How to fix a Huawei P10 smartphone that won’t turn on [Troubleshooting Guide]

When a new phone just shuts down and won’t turn on, it’s likely due to a system malfunction. In most cases, errant apps, bad updates, and system data corruption are to blame. In worst cases, it emerges among other symptoms of hardware damage, particularly a bad battery or other relevant components. Hardware-related power issues usually occur after an accidental fall or liquid exposure on the phone.

Unfortunately, device issues that are attributed to hardware damage typically require service. But those that are associated with software issues can still be remedied at home by some workarounds. Highlighted below are simple solutions to a relevant issue affecting the new Huawei P10 smartphone. Read on to find out what to do whenever you’ll encounter the same issue with your P10 that won’t turn on.

Before anything else, if you have other issues with your device, try to browse through our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed several issues with this device. Odds are that we’ve already published a post that tackles similar problems. Try finding issues that have similar symptoms with what you currently have and feel free to use the solutions we’ve suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, then fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

First solution: Charge your phone for a while.

One of the first possible reasons as to why your device suddenly goes dead and doesn’t turn on is likely due to the battery that’s drained completely. The same thing can happen if the battery is no longer at its optimum condition or has obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage. But before jumping into a conclusion that a bad battery is to blame, let’s consider the first possibility on the battery that’s completely emptied. That being said, get your charger then charge your phone for at least 30 minutes. That should be enough time for the battery to store up some juice and power up the device. As much as possible, use only the original charger or the one that’s supplied with your phone. Other chargers may not be able to render sufficient power output and thereby results to a very slow charging. Also plug the charger into the wall outlet rather than portable power banks or a computer’s USB ports. Other power sources than wall sockets don’t supply the right amount of power for your device to charge on time.

If your phone doesn’t show any indications that it’s charging, then you’ll need to deal with charging problem first. Otherwise, take your device to a service center for further hardware assessment.

Second solution: Force restart while charging.

If your phone is able to charge and already has at least 50 percent battery power, force it to restart while it’s plugged into the charger. Doing so will help clear out any errant apps that might have caused the phone’s battery or charging system to become corrupted and unstable. Here’s how to force restart your P10:

• Press and hold both the Power button and Volume Up button for a few seconds and then release both buttons when the Huawei logo appears.

Allow the phone to finish booting up and then let it finished charging up to a hundred percent.

Third solution: Remove any inserted SD card from the phone then reboot.

Many Android users have encountered this problem when their phone would just suddenly shut down and won’t power on and later found out that the main trigger is the SD card. If you’re using an SD card, then you should likewise consider it among the possible culprits. But before discarding or replacing your SD card, try to unmount then mount it first. Doing so can help clear minor SD card data corruption that might have caused conflict to the phone system. If you’ve managed to get your phone to power on again, then follow these steps to unmount and mount SD card on your P10 smartphone:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Storage.
3. Then tap the Unmount or Eject icon next to your SD card.

Unmounting the SD card does not erase any saved data in it. It’s a requisite to safely remove the SD card without breaking or corrupting SD card data segments. After unmounting/ejecting the SD card, turn off your phone and then open the SD card tray. You may need to use the ejector tool that comes with your phone to loosen and pop the tray out from. Then carefully remove the SD card from the slot. Check the card for any visible signs of liquid damage or scratches. If there’s none, then place the SD card back into the slot with the gold contacts facing down or in the same position before you remove it.

After securing the SD card in place, push the tray back into the slot and then lock. Once the SD card tray is secured, turn on the phone. As soon as your phone boots up, try to to access its external storage menu and then mount the SD card, if necessary.

If the problem persists or your phone suddenly powers down and won’t turn on with the SD card in it, then you may now have to consider replacing or discarding the SD card.

Other workarounds to try (if applicable)

The following procedures can help clear any software-related factors that may trigger the phone to bump into the same issue. These methods however are only applicable if your phone managed to turn back on.

First workaround: Reset all settings on your P10.

This will erase system settings on the phone without affecting any data and personal information saved on the phone’s memory. Doing so can potentially fix the issue if invalid system configuration or incorrect system settings are to blame. If you wish to give it a try, then follow these steps to reset all settings on your Huawei P10:

1. Tap to open the Settings app from the Home screen.
2. Select Advanced settings.
3. Scroll to and tap Backup & reset.
4. Select the option to Reset all settings. Doing so will reset all settings without affecting data or saved files on the phone.
5. Tap Reset all Settings again to confirm.

Reboot your phone when the settings reset is finished then manually configure options and settings according to your previous preferences before the problem instigates. Only enable features and options that you need to use on the phone.

Second workaround: Wipe cache partition or factory data reset in recovery mode on your P10.

Wiping cache partition clears temporary data that are stored as cache in system folders of the phone. These files are mainly used for faster reloading of similar system data on the phone. But like apps cache, system cache can also cause adverse symptoms or may affect other system functions when they get corrupted. To make sure this isn’t what’s inflicting trouble to your phone’s power and booting system, wipe cache partition on your Huawei P10. If wiping cache partition alone doesn’t help, then you may have to consider erasing the phone and then wipe cache partition. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Press and hold the Power button and Volume Up button simultaneously for at least 10 seconds and then release when the Honor logo pops up.
2. The EMUI screen containing the recovery menu options will then show up on the shortly.
3. Press the Volume Down key to highlight or select Wipe data/Factory reset from the given options.
4. Then press the Power button to confirm selection.
5. Press the Volume buttons to select wipe data/factory reset again then confirm by pressing the Power button.
6. Your phone will then instigate the reset and wipe cache partition. Once it’s done, it’ll prompt you to Reboot system now. Press the Power button to confirm restart.

Wait until the phone is finished booting up and then continue to set up your phone as new. Any system error should all be cleared after the process.

Other options

If the problem persists and your Huawei P10 still doesn’t turn on, then you need to consider opting for service already. There may be some sort of physical or liquid damage on the phone that needs to be fixed or the battery may need to be replaced. The only way to figure this out is by taking your device to an authorized service center and have it diagnosed by a technician. For further assistance and official recommendations, don’t hesitate to contact your device carrier or Huawei Support.

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