only paid 69.99 for this crappy phone and they jacked me around on the warranty until it was out then they wanted 100.00 to insurance claim it. WTF they want more than I paid for the phone so I decided to keep it until my contract is up then switching phone companies. The salesman at AT&T said it is the worst phone I could have bought. Wow they told me it was a running mate for the IPhone. Well I’m screwed crappy phone for another year!
First thank you for reading
First thank you for reading my vent. Ok this phone is an HD matrix by Motorola. It freezes up (I learned what to do for that) and it just turns itself off while I’m using it, usually while I am in the middle of doing something. They told me I needed more storage space and instructed me to install the cloud. I did and it made no difference. Then they said to get an SD card. I did no difference. Then I took it to the store for them to fix after it shut down yet again and he told me that it was the worst phone they had ever made.
It’s an HD Matrix and I bought it in August of 2012. It just made me mad that the sales man at AT&T said it was the worst phone they have and they wanted a $100.00 deductible to replace it. UGH!!!!
You’re Welcome
Hi again,
Your welcome Melanie, sometimes it’s good to just vent and let it all out; especially when it comes to problems with our phones. I know the Motorola Atrix HD very well. It’s a good phone, when it’s working properly of course. The only thing I really don’t care for on the Atrix HD is the fact that you can’t remove the battery, as you know it’s built into the phone. This isn’t a terrible thing but if the battery goes out then replacing it is a lot more trouble than just removing the back plate like you can on many other mobile phones. It also has a memory card slot which some smartphones don’t, so that’s another thing to look for when buying a phone. But I digress.
The Atrix HD is a good phone, store representatives are there to sell phones and when a customer comes in with a problem with their phone many will say close to anything to help you leave, especially agree that your phones a piece of junk, even if it’s not. Try not to judge though; they get trained to make sales not to fix phones. Sometimes if you walk into a store for help the representative will just hand you a card with the warranty phone number on it and say “here call this number and they will send you a replacement”, which isn’t always true either. They forget to tell you that most smartphones can be fixed with troubleshooting and you usually have to troubleshoot a phone before the warranty department will send you a replacement. Then you have to worry about liquid and physical damage or having the phone for over a year and becoming out of warranty by date, or worse I have seen is testing the troubleshooting to make sure that it worked then going out of warranty by date, which by the sounds of it might have happened to you.
As per the $69.99 that’s how phone companies (not just AT&T) get you to sign a contract. The phone would not have been that cheep if you didn’t sign a new contract. The phone company just plans to make the money back that they spent on the phone over the long run of your contract which is often 2 years. Funny I know. Locked in a two year contract and stuck with a one year warranty. I talk more about this in another article regarding the wireless contracts of service providers. Then if you do want to leave they bring up the dreaded ETF (Early Termination Fee) which you might know about as well.
Or you go to file an Insurance claim, like you said, and have to pay $50/$125/$199 depending on what “tier” your phone is listed in. Typically the newer the phone the higher the tier. You can keep checking the MOTOROLA ATRIX 4G (MB860) with AT&Ts tier chart which changes as phones become more dated. Currently (Oct 22 2013) the Atrix HD is listed as a tier 2 but I bet it will get bumped down to a Tier 1 pretty soon as the phone is not as top of the line as it once was. This will cause the price of an Insurance claim to go from its current price of $125 to a more manageable $50. And remember when you file an Insurance claim you’ll get a refurbished phone BUT you’ll also get a NEW one year warranty.
Which you might be thinking “so what, another warranty, woopty doo” BUT (and here is where we get into a grey area that phone companies prefer you didn’t know about) if the phone is dated enough and you have to file a warranty claim on that old phone the phone company may not stock that old phone any longer. Why would they? All the phones warranties should have ended 1 year after the company stopped selling the phone, add another year or two to work in any warranty claims or Insurance claims and the company would have no need to keep that phone in stock when they require the space for all the new phones that have come out since then. And as you know new phones come out all the time so it’s not that hard to believe that they need the space. But I digress again. When you go to file a warranty claim they might not have that phone in stock and you might be able to get it replaced with a newer model they do have in stock as a full kit. Maybe even one of the newest phones available by that company. Just research the phones that they offer you before deciding, even call back if you need to. You don’t want to pick a cheap phone when you have to option of picking one that’s top of the line. But there is my 2 cents on Insurance claims.
Ok now for what you really need, some tips to get your phone working properly again.
Freezing – android phones can freeze up ~Fact~ but it’s often related to an application that’s causing problems on the device. So check your apps, even uninstalling some apps and trying to phone without them. If you uninstall an app and your phone stops freezing and locking up then you found the cause and you can decided whether or not you want to keep using that app or not. If you uninstall your apps and the phone is still freezing, which happens but is uncommon, then backup and reset the phone as the problem is likely software related and a reset will set the phone back to like new condition. You can also reset the phone and install an app try it out install an app try it out etc to help find bad apps as well.
Oh yeah this tip is important for the Atrix HD. If a Motorola Atrix HD freezes or will not power on then a simulated battery pull will often fix it in a matter of seconds. You might have already known that as per the “I learned what to do for that” part of your comment, but I thought I should mention it just in case.
Powers off – Ok this issue can be very unpleasant, I have seen this issue happen on many types of smartphones and NOT JUST the Atrix HD. So when you say the store rep said that the Motorola Atrix HD was the worst phone they had ever made” that representative was blowing smoke at you and didn’t know what he was talking about (trust me).
If he would have said, a phone that randomly powers off while you use it can be a hard thing to fix then he would have been right. As this power issue can be either hardware or software related. Check out how to fix an Android phone that powers off. It should help guide you in trying to fix this issue. One of the best things you can do to try and solve this annoying issue is to backup and reset your phone, but try the steps outlined in that article first as it could save you some time.
If you perform a factory data reset (hard reset) or you have already done a reset and have tried your phone with no third party applications then chances are you’re going to not be able to fix it and you’re going to have to keep using it, look for a temporary replacement, or depending on where you live you might be able to take it to a DSC and have them FLASH your phone and see if that gets it smoothed out. Just make sure to call the DSC first to make sure that they have the tool to reload the phones software aka FLASH the phone before just going into one of their locations. Not all DSCs have the tool/ability to do this.
I hope that helps. Sorry for such a long response to your comment, it’s almost a whole webpage unto itself. I just hate when people have issues with their phone and so I often try to provide as much information as I can to help get their phone up and running properly again.
I am glad that you got my message, and I’m also glad that you came back and left a comment. I hope these suggestions will help you to get your problem solved and get your phone working correctly again. If you have any other questions or problems with your phone then don’t be afraid to bookmark my site and come back and ask. I enjoy helping others, and never mind doing so when I’m able to.
Androids n wi fi
Must be a firmware/software issue, cannot after several hard resets connect to open wi fi, will only save not connect. Any ideas?
Water damage – My phone droped into a toilet
My phone droped into a toilet while flaushing it, i was scared to put my hand immidiatly to avoid pushing my phone down the drain. So i waited till the flaushing was done (12seconds after) then i removed it, wipe the outer part with a towel, i tap the power button but it was not responding so i immidiatly remove the battery door, took out the battery (it was still wet) so i wipe it with the towel. Then i continuosly shook the phone with speed to dry the inner part then i left the phone to dry on a table (in a room temprature) for about 26min. Then i put the battery back on and the phone powered on automatically. It booted, but the phone was behaving very funny so i press the power button to off the phone but it won’t respone so i removed the battery. After 12min i insert the battery again and it authomatically on again. (i was scared cos it never ons automatically before) I put my pin codes and the phone was in the normal mode. I was happy that the phone booted successfullx so i remove the battery, put the phone in an uncooked rice for 19hours (overnight) in the mourning i insert my battery, and i press the power button and it on. But it won’t boot, rather an angle sign with animation appeared. When i tap the left buttom screen a ‘android system recovery <3e>‘ appears. So i went to ‘wipe data/factory reset’, and i tap on ‘yes’. Within 3seconds after tapping the ‘yes’ it shows ‘data wipe complete’ so i reboot it but it starts all over again from the angle sign. Sometimes it will show ‘factory mode’ but i just can’t do anything in the factory mode because it is behaving funny, please help, i don’t want to lose my phone and my datas. My phone model is tecnoD3. Thankyou
There is hope my friend
Hi M.O.G sorry to hear about your phone. Believe it or not dropping a phone in the toilet is one of the main causes of water damage for cell phones. So you are not alone.
It sounds like the moisture did cause some problems with the hardware on your phone so here are some suggestions that I recommend.
#1) If you ever drop your phone into liquid or if it ever gets exposed to moisture, take your battery out immediately. DO NOT press the power button as it can increase the chances of an electrical short and permanent damage to the phone. It is almost instinctual to try and turn on the phone to make sure that the water didn’t break it but you must ignore this impulse and make sure that your phone is completely dry before trying to power it on.
#2) Read How to fix a phone that was dropped in water. From what you described in your comment your phones issues seem to be hardware related in nature, which is understandable considering the circumstances, and that article should help give you an edge in reviving your phone and allowing it to work properly. Since your phone is powering on still, to a certain extent anyways, you can ignore the suggestion of trying a different battery as your battery seems to be working properly.
This should get you on the right path in trying to fix your water damaged phone. Good luck my friend and if you have any more questions then don’t hesitate to ask.
James Bond, i must say thank you
James Bond, i must say a very big thank you for your help. I followed the steps you told me, first, i removed the battery door with the battery and then imerged my phone completely in acohol solution (not too sure of the percetage) for about 30seconds. Then i place my phone on a field (screen facing the grass) in an open sunlight to dry (about 28minuet). I inserted the battery after 3hours, press the power button and it booted. I’m happy i didn’t loss my phone to the drainage am happy again that my phone is alive. Though i lost all my datas due to the wipeout i perform earlier. Thankyou once again James Bond. The appriciation i should show you should be a Bugatti with a bazuka mounted on top. Thanks once again. Though my screen had many cracks, i’m affraid changing it to avoid the awakeness of other malfuction in the tecno android D3
My call sensor is getting me crazy
James Bond, i did changed my touch pad in my TecnoD3, now everything is working normal but the light ain’t oning again and i believe it is because of the previous water damage. But can my touch be fix? Because i fear it might bring rise to another problem. Now i can’t end calls when i make or recieve call because my sensor will automatically off the screen even when i don’t take it close to my ear, and there is no object close to the sensor to triger it off. Please help me because when once i dial a number, there is no turning back till i’m out of airtime or the reciever helps end the call. This is very bad to me. Please help.
Malfunctioning Proximity Sensor
Hi again M.O.G.
Can you be a little more specific about the “Light aint oning again”? I am assuming that you mean the light for your display allowing you to see the screen again?
From your description it sounds like you might be right, there may be further damage to the proximity sensor as well. Especially if your phones screen doesn’t turn itself on like it should when removing it from your ear or by holding your hand over it and then removing it. Were you able to run a diagnostic test on your proximity sensor? I list some common proximity sensor star codes HERE of you would like to try some, but simply holding your hand over the sensor and then removing it should be sufficient.
Does your phone allow you to show the screen by pressing your power button? Sometimes the screen just sort of locks itself and the power key will let you unlock it again. If not then you may need to replace your proximity sensor as well.
Water damage is tricky, it can cause problems on almost every part of your phone, especially when it comes to power and charging.
Samsung Galaxy Proclaim turning on and off by its self
I have had the Samsung Galaxy Proclaim for a few months (it was my moms previously) and about a day ago it randomly turned its self off and keeps doing it.
The phone will turn on and go all the way to the media scanner and then it will randomly shut off I have tried doing a factory reset and it didn’t delete any of my info off of the phone which is weird I held the power button and volume buttons until the screen came up it didn’t work then when the phone came on I tried to go through the settings on the phone to do it and it still did the same thing. This is getting aggravating I highly doubt that it has warranty I don’t know if there is any way to fix it if anyone knows any kind of thing I can do possibly through the computer or any other way to possibly fix this I would be grateful
My screan won’t respond
Just last night, as i was playing music with my phone, the screen stop responding. James please help, i have v.i.p event to capture with the phone today. Phone model Tecno D3 (the volume and the power buttons are working, but the screen ain’t working)
Uh oh… that is a touch screen issue
Hi M.O.G! Welcome back to the site.
From what you are describing your touch screen is malfunctioning, which as your finding out, is a pretty serious problem for a smartphone as you need your touch screen to do just about everything on your cell phone.
Now referring back to your previous comment, your cell phone was dropped into water and has liquid damage. This is likely a result of that same incident, and my advice is the same.
Go get 99% alcohol (isopropyl alcohol), make sure its 99% and nothing diluted as alcohol is non conductive but if its only 70% alcohol then the other 30% is probably going to be water which is conductive and you don’t want to risk shorting out or causing more damage to the phone. Bathe it in alcohol again thoroughly; make sure the alcohol gets into all the nooks and crannies. Then dry off your cell phone as best you can and then put it into an air tight bag of dry rice (like a Ziploc) which will soak up the moisture and dry the alcohol even faster.
Then hope that this trick works again, and if it doesn’t then try to hard reset the phone to make sure it’s not a software issue.
If it STILL will not respond then it’s likely that the cracked screen (physical damage) and exposure to water (liquid damage) broke your phone and you will need to look into replacing your touch screen or replacing your entire cell phone as there is not much more that you can do to try and fix it.
I hope this helps M.O.G and good luck my friend. If there is anything else I can do then let me know.
sucky phone:(
Okay my phone is a samsung one day phone was running slow then thinking turning phone off would help …. well now when i try turning it on it goes to the samsung logo does the little song turn on thing to the at&t ball that says rethink possible and stops there it then proceeds to go to that same screen over ans over until battery dies
Fixing your Samsung smartphone
Hi Ginger,
Your phones caught in the dreaded boot loop! This is a software issue that can happen on any android smartphone and can be very hard issue to resolve. Even more so because the phone won’t turn on properly, it just keeps rebooting over and over.
Check out How to fix a Samsung smartphone that’s getting stuck on its startup logo if you have not already done so. It should give you a fighting chance at fixing your Samsung. If you have read that guide already or if a hard reset doesn’t seem to help then you might be able to FLASH your device as well and reload its software.
Many of AT&T’s Device Support Centers have the ability to re-flash your phones software for you and if your phone is still under the manufactures warranty and they are unable to fix it at the Device Support Center then they can give you a replacement phone at that location. That is, if your Samsung is still under warranty and if the DSC has it in stock. If you are not near a DSC (Device support Center) and your phone is still under warranty then give AT&T a call as you can still file a claim over the phone as well.
inquiry
hello, i have a techno D3 which was programmed and it has permanently failed to power on yet i have just invested in it, it is only a month old ,what do i do because i really need to communicate.
Trying to fix a phone that will not power on
Hi Marion Kugonza,
Sorry to hear that your Tecno D3 is having issues. When you say that it was “programmed” what do you mean? That it was rooted or had a custom ROM? Can you get it to respond at all, or is it totally dead and unresponsive? Will it at least recognize a charger?
Have you tried charging it for a day or two? Perhaps the battery had drained to zero percent and is having difficulties charging back up again…
Here is what I might do in your situation. I would try charging my phone over night or if possible 24 hours to see if it’s possibly a battery issue that’s just having issues charging up again. Then I would unplug it from the charger and try to power it on normally (by simply pressing the power key). If there was no response when I tried to turn it on normally then I would try to enter the recovery mode or fastboot. I think for the D3 you can try and access it by pressing the Volume Down key and the Power key until the screen pops up. If you see a “reboot system now” you could use the volume down button to highlight it and then use the Home key to select it. It should force the phone to restart and with any luck start working properly again. If it still didn’t want to boot up correctly then I might even attempy to perform a hard reset on the device.
If I couldn’t get my phone to respond at all no matter what I did then I would start looking into my repair or replacement options listed in the article above. Since it’s a power issue and my Galaxy S 4 allows me to remove the battery (as I believe your D3 will as well) I might even take it down to the store and barrow a battery from one of their display phones to see if it works in my phone. if it did work then I could simply look into getting a replacement battery as opposed to replacing my entire phone. If it didn’t work then since the phone is less than a year old and has no signs of liquid or physical damage then I would look into my warranty options. Sometimes devices malfunction and it can be entirely outside of our control.
I hope that helps Marion, if you have any more questions then don’t hesitate to ask.
dropped cell in water
I dropped my samsung Galaxy S4 in water. I dried it out and all is good except for the bottom buttons on the front. It turns on well, most of the functions are there. However, the two buttons that light up on the bottom don’t work.The menu and the back key. Also, the home button works most of the time but everyonce in awhile it won’t. But turning the phone off and on brings me back to the open menu page. Is there any way to fix this? I haven’t tried the alcohol method. Should that be the next step or will I lose everthing that I have? And I’m assuming I take the sim card out if I do the alcohol dip. Any help would be great!
How to try and fix your water damaged cell phone
Hello Pam,
Sorry to hear about your Samsung Galaxy S4. I have that phone myself so I can certainly put myself in your current situation.
What do you mean when you say that restarting the phone takes you back to the “open menu page”? Is your S4 booting to the Android system recovery screen? If it is then try to avoid choosing the factory reset option as choosing that option will wipe everything from the phone and you will lose all of your phones information. Sometimes when a phone is having issues with its physical keys, such as the Volume keys, the Power key, the Home key, Menu Key, etc. the phone will boot to that screen because it believes that you are holding the hard reset key combination and are trying to open that screen when in all actuality the buttons are simply malfunctioning.
Water damage can be a tricky thing, especially when it comes to cell phones. The type of water can affect it as well; if you were accidently pushed into a swimming pool then the water might have chlorine in it, fall into water at the beach then you have to worry about salt water, if you left your cell phone in your pocket when doing a load of laundry then soapy water, or the surprisingly more common than you might think water damage in the bathroom. All of these types of situations can leave behind unwanted materials or residue in the phone and cause it to not respond properly. Even just regular water from the tap can leave behind a mineral deposit that can effect whether or not the phone will work properly or not.
That’s where the alcohol comes in. It sounds like you have already read how to fix a water damaged cell phone so you are probably already familiar with how alcohol may be able to help. Basically alcohol is a non conductive liquid that you can use without fear of causing an electrical short. The alcohol can get into all of the nooks and crannies where those build ups or unwanted materials can be causing problems and help to clean them out. I don’t really recommend that you leave your phone to soak for too long but a quick bath making sure to gently shake the phone while it’s submerged so that the alcohol can give the phone a good cleaning may help in your current situation.
A quick word of caution however, remember to check your phones LDI(s) first before trying the alcohol trick, you don’t want to activate them on accident. If the phone was exposed to enough moisture or water to cause the bottom keys to malfunction then chances are the stickers have been activated and have turned from their natural white color to either a pink or red color, but I would check just to make sure.
Since the physical keys are not responding and this issue happened after the phone was exposed to water then that trick may just be your best bet in resolving the issue. Just make sure to use the 99% alcohol as opposed to something diluted. This will help you avoid any conductivity issues and avoid an electrical short. This shouldn’t cause you to lose any of your phones information as your current situation is more of a hardware problem as opposed to a software issue. And yes, just for good measure I would remove the SIM card and memory card (if your phone has them) before trying to use alcohol.
Thanks for visiting the site Pam, I hope that helps. Don’t forget to come back to the site and let us know if it helped or not; and as always if you have any more questions then don’t hesitate to ask.
Samsung Galaxy S4
Thank you so much for your reply and sorry for the confusion. Hard to explain what I meant! When the phone is on it goes into sleep mode? Not sure that’s what you call it. The screen goes dark and then I activate the phone by holding the side button and what I call the home screen comes up where my icons, phone, contacts, etc. are. Sometimes when I go to a page, say my calendar, then hit the bottom button it freezes. It won’t return to the home screen with icons, etc. If I turn the phone off, using the side button (sleep mode?) and let it sit for a minute, then it will come back up to the home screen. It seems to be a small glitch and I can get around it. Of course, I would love to get my phone back to normal as I truly do love the phone.In order to check the LDIs i need to take the phone apart, right? And not having the back and menu buttons on the bottom do create some problems. I really appreciate your help with this. Your great to help others out the way you do! The original battery in the phone does show water damage as it has turned pink. Does that guarantee that the other places inside the phone will show damage as well? Again, Thank you so much!
Please Help to fix wifi in my cell!
Hello! I Am having a samsung s duos mobile. The problem i am getting is i cant access wifi on my device. Wifi is getting connected,signals are also coming but not more than 1 second. I have hard resetted the cell but for no avail. Please help me in fixing this issue….
Thanking you.
please help!
Hi, I have a straight talk ZTE merit and it has been working great, it has a few cracks on the screen but they never caused any problems for me and the screen still worked perfectly with the cracks. But it had started speinkling outside very lightly and my phone got a few little drops on it and it wass working good but then the touch screen totally went crazy! It would not work for me when I tried putting in my passcode, it started drawing patterns for itself. I couldn’t control it. I did a hard reset on my phone, but still nothing. Do you have any suggestions on how to get my screen tp work properly again? I really don’t have the money to buy a new phone or to get it repaired! Please help!
Can’t select wipe data/factory reset
Hello. My kids in trying to open my samsung galaxy s plus gt i9001 via the pattern lock,locked me out of it. I tried to do the factory reset but I just can’t select it. I press the power button but nothing happens. There is a wrting at the lower screen.that says >>> status = 0 <<<<<. Any help?
How to hard reset the Samsung Galaxy S Plus (SAMSUNG GT-I9001)
Hi Jack,
It sounds like you might be trying to use the wrong key to make the selection. On many Samsung Galaxy phones you do use the Power key to make the selection but on the Samsung Galaxy S Plus you actually use the Home button.
So turn off your cell phone, press and hold the Volume Up and Power buttons to turn the phone on. After the Samsung Galaxy S Plus logo appears you might see a little green Android, if you do then press the Menu key (bottom left under the display, to the left of the Home key) in order to access the feature”>Android system recovery <3e> screen. Highlight the wipe data/factory reset option by navigating with the Volume keys and then use the Home key (bottom center under the phones display) to make the selection. Use the Volume Down key to scroll to “Yes – delete all user data” and then press the Home key again to make the selection.
The phone will reboot, the password will be erased, and you will be able to use your phone again.
My phantom a3 has a screen problem…
My phantom a3 has a screen problem… I don’t remember it falling or anything.. it just developed the fault one day. The screen wasn’t responding properly.. I’d have to really tap the screen to make it work. Pls help
It sounds like your touch screen is starting to go bad
From your description it sounds like your touch screen might be defective or may be starting to malfunction. You can try a backup and reset just to rule out a software problem (which can be a possible cause as well) but it sounds like since it is responding it’s just really hard to get it to recognize your touch that the issue is more likely a hardware issue and that your touch screen might need servicing or maybe even need to be replaced.
I have tried everything, but still won’t turn on
I have a sony xperia l, bought recently, but I was watching a video when the video paused but the music was still playing, I then took out the battery, and after that the phone never turned on, I have tried everything but still won’t work. Please, help me!!
Trying to fix a Sony Xperia L that won’t turn on
Hi Amy,
It’s hard to say what actually happened that cause this but it sounds like it might have been a software glitch as the phone didn’t simply turn off but kept playing the music after the video froze.
Make sure to try a Simulated Battery Pull as it can often help resolve issues like this on stubborn Sony Xperias. It only takes a couple of seconds to try and doesn’t result in any loss of data. It might just be the solution to your problem.
If you charge your cell phone over night and it won’t power on and you try a simulated battery pull and cannot get any response, and it doesn’t respond to a wall charger or when connected to a computer through USB then the phone may have malfunctioned and you should definitely look into your replacement options; especially your warranty options as you said that you had only recently bought your Sony Xperia L.
I got my fingers crossed for you Amy, and I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully the simulated battery pull will help get your phone to start up again.
HELP QUICKLY
My galaxy phone that I complained about not having good sound quality, I have let water hit the phone in the shower now my screen is all black but the phone still works I just cant see the screen, but people can call, send msgs ETC. now pls I need help what should I do? Can I buy a new screen for it ? If so where and what do I do I just need a plan if u can msg me back if I tell my aunt she will be very mad she just paid someone to fix my screen a couple months ago that costed her over 200 bucks.
Cleanliness is next to godliness
Hi Ashley,
It’s been said that Cleanliness is next to godliness but try not to shower with your phone any more. Electronics like cell phones don’t get along with water and moisture very well. Don’t even have your phone in the bathroom on the counter when taking a shower. Some people like to listen to music from their phone in the shower but the steam and condensation can get into the phone and cause damage. You know how you get out of the shower and the mirror is all foggy and wet? Imagine that, only on and in your cell phone (not good).
That being said check out the advice listed HERE. If the advice on that page doesn’t seem to be able to resurrect your malfunctioning display screen then you may have to replace it. Now like you said, if everything else on the phone seems to be working except for the screen (which remains black) then it likely just the display screen that the water effected and you have a much better chance of fixing it.
So check out that article mentioned earlier and if your screen still has problems then you can often find a cheap replacement online and likely repair it yourself or you can seek out a local repair shop to do it for you. I can’t really say “where” you can get the best price on a replacement display screen as I don’t know what type of Samsung Galaxy you’re having problems with.
I guess the water screwed it up to much
Sorry to hear about your Samsung
Hi Ashley,
Sorry to hear about your Samsung. As far as a phone that allows a compatible SIM card you shouldn’t give that too much concern as another SIM card can usually be acquired at just about any authorized retailer for your service provider and usually at no cost to yourself.
As far as a replacement T-Mobile cell phone under $50… I myself prefer Amazon as it’s still one of the best online stores on the net and includes a rather extensive selection of cell phones to choose from.
I GOT THE GALAXY TO WORK THANKS!
I GOT THE GALAXY TO WORK THANKS! Remember the problem I said with my microphone not being good? Well I put my phone back into the solution and let it sit for a couple of hours then let it dry for a day in my drawer, and it works fine now sometimes just a little laggy ! Also I reset my whole phone back to factory settings and it fixed it! Now my voice sounds high and normal rather than low and muffled 😀
That’s awesome.
Happy to hear that you were able to get your phone to work properly again, I am glad that my advice helped. Thank you for taking the time to respond with another follow up.
Enjoy your working Samsung my friend and don’t forget to try and keep your phone out of and away from the shower 😉
wrong phone
Hi I bought a phone but the phone that they sent me the wrong one and I have signed for everything including the contract but when I opened the box it was the wrong phone. What must I do?
It will be ok, it happens…
Hi Nobuhle,
It happens, just call or contact the people that you bought the phone from and let them know that they sent you the wrong phone. It shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. You will have to send this incorrect phone back to them, and they will have to send the correct phone to you.
Samsung Galaxy Proclaim
My Samsung Galaxy Proclaim powered off for no reason. I didn’t press the power button and the phone was over 75% charged, and now it won’t turn back on. When ever i try to turn the phone back on all it does is flash the Samsung power up screen over and over again. I tried to hard reset the phone but it wouldn’t even do that. PLEASE HELP!! I’m lost I don’t know what else to do.
Samsung Galaxy Proclaim won’t power on
Hi Henry,
Hard to say what the issue is for certain but it sounds like your Samsung may have crashed. Luckily you might be able to fix your cell phone but this problem that your cell phone is having isn’t usually the easiest thing to try and resolve as the software itself is likely malfunctioning.
Good news though, I wrote a guide for that exact issue that you might find helpful which you can read at How to fix a phone that’s stuck on the Samsung startup screen. Make sure to follow all of the advice listed in that article, especially towards the end, as you may need to flash a new version of functional software to your Samsung Galaxy in order to get it working again.
Did a wipe data factory reset but…
Did a wipe data factory reset but the phone still wont restart. I accidentally removed one of the system files and could not get it up. What should I do?
Start over…
Hi Julie,
Sorry to hear about your cell phone. It sounds like that “System File” that you accidently removed was an important one and your phones software can’t run properly without it. If you are unsure of which file(s) were affected then your best bet is going to be to start over from scratch by flashing a fresh installation of your phones software to your phone with a tool like Odin.
My phone got wet
My phone got wet for about two minutes, I removed the battery and then wiped it but it didn’t turn on so I put it in uncooked rice. After a day I put the battery in again and it turned on, I thought that I didn’t have a problem anymore but as I looked on it the WIFI and Bluetooth wouldn’t turn ON.. I tried the on and off procedure but it didn’t work so I tried a factory reset.. When it finished the WIFI and Bluetooth still didn’t work and wont turn on.. please help me 🙁
Trying to fix your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (Possible Water Damage)
Hi Cahipot,
If your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth stopped working right after the phone got wet then the issue is going to be a hardware problem as opposed to a software problem and a hard reset (which can help to resolve software issues) isn’t going to help fix your problem.
That being said… it is possible that the hardware for your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi was damaged by the water in which case you would need to have those damaged parts repaired or most likely replaced. There is a slim ray of hope though which might be an affordable fix for your cell phone. Check out how to try and fix a water damaged cell phone. It might just give you the edge you need and may also be able to help you revive your malfunctioning Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections. I got my fingers crossed and I wish you the best of luck my friend.
My Kestrel is ill!!
I have used your help pages a few times regarding other trouble shoot problems but now I have a problem that has me and EE puzzled.. All of a sudden about 4 weeks ago it stopped sending random messages and receiving for example I send a message to 4 people and only 3 get it even tho my phone says sent. At first it was funny but now I have missed going out and appointments because my phone is only letting certain messages thru. The same person can message and I may or may not get it or vice versa back. Also it keeps flashing your contacts have closed. We tried the reset twice after EE’s advice but it did nothing oh and I forgot it blocks my Dad’s calls by not letting his number ring so far it has not done it to any other number 🙁 please help 🙁
Trying to fix your EE Kestrel
Hi Joanna,
Troubleshooting problems related to text and multimedia messaging can sometimes be a challenge. If you have not already done so make sure to review the advice listed HERE and HERE as they both offer suggestions on what you can do to try to troubleshoot these types of problems.
Out of curiosity have you owned or have you used an Apple iPhone before you got your EE Kestrel?
Phone
My phone will ring but I can’t hear the person on the other end & they can’t hear me. I have no sound.
Troubleshooting Audio Issues
Hello Juliette,
So, your external speaker is working as you can hear the phone ring but since you cannot hear anyone speaking and they cannot hear you speaking either it’s most likely going to be an issue with your wireless carrier’s network. If it was just one or the other you could blame your phones microphone or its internal speaker (the speaker you hold up to your ear) but since it’s both its likely a problem with your service as opposed to your cell phone.
You can check out THIS GUIDE about troubleshooting internal speakers for a more in depth explanation as well as some steps you could take to verify that your phones internal speaker is in fact working properly or for some advice that might help you to weed out a possible software issue on your phone but from your brief description it sounds like its most likely a network related problem to me and you will likely need to contact your wireless service provider to get the issue resolved.
Xperia T3 battery won’t charge
I have a 6 month old Xperia T3 and the first time I let it get to 17% the phone won’t recharge. I sent it back to Sony for repairs only to get it back almost 3 weeks later unable to repair. I searched the internet for other ideas as the screen comes on then immediately says shutting down.
I should of kept my Motorola Atrix that served me well for over 4 years until I decided to upgrade to a newer technology.. Sony should replace the phone but when I call them I get told I will get an email within 36 hours..
Xperia T3
Hi Kathy,
Sorry to hear about your Sony Xperia smartphone. I completely agree with you by the way. It sounds like its battery doesn’t seem to want to hold a charge properly and what is the point of owning a cell phone that won’t even power on all the way?
If you purchased it brand new and it’s less than 6 months old (and there’s no damage to the unit) then your phone should still be covered under warranty. *Side Note: sometimes refurbished units only come with 6 month warranties*. I am surprised that Sony didn’t just swap out your battery for a new one… Or if it couldn’t be repaired then I am surprised that they didn’t send you a replacement.
Having a non-removable battery is one of the main drawbacks, in my opinion, when it comes to purchasing or owning a Sony Xperia smartphone. When the battery needs replacing (no battery lasts forever) then it can be a real pain installing a replacement. As opposed to my Samsung where I can just take the back plate off, take the old malfunctioning or defective battery out, pop in a new one, turn on the phone and be ready to rock and roll.
This is one of the many features often overlooked when buying a new smartphone and can certainly make troubleshooting any future problems more difficult.
I suggest that you keep bugging Sony. If your phone is covered under their manufacturer’s warranty then they should be responsible for fixing any manufacturing defects that you can potentially run across when using one of their products and if they can’t fix it then they should (and often do) replace the unit.
If however, your phone is no longer covered under the manufactures warranty (as the warranty has expired or the phone is damaged) then Sony is no longer responsible for fixing the unit.
If warranty isn’t an option then don’t forget that you can look into purchasing a replacement battery online and then you could swap out the battery yourself. Or you can take it to a local repair shop to have them do it for you (usually for a modest fee of course)… Either way, like I mentioned earlier there isn’t really any point in owning a phone if it won’t even power on.
Good luck Kathy. Dealing with phone problems such as yours is never fun and is often frustrating. Keep at it though my friend. I wish you and your phone the best of luck and if there is anything that I can do to try and help just let me know.
Sony Xperia T3 no replaceable battery
Hello James, thank you, and I agree. Sony should stand behind their products as my phone is under one year warranty and only 6 months old. I never did get a message back after 36 hours like their rep had promised. I never did get a new phone that the other rep said was mailed to me. I only received my faulty one. There should be a recall on all these phones because after searching the internet I have found I am not alone. There are 100’s of other people with the same problem… I have plastered my Facebook page with comments to try and help my friends not make the same mistake I did. I will be back on the phone with Sony tomorrow and every day until I get results this is not fair and I know I don’t own the only lemon…
These types of things can certainly be frustrating
Hi again Kathy,
Yeah keep bugging them until you get a good representative willing and able to help you.
Just remember to be as nice as you can when you’re talking to representatives on the phone (even though it can be extremely difficult with some individuals). A representative is way more likely to try and help a reasonable and nice individual as opposed to a demanding and irate one. And try to put yourself in the shoes of the person on the other line. Call center representatives often lack the proper training to accomplish the tasks required of them and have the privilege of speaking to angry and upset customers on the phone all day.
As soon as they finish talking with one person BEEP another call gets routed instantly from the queue and the rep gets to start all over with another upset customer. Back to back calls nonstop eight or more hours a day and most reps do not get any pay incentive for helping people resolve the problem with their phone other than receiving the gratification of knowing that it’s the right thing to do. Many call centers are also contracted and simply get paid for taking calls and hitting metrics.
Oh, and never ever tell a cell phone warranty call center representative that your phone should be recalled and that there are hundreds of people online having the same problem. That representative has a list of phones with manufacturing defects and they take calls ALL DAY. They know the good phones and the bad phones and there are hundreds of thousands of people online. If you did the same exact search and inserted the name of a different make and model of cell phone you would still likely get hundreds of search results for that particular problem regardless of the device and whether or not the problem was common to that particular make and model of cell phone. But I digress.
Keep calling, try to avoid the transfer to another department run around game when possible, and be as friendly as you can. If you find yourself getting transferred a lot then try asking the current rep to warm transfer you to the next department by staying on the line to introduce you to the next representative and hopefully they will recap their conversation with you for the next rep before they hang up so that you don’t have to keep repeating yourself over and over.
If they say they are sending you a replacement (which is likely going to be a refurbished unit as opposed to a new unit) ask for a confirmation number and if possible a tracking number.
This type of thing is often more frustrating than it should be but just keep at it and hopefully you will find a decent rep able and willing to help you get this annoying issue resolved. Good luck my friend.
Screen issue
Hi, I’m facing a screen issue on my android phone. The screen shows some black lines at the left side. My phone has physical damage, a cracked screen, but the cracked screen doesn’t effect it. Also, it shut downs frequently. Please help to fix this. My phone model is a ‘Celkon Campus One- A354c’.
Thank you…
Physical Damage
Hello Jyot Hathi,
Since your phone does in fact have physical damage and not only is it damaged but has a cracked screen it would be safe to assume that the physical damage is responsible for those lines on your display screen as well. Solving physical damage typically involves replacing the damaged part of the phone. Lines can sometimes point to an issue with the displays flex cable too though. You might be able to take your phone part and check the cable that connects the screen to the phone to see if it has been damaged or if it is out of its proper place. If you notice anything out of place then you might be able to fix those lines on your phone by correcting whatever is wrong with that cable/connection but there is no guarantee. Your screen might just need replacing to get your phone back to 100% again.
Blackberry z10 camera says, ” THE CAMERA CAN’T BE STARTED”
Hey! So I’ve tried tons of ways and looked up on lots of websites on how to get your camera to start and yet mine still won’t work. I even tried contacting Blackberry and they won’t respond. What should I do?
“The camera can’t be started” Blackberry error message
Hello Gabriella,
Sorry to hear that the camera on your Blackberry Z10 seems to be having so much trouble. It seems like that issue is fairly common among Blackberry users and yet there doesn’t seem to be a sure fire solution for it yet.
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