How to fix Galaxy S8 that won’t power on [troubleshooting guide]
Today we address one of the most common problems in any smartphone — failure to power on or boot up. With millions of #GalaxyS8 sold worldwide since it was released last year, some few units may now be having problems like the ones mentioned below. We hope that you’ll find this short troubleshooting guide helpful.
If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.
When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.
Problem 1: How to fix Galaxy S8 that won’t power on
My S8 was working perfectly when I went to bed last night. I had an ocean noise replicator app playing like I usually do when I go to sleep. The battery probably worked down to zero at some point in the night. However, when I woke up and plugged my phone in the charger nothing happened. When I hold the power button, at most I see an incredibly narrow (ballpark of 1/10 of an inch) and horizontal white strip. It only appears for a fraction of a second. It does this about a half dozen times then the screen stays black. I attempted to remove the battery, but the back is one tight enough I was afraid I would damage the phone in the process. Thank you for your time. — Cwiedow2255
Solution: Hi Cwiedow2255. There are three possible situations that’s happening in your device: (a) your Galaxy S8 screen has become temporarily unresponsive or permanently failed, (b) Android fails to boot (No Boot issue), or (c)phone is completely dead (No Power issue). To know which of these issues is true, you need to be aware of the symptoms as well as perform some troubleshooting to help you narrow down the causes. Below are the things that you need to do.
Fix #1: Take note of the symptoms
The key to knowing the real problem is to identify relevant symptoms. This is a general rule that’s true when troubleshooting anything. In your case, the issue may lie on the screen only since the phone appears to power on when you press the Power button (…I see an incredibly narrow (ballpark of 1/10 of an inch) and horizontal white strip). If you notice that the LED light is lit when charging, though the screen remains black, there must be a problem with the screen only. Try to charge the phone for at least 30 minutes before attempting to power it back on. If that won’t bring the screen back, contact Samsung for repair or replacement.
Other indicators for sign of life include:
- sound notifications,
- vibrate notifications, or
- ringing when you call your number.
If any of these is present in your device, then that’s another confirmation of our hunch that your screen may not be working properly.
If, on the other hand, the phone seems totally unresponsive (no power, no LED light when charging, no sound notification, does not ring when you call your number), try the rest of the troubleshooting steps below.
Fix #2: Check the charging cable and adapter
This troubleshooting step is only applicable when you’ve already determined that you don’t have a bad screen issue. Sometimes, a phone may appear not to turn on simply because it wasn’t charged. If you’ve already tried charging the phone without success, make sure that it’s not because of a faulty USB cable or adapter. If possible, try to use another set or charging cable and adapter and see if that will charge the phone. Alternatively, you can try to use the current charging cable and adapter to charge another Samsung device. Once you’ve established that it’s not a charging cable or adapter, proceed to the next troubleshooting step.
Fix #3: Inspect the charging port
At times, pocket lint or dirt may find its way into the charging port that may prevent the charging cable from making good contact with the pins inside. If you can, try to use some form of magnification to inspect the inside of the charging port. If you notice dirt or foreign object in the charging port, try to clean it using a can of compressed air. Avoid sticking something in the charging port to prevent damaging the pins.
Fix #4: Verify that power outlet is working
If you usually charge in one outlet in your room, consider charging your phone in another outlet. This will allow you to know if you have trouble charging with your favorite outlet or not. Alternatively, you can try to plug in another device to the current outlet to see if its working fine.
Fix #5: Remove case (if you’re using one)
Some Galaxy S7 owners who used poorly designed cases sometimes encountered power-related problems before. If you’re not using any case at all, then simply skip this step.
Fix #5: Ensure that the phone is charging correctly
Normally, your Galaxy S8 should show a red LED light when it’s low on battery or when it’s charging with the screen off. If there’s no LED light at all, that means that you may have a No Power issue. Try to charge the phone for at least 30 minutes before attempting to turn it back on again. If the phone stays dead after this, try the next steps.
Fix #6: Try to start the Galaxy S8 to alternate boot modes (Recovery Mode or Download Mode)
Whether you have a No Boot issue or No Power issue, one of the important troubleshooting steps that you must do is to see how the phone reacts when you try to do some hardware button combinations. If it turns on to either Recovery Mode or Download Mode, then there’s a chance that you may be able to fix the issue on your end. Below are the steps on how to access Recovery Mode and Download Mode.
Boot in Recovery mode:
- Turn off the phone. If it shows any light indicator, makes any sound notification, or vibrates and you can’t turn it off normally, allow the device to drain the power until it shuts off on its own. In order for this troubleshooting to be successful, it’s important that you turn the device off.
- Then, charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
- Press and then hold the Bixby and Volume Up keys, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Bixby and Volume Up keys.
- When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
- You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode. Steps on how to wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset are provided below.
Boot in Download Mode:
- Turn off the phone. If it shows any light indicator, makes any sound notification, or vibrates and you can’t turn it off normally, allow the device to drain the power until it shuts off on its own. In order for this troubleshooting to be successful, it’s important that you turn the device off.
- Then, charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
- Press and then hold the Bixby and Volume Down keys, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Down keys.
- Wait until the Download screen appears.
- If you can boot the phone in download mode but not in other modes, that means that your only way out may be to flash a stock or custom firmware.
- Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.
Fix #7: Contact Samsung
There’s only so much that you can do in this case. If all our suggestions above won’t help at all, let Samsung help you. Your phone may have a hardware error that requires repair or replacement.
Problem 2: Galaxy S8 won’t charge, won’t boot up
Hello. I’m in need of some help. My Samsung Galaxy S8 will not turn on. I had it on the charger and I heard it vibrate; thinking it was just going to the charging screen (as usual), I left it alone. After almost an hour, I go to check the percentage and the screen was black and it was unresponsive. I have even tried the many rebooting options, and charging it again for a few hours, and still nothing. I’ve read online that other people had similar problems, and I would like some help, or at least figure out what is wrong with my phone. Please help. Thank you. — Savannah Rodriguez
Solution: Hi Savannah. You may be having a No Power issue. Kindly refer to our suggestions for Cwiedow2255 above. If needed, try to check if you can start your S8 to Recovery Mode so you can attempt a cache partition wipe and/or factory reset. Below are the steps on how to do each of them.
How to cache partition wipe your Galaxy S8
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
- Press the Volume down key to highlight wipe cache partition.
- Press the Power key to select.
- Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
- When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
How to factory reset your Galaxy S8
- Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
- Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
- When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.