High-end devices like the Samsung Galaxy S7 seldom encounter issues that may have something to do with the lack of resources simply because they are muscled up so that they would perform almost perfectly. However, problems may still occur every now and then. Power-related issues are among the most commonly reported problems and while we’ve already addressed many of them, we still feel the need to help out our readers who have reached out to us for help.
In this post, we will tackle the black screen issue wherein the phone seems not booting up and won’t respond to whatever it is that you do with it. But this time, we’ll tackle the black screen issue which is accompanied by the LED notification light blinking. Since the Galaxy S7 recently received the Android Nougat update, we will take into consideration the fact that it might be a problem with the new firmware but we have to rule out each possibility. So, if you own this phone and are currently bugged by a similar problem, then continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.
But before we jump right into our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure to drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed hundreds of problems with this device since it was released. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions and/or troubleshooting guides we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.
Step-by-step guide to troubleshooting Galaxy S7 that won’t turn on with LED blinking
Problem: My S7 Samsung which I bought 2 months ago has a dead screen but LED is flickering red to show some messages have been received. I am trying to connect charger but it seems its not responding again. Could it be the phone has crashed or what?
Solution: If we have to look into the symptom that your phone is having now, there are two possibilities we need to consider that may have caused the issue; it could be that the device has hardware or software problem. As you indicated that the LED is still blinking once it is connected to the charger, that’s a clear indication that the hardware of the device is fine and most likely this is only a software problem caused it. So, to rule out the issue we recommend you to perform the basic troubleshooting procedures on your phone. Here’s what we want you to do:
Step 1: Try to force reboot your phone
It’s a very simple procedure but it is very effective in fixing issues like this. In fact, it might be the only procedure you need to do. If the issue is caused by a glitch in the system, there is a chance that the issue will be resolved after this method. Press and hold both Power and Volume Down keys for 10 seconds and wait until it boots up. You can do this while the phone is plugged in or not.
It is actually a soft reset which is very effective in dealing with system crashes brought about by some apps or a firmware update. Don’t go to other procedures unless you’ve done this.
Step 2: Let the device charge for 10-15 minutes for the battery might be drained
The purpose of charging the device for several minutes is to determine the battery’s condition if it is defective or not. Because if it is, then there’s no point to continue the troubleshooting, instead, bring your phone to the nearest shop in your area or call the retailer store where you purchased the device and ask for a battery replacement. However, after 10-20 minutes of charging and the device responds or the charging icon appears on the screen, then obviously the battery was totally drained during that time and that’s the reason your device could not boot up. So, while connected to the charger try to perform again the first method you do and see if will respond. If it persists, move over to the next method.
Step 3: Boot in Safe mode to verify if an app triggered the problem
By booting the device in safe mode we can easily determine if there’s a culprit preventing your phone from booting up successfully. In this android environment the third-party apps won’t be loaded in the firmware and only pre-installed apps will be running in the system. So, if your phone turned on while in this state, then there’s an app you need to find and uninstall it to resolve the issue. This is how to boot in safe mode:
- Press and hold the Power key.
- As soon as you can see the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7’ on the screen, release the Power key and immediately hold the Volume Down key.
- Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device finishes rebooting.
- You may release it when you can see ‘Safe mode’ in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Step 4: Try booting it up in Recovery mode and then reset it
But if your phone still unable to power on, try to do the next method by deleting the system caches of your device. These are the temporary files stored in the directory that your phone is using to help things to load quickly like: launching an app, browsing web pages and other stuff that you want to do on your phone. So, if these caches are not compatible to the system that may be the reason that the firmware could not load up successfully and caused it to crash. In wiping the cache partition we are forcing the device to create newer and fresher caches that can run smoothly to the system. Just follow these steps to delete the system caches:
- Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home 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.
- Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
- Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
- Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
- Wait until your phone is finished wiping the cache partition. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
However, after forced reboot, safe mode and deleting the system caches but the device still unable to turn on, then we can’t do anything about it. Instead, you can bring your phone to the nearest shop in your area to be checked and fixed by the tech if there were damaged components inside.
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