How to fix Galaxy Tab A Black Screen | screen is unresponsive or won’t turn on

One of the common problems that a lot of smartphone and tablet users encounter is bad screen. In this troubleshooting article, we’ll show you how to fix Galaxy Tab A Black Screen issue, or if the screen won’t turn on. Be sure to follow the suggestions below to resolve your particular screen trouble.

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How to fix Galaxy Tab A Black Screen | screen is unresponsive or won’t turn on

Some Android users may misidentify No Power issue with Black Screen issue. The former can be more serious although having a Black Screen problem due to physical damage can also require repair. In learning which of the two may be happening on your tablet, you can do some simple isolation. To know one from the other, all you want to do is to check whether the device still makes sound notifications, vibrates, or rings when you call your number. If any of these things happen but the screen remains black, you have a Black Screen issue. You must continue treating your case as it is. This troubleshooting article will help you with the steps to do.

Galaxy Tab A Black Screen fix #1: Check for physical damage

If you have a Black Screen issue on your Galaxy Tab A, one of the first things that you want to do is to see if bad hardware is to blame. If there’s obvious signs of damage after dropping the device, or if the phone stopped working after the phone is exposed to water, you must consider repair right away. Keep in mind that a broken hardware can’t be fixed by doing some changes in settings or in the software. 

If the screen no longer powers back on and stays black, that’s probably due to broken hardware. Samsung Galaxy screens can last for years unless there’s something that causes it to die. Some of the common reasons why a screen might refuse to turn on is physical damage or exposure to moisture or water. If there was a prior incident that causes hardware damage to the to your tablet, your case may require repair. This is true whether or not there’s a crack or not on the screen. 

If the screen has physical damage, software troubleshooting are usually not effective but if you want to continue with the rest of the steps below, feel free to do so. Otherwise, avoid wasting your time by having the tablet checked by Samsung or an independent professional.

Galaxy Tab A Black Screen fix #2: Charge your tablet

Some users may panic right away once their phone or tablet appears not to power back on. In most of these cases, the device may have simply lost battery power so what you want to do next is to charge the tablet. If the battery has been emptied at a certain level, it may take a few minutes for the screen to show that it’s charging. Make sure to charge your Galaxy Tab A for at least 30 minutes before attempting to power it back on. Also, be sure to use the official Samsung cable and adapter when charging. If you are not sure about the state of your charging accessories, try to use another known working cable and adapter to charge.

While at it, be sure to also check the charging port. One of the possible reasons why your Galaxy Tab A may fail to charge can be a bad charging port. This doesn’t mean a defect is present in the port. There may only be dirt, lint, or foreign object preventing the charging cable from making good contact during charging. To check the port, try using a magnifier to see more clearly inside. If you notice dirt or debris inside, make sure to remove it by using a can of compressed air. Do not stick anything inside to avoid damaging the system.

We don’t want you to do anything more to the charging port other than to check it visually. If you suspect that the charging port may be damaged, or if you see an obvious indication that there’s physical malfunction in the port, make sure to send the phone in so it can be repaired.

If your Galaxy Tab A charges successfully and turns on, be sure to also perform a battery and OS calibration. This might help if there’s any battery-related bug that prevents the system from working properly. To recalibrate the operating system so that it gets accurate battery level readings, do the following:

1. Drain the battery completely. This means using your device until it powers down by its own and the battery level reads 0%.
2. Charge the phone until it reaches 100%. Be sure to use original charging equipment for your device and let it charge up completely. Do not unplug your device for at least two more hours and also don’t use it while charging.
3. After the elapsed time, unplug your device.
4. Restart the device.
5. Use your phone until it completely runs out of power again.
6. Repeat steps 1-5.

Galaxy Tab A Black Screen fix #3: Perform soft reboot

All Samsung devices with power issues can benefit from a restart. Even in this extreme case, you don’t want to skip this simple solution. Here’s what you need to do: Press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power key at the same time for 10 seconds or until the device’s screen turns on.

Should that won’t change anything, you can then try these steps:

1. Press and hold the Volume Down button first and don’t release it.
2. While holding it down, press and hold the Power key.
3. Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more.

Galaxy Tab A Black Screen fix #4: Run tablet on Safe Mode

Some cases of black screen issue on the Galaxy Tab A are caused by a bad third party app. To check if this is the case, try running the device to safe mode. In this mode, only apps that came with the operating system will be allowed to run. All the rest that you’ve added will be blocked so if one of them is causing your tablet to not work, you should know it. Basically, the idea is that since no third party apps are running on safe mode and the tablet screen turns on, the root cause must be one of them. To boot your device to safe mode:

1. With your Tab A off, press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
2. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
3. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
4. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
5. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
6. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

If your Galaxy Tab A screen works on safe mode, that means that a third party app is the cause. To identify which of your apps is causing the problem, follow the steps below:

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Check for the problem.
3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
5. If your Tab A still refuses to power back on, repeat steps 1-4.

Galaxy Tab A Black Screen fix #5: Boot to Recovery Mode

If nothing positive comes out after performing safe mode procedure, you must then go ahead with checking if your tablet will boot to Recovery Mode. Recovery Mode is a software environment that allows a user to wipe the cache partition or perform a factory reset. This is usually effective in fixing issues due to Android bug. If your tablet can boot successfully to Recovery Mode, this might work. Below are the steps to boot your device to Recovery Mode:

1. Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy Tab A logo screen displays, release all of the keys.
4. The Android Recovery screen should then show you several options like Reboot system now, Reboot to bootloader, Apply update from ADB, wipe data/factory reset, wipe cache partition, etc. To navigate to any of the options, just use the Volume Up and Down buttons. 

As mentioned above, if your tablet boots to Recovery Mode, you can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset (wipe data/factory reset).

Galaxy Tab A Black Screen fix #6: Samsung Repair

If your Galaxy Tab A still has a black screen issue after a factory reset, or if you are unable to successfully boot to Recovery Mode, consider getting help from Samsung. There must be a deeper reason why the screen stops working. 

If you purchased your Galaxy Tab A B from your local Samsung store, it may come with a 30-day screen repair discount or some form of warranty. Make sure to contact the store where you bought the device from to see if this is true. Some regions may offer a discounted repair fee, which can be helpful if you are in a tight financial situation.

If your Galaxy Tab A was bought from your carrier or network, call them and see if there’s any screen warranty that can give you a discount. Screen protection can vary by carrier so checking with them is a good idea.

Galaxy Tab A Black Screen fix #7: Get help from independent shop

If there’s no way that you can go to your local Samsung store or Service Center, you can visit your local repair shop for help. Repair done by a non-Samsung technician automatically voids the warranty of your device though so only do this if you’re out of options. This means that if a third party technician can’t fix your Galaxy Tab A and you decide to let Samsung do it for you, Samsung won’t allow it. They may even not take a look at your device at all once you mention that it’s been tampered by an independent technician. So, you only want to do this repair option if you are desperate.

Galaxy Tab A Black Screen fix #8: DIY repair

Do-it-yourself or DIY repair can be an option if you are desperate and has run out of options. You want to be wary though as DIY repair is not free and won’t guarantee positive results. There are a lot of Do-It-Yourself repair videos for all sorts of things, including the ones for fixing or replacing Samsung Galaxy screens. The thing is, these videos may appear easy but they can be overwhelming for amateur users once they follow them. If you have no background in fixing or repairing electronics, you’ll find out that DIY repair videos are not as easy as they look and can often be the reason for more serious hardware troubles afterwards. If you want to take the risks, then go ahead.

 

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