How to fix Galaxy S9 screen issue: screen stopped working
Are you wondering what to do now that your Galaxy S9 (#GalaxyS9) screen has stopped working or been damaged? This short troubleshooting article should give you the idea.
Problem #1: How to fix Galaxy S9 screen issue: screen stopped working
Today my phone screen stopped working. I have a crack on my screen but my phone worked fine for months even after the screen crack. All the buttons, home button, power button and two touch bar buttons with home button in between works. When i try to put it in Odin mode with home button power button and volume down button it doesnt go past the” downloading do not turn off power”. Also the two touch buttons with home button in between, the lights are on 24/7. The lights usually go away if i’m not pressing the touch buttons. Nothing on the screen works but the phone seems to be functioning fine except i cant swipe the screen to unlock since the touch isn’t working. Also there is a blue bordered box thats bordering on my “no sim card – emergency calls only” on the top of my screen. It seems like its a touch detector. But if i touch it, the blue bordered box goes away but comes back in 2 seconds.
Solution: The phone may have encountered a software bug, preventing the operating system from booting up properly. We can’t see what exactly is going on with the screen itself but if everything appears normal in Download Mode, that is, the entire screen works as it should, then this is not a screen malfunction (hardware issue). It’s most likely a bad software issue so what you need to do is try to restart the device to Recovery Mode and wipe it with factory reset. Here’s how:
- 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.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the green 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.
If the phone won’t load Recovery Mode at all, you’re out of luck. There must be something deeper that causes the problem. In this case, you should consider sending the phone to Samsung so a trained technician can physically examine the phone.
Problem #2: Galaxy S9 screen becomes dark and showing purple hue
Hi there. There was a small pinkish dot that emerged on the bottom left corner of the screen and has grown to a purplish very dark hue over 4 days. The screen still performs but is extremely dark on full brightness. can barely see. No history of fall, placing near a TV, micro etc. The phone stays in my office drawer or side table at home, both air conditioned environments. Outside weather is very humid. Can this be fixed other than changing the screen. I would greatly appreciate your guidance. best regards.
Solution: We don’t think this is a software-related issue so you’ll most probably end up with a screen replacement. To check if it’s just an Android issue though, you can boot the phone to alternate modes and see.
How to boot a Galaxy S9 to Recovery Mode
- 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.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
How to boot a Galaxy S9 to Downlod Mode
- 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.
- Press and hold the Volume Down key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- You’ll know if you’re on Download Mode when you see a screen that says “Downloading….”
The purpose of booting the phone to both of these modes is to check whether or not the screen discoloration persists. Both Recovery Mode and Download Modes are separate software environments so any bug in Android (in normal mode), will not affect them. If the screen looks normal and won’t show the purple hue, that means you have an Android issue. A factory reset in Recovery Mode should help you fix it. On the other hand, if the problem also appears in both alternate modes, that means there’s an actual issue with the physical component or screen. You can’t fix that type of problem with software tweaks. If you wish to resolve the issue, you should have the hardware issue addressed.