The Samsung Galaxy S8 is one of the most powerful and good looking smartphones available on the market right now. I know, the S9 was recently introduced, but the differences aren’t that big, so a lot of people are getting last year’s flagship, for a very good price.
Let’s say that you’re one of them and got it for a while. Suddenly, the Samsung Galaxy S8 won’t turn on, no matter which method you use to unlock it, raising some serious question marks. Is the phone broken? Is something you can do to fix it yourself? Should you take it to a service?
We will find answers to these questions together, through this guide! But first, let’s see which are the actual reasons why the phone won’t turn on.
Why is my Samsung Galaxy S8 not turning on?
Like in most cases, there are various problems causing this, both of them split into two categories: software glitches or technical issues.
Fortunately, there’s solution almost all the time, except when a part of your phone is damaged and needs replacement, so you need to take a phone to a service and leave professionals to take care of it.
Now, let’s see the steps you need to follow if your Samsung Galaxy S8 won’t turn on.
Unlock it correctly
It’s possible for your phone unlocking method of choice to have trouble responding. If you don’t have any authentication method, just hit the Power Button correctly and see if the phone turns on.
Many users reported that, sometimes, pressing it improperly may cause the device not to turn on. Yes, it sounds weird, but it’s something you can try.
If you opted for fingerprint authentication and the phone doesn’t turn on, make sure you’re placing your index (or whatever finger you’re using for unlocking) in the middle of the scanner. It should unlock in a few seconds. Otherwise, the scanner will vibrate for a moment, which means that your finger is not placed correctly.
If these methods don’t work, then move on to the next one.
Perform a soft reset
If you can’t unlock the phone properly and the screen remains black, a soft reset is the next thing you can do. Basically, you’re ruling out the possibility of the firmware crashing or other minor software issues.
On older Android handsets, this was done by taking of the battery and putting it back on, but since the Galaxy S8 power pack is not removable, you’ll have to use another way. Specifically:
- Press and hold the Power Button and the Volume Down Key for around 10 seconds
- Wait until the Samsung logo shows up on the screen
- Give it a few moments until it boots completely
After this, unlock your phone, then try turning it on again and see if the issue appears. If it does, it means that it’s a bit more difficult to fix than you believed. If it works properly though, but you still encounter this issue once in a while, it means that there’s something wrong with the phone and you should try get it replaced.
Charge the phone
Before worrying, you must rule out the scenario in which your Samsung Galaxy S8 won’t turn on because the battery hasn’t been charged.
Therefore, using the charger the phone came with, leave it plugged for at least five minutes and see if the charging icon appears and the LED indicator lights up. If both of these are present, leave the phone charging for a few more minutes and try powering it back on. It should be ok.
If the Fast Charger doesn’t seem to be charging the phone, it means that it has some problems on its own. Try another charger or switch the wall adapter.
On the other side, if none of these signs are showing, it means that the phone is not charging and there’s something messing with it, like a faulty app, for example. If you’re in this situation, proceed to the next step.
Boot the phone in Safe Mode
This method will power up your phone just with the stuff it has out of the box, so no third-party apps or anything else you installed.
In order to put it in this mode, follow these steps:
- Presuming that your phone is turned off, press and hold the Power Button past the screen with the phone’s name and model
- As soon as you see the Samsung logo appearing on the screen, release the Power Button
- Right after this, press and hold the Volume Down key
- Continue holding the Volume Down key until your phone finishes restarting
- You should now see Safe Mode written in the bottom left corner of the display
- Release the Volume Down key
Now you can start uninstalling any app that causes your Samsung Galaxy S8 to not turn on. Start with the ones that look suspicious and see if the issue persists.
Boot the phone in Recovery Mode
Finally, there’s one more thing you can do to troubleshoot the device and see if a software glitch is indeed the reason why your Samsung Galaxy S8 won’t turn on.
- Press and hold the Power Button, Bixby Button, and the Volume Up key at the same time, until the phone vibrates
- Once you feel the vibration, release the Power Button, but keep the other two buttons pressed
- You should now see the Android Recovery screen
- Release all keys
- Using the volume keys, select the Clear Cache Partition option
- Confirm your choice using the Power button
- Wait for a few moments, until the phone restarts
If none of these are working, it’s definitely an issue with the screen itself, meaning that you need to have it verified.
Check your phone’s screen
First thing first, you need to inspect the display for any potential damage. Make sure it’s not chipped, cracked or damaged. Such issues can completely affect its functionality.
If you can find any of these on the surface of the display, take it to a service and have it replaced. However, it the issue persists and the Samsung Galaxy S8 won’t turn on even after getting a new display, it’s better to get a new phone, as long as you’re covered by warranty. You’re definitely dealing with a complicated hardware issue.
Did any of these methods help you fixed your unresponsive Samsung Galaxy S8? Let us know, by dropping a few lines in the comments section below!
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