How to fix a Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphone that is stuck on black screen of death or BSOD [Troubleshooting Guide]

One of the dreaded issues transpiring on various mobile devices is the so-called BSOD or black screen of death. This is when the device suddenly crashes and gets stuck on a black screen. Sometimes, people would mistakenly thought of it as power issue like when the device has completely run out of power and no longer able to power up unless it’s charged. There are also other instances when the phone system crashes and refuses to power on as it’s not able to charge.

In this case, the problem could be due to a bad battery or damaged charger. Meanwhile, when the phone is stuck on black screen of death, it may still have power or even running but is stuck on black display. This usually occurs when complex system errors exist and trigger the operating system to crash and stop working. So it’s like your device is frozen on black screen. For as long as no hardware damage is present, the problem can still be remedied at home.

The methods I’ve explicated below are in fact, among the suggested workarounds and potential solutions. That said, feel free to refer to this troubleshooting guide whenever you’ll bump into a similar issue on your Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphone that’s stuck on black screen of death.

For smartphone owners who found our site while trying to find a solution, try to see if your phone is one of the devices we support. If it is, then visit the troubleshooting page for that device, browse through it to find issues that are similar with yours and feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. However, if you still need our help after that, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to troubleshoot Xperia XZ Premium that’s stuck on black screen of deat?

Before you start applying any of the given solutions below, try to remove any SD card from the phone. Sometimes, a device suddenly acts up due to SD card data corruption. This is usually among the transpiring symptoms of malware and virus infection to any of the saved files in the SD card. That said, unmount and then remove the SD card from the phone. If the symptoms reoccur without any SD card inserted, then you can go ahead and troubleshoot software problems on your phone. Otherwise, manage your SD card contents or re-format your SD card instead.

First solution: Force restart your phone.

The first possible solution to try is a force restart. This should be enough to deal with random system crashes due to minor data corruption. Your device could end up frozen on black screen because of errant applications. That said, you will need to force your device to reboot. Here’s how a force restart is done on your Xperia XZ Premium smartphone:

Press and hold the Power button and Volume Up button simultaneously for a few seconds.
Release both buttons when the phone power cycles or restarts.

Similar to a soft reset, a force restart doesn’t affect any saved data on the phone’s internal memory thus you don’t have to worry of losing critical files from doing so.

Second solution: Charge then force restart.

To make sure that the problem isn’t due to an empty battery, plug your phone into the charger and let it charge for at least 30 minutes. Also ensure that your phone is able to charge, or else you would need to deal with charging problem first. After 30 minutes of charging, your device should have accumulated enough power to boot up. That said, do a force restart while your phone is charging. Doing so will help clear any running apps including those that have gone rogue and triggered the system to crash and get stuck on black screen.

If the phone is able to boot up, then perform the next workarounds to further clear out software issues on the device. If it still doesn’t turn on, then you’re most likely dealing with hardware damage and so your phone needs service.

Third solution: Locate and manage rogue apps.

We can’t set aside rapid battery draining from the underlying causes. That said, check and view the battery usage details on your phone to determine if certain apps are causing massive power consumption, which could be the main reason why the device suddenly shuts down and refuses to turn on. Here’s how to access and view battery usage details on your Xperia XZ Premium smartphone:

Go to Settings.
Tap Apps & notifications.
Select App info.
Navigate to the Battery section then select an app to view its battery consumption.

If you see any app that’s using up much power in a certain period of time, then that app needs to be managed. Install pending app updates can be considered among the options to fix rogue apps that caused rapid battery draining problems. To manually check for and install pending app updates on your Xperia XZ Premium device, follow these steps:

Tap to open the Apps screen.
Scroll to the right then tap Play Store.
Tap the Menu icon (three vertical lines) on the upper-left side of Google Play.
Go to My apps & games.
Select the Updates tab to view the list of apps with pending updates.
To update individual apps, tap the Update button next to the name of the app.
To update all apps at once, tap the Update All button on the upper-right of the screen.

If that doesn’t work, then you may have to uninstall or reinstall the bad app on your phone.

After uninstalling or re-installing the application, restart/soft reset your phone to dump errant cache and clear its internal memory. This helps the device to perform better and smoother.

Fourth solution: Update phone software to the latest version.

Installing the latest system update on your phone is also among the potential solutions to random software issues inflicted by malwares and system bugs. Aside from bringing in new features, updates also embed fix patches to get rid of system glitches for security enhancement and optimization. To manually check for and implement new software updates, your phone must have strong and stable Wi-Fi Internet connection, at least 50 percent battery and sufficient memory space. Once you’ve got all these requisites checked, follow these steps:

Go to Settings.
Select System.
Tap on Software update.
If a system update is available, tap CONTINUE then tap INSTALL NOW to start installing the update file.

Follow the rest of the onscreen prompts to complete the update download and installation process. When the update is completely installed, reboot your phone to apply the new system changes and refresh the apps and operating system itself.

Fifth solution: Factory data reset/master reset your phone.

Performing a master reset or factory data reset is usually the last possible solution to try if all else failed to solve the problem. Your device might have obtained more intricate system errors that need more advanced solutions including a full system reset. Should you wish to try it, back up all your important files for safekeeping. A master reset will delete everything from the phone including personal information saved on the internal memory. Once you’re files are backed up, follow these steps to master reset your Xperia XZ Premium smartphone through settings:

Open the Settings app.
Tap System.
Scroll to and tap Reset.
Select Factory data reset.
Then tap Reset phone to continue.
If prompted, enter your screen unlock pattern, password, or PIN.
Then tap Erase everything to confirm reset.

More complex software errors are usually rectified by a factory data reset or master reset, hence software-related issues are likewise resolved in the process. If the problem persists after performing a master reset, then it’s time to seek a phone technician’s hardware expertise.

Other options

Visit the nearest Sony Mobile service center in your place and seek help from an authorized technician if none of the prior solutions fixes the problem and that your Xperia XZ Premium smartphone is still stuck on BSOD or black screen of death. In this case, you’re most likely dealing with a hardware issue, which needs physical repair. Meanwhile, if your device suddenly gets stuck on black screen after installing a system update, then a bad update is at fault thus the problem must be escalated. You may contact your device carrier or Sony Mobile support to report the issue for further assistance and recommendations.

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