A phone that won't switch on looks like the end of the road, but it often isn't. The cause can be as simple as a completely flat battery or a frozen system, or as serious as a failed battery or a fault on the main board. These steps help you narrow it down safely.
First, is it really off?
Sometimes the phone is on but the screen isn't showing anything. Look for signs of life:
- Call the phone from another number. Does it ring or vibrate?
- Does it make a sound or vibrate when you plug in a charger?
- Is the back slightly warm, as it would be if it were running?
- In a dark room, can you see a faint glow from the screen?
If the answer to any of these is yes, the display or its connection may be the fault rather than power. Our guide on how to tell if your phone screen needs repair covers this.
Step 1: Charge it properly
Use a charger and cable you know work with another phone, plugged into a wall socket. Leave the phone connected for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour. When a battery is completely flat, the charging symbol can take several minutes to appear, so don't give up after a couple of minutes. If it doesn't respond to charging at all, our guide to phone charging problems has more checks.
Step 2: Try a forced restart
A forced restart cuts power to the system and restarts it without erasing anything. It can bring back a phone that has frozen with a black screen.
- iPhone 8 and later: press and quickly release volume up, press and quickly release volume down, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Keep holding even if the screen stays black at first.
- Most Android phones: press and hold the power button for 10 to 20 seconds, or hold power and volume down together. The exact combination varies by make and model.
If you're not sure of the combination, your phone manufacturer's support website will show the correct one for your model. Try it while the phone is on the charger too.
Step 3: Look for other clues
- Stuck on the logo or restarting in a loop. Often a software problem, but it can also be a failing battery or hardware fault.
- Only works while plugged in. Points strongly to the battery.
- Turns on, then switches off straight away. Often the battery, particularly if it happens in the cold or at low charge.
- Recently dropped. A knock can loosen or damage internal connections.
- Recently wet. Don't keep trying to charge it. Read our water damage guide instead.
What not to do
- Don't keep charging a phone that's getting hot, smells of burning or looks swollen.
- Don't factory reset it in a hurry if it does come back on. A reset erases your data, and may not fix the cause.
- Don't try to open the phone. Modern phones are glued shut and the battery can be damaged.
When a technician is needed
If the phone shows no sign of life after a proper charge and a forced restart, the fault is likely to be the battery, the charging port, the display or something on the main board. Working out which before deciding anything means you won't replace a phone that only needed a battery, or pay for a repair that won't solve the problem.
If your photos and messages matter to you, say so when you hand it in, especially if you don't have a recent backup. A technician can take that into account when deciding how to approach the repair.
