Reasons why Galaxy J7 won’t charge or won’t turn on, other issues

We understand that a lot of #GalaxyJ7 users are experiencing power- and charging-related problems so here’s another article that tackles these problems.

If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page.

When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

Below are specific topics we’re bringing for you today:

Problem 1: Reasons why Galaxy J7 won’t charge or won’t turn on

Hello! I haven’t been able to use my Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 since the 8th of October when it just wouldn’t charge with my car charger. Neither with its original charger. I was driving on SLEX on my way back to Manila then. I was using Waze. The battery was at 13% so I decided to connect it to my car charger. It didn’t charge at all. I bought my phone August 7, 2016 and it has just been 1 year since I got it. It’s never been opened by any technician nor repaired. By the way, it didn’t drop nor got submerged into water. I was wondering what the problem is. Thanks for your help! — Keempee Concepcion

Solution: Hi Keempee. There’s a number of possible causes why a smartphone like your Galaxy J7 suddenly stops charging. Since we don’t know the full history of your device, let’s discuss all the possible causes.

Restart the device

Sometimes, operating system bugs can occur when a device has been left way too long in operation. Just as a PC slows down after continuous usage, an Android device can also suffer performance issues and other problems if it remains on for weeks. Be sure to restart the phone to refresh the system. Alternatively, you can also try a soft reset to see if it will help the phone recover. Since the phone’s battery is removable, a soft reset for this type of phone is simply — by removing the battery and reseating it after 10 seconds.

Verify if charging cable and adapter are working

Another simple troubleshooting step that should be tried in this case is to check the charging accessories. Android devices are almost always compatible with other Android chargers and cable so this should not be a problem. If you have another Samsung device or a third party Android phone, try to use its USB cable and charger and see if that will revive the charging function of your device. In a lot of cases, the main reason why a phone fails to charge is a bad charging cable or adapter. If you haven’t checked any or both of them, make sure that you do now.

Charge the phone using a different power outlet

There’s always a chance that the current power outlet is busted so if you tend to charge in your favorite outlet at home, try using another known working one. For example, you can try to connect your phone to a powered USB port of your computer, or to a power bank to see if it works that way. Be sure to connect the phone for at least 30 minutes to ensure that there’s enough time to recharge the battery. If your phone charges fine this way, then the issue must lie with your car charger and/or your favorite outlet at home.

Verify the charging port is not defective

While it may be difficult for an untrained eye to spot possible problem with a charging port in a J7, it’s still worth checking. A telltale sign that a charging port may be broken is a bent pin inside the socket. Check the device in a well-lit environment and see if you can spot anything out of the ordinary. If you have access to a magnifying tool like the one being used in electronic shops, use that to inspect the socket. Any dirt or bent pin can be the reason why the phone no longer charges the battery. If you notice something amiss inside, make sure to consult a professional on how to address it. A bent pin prevents charging since the metal contacts may not connect to the metal contacts of the charging cable. Avoid sticking something inside the port as that can further damage other pins.

If you think the port is dirty, you can try to use a can of compressed air to blow lint or dirt out. If you’re lucky and dirt will be dislodged this way, you may be able to fix the problem.

Use another battery

The good thing with your device is the fact that its battery is removable. This means that if the problem is isolated to the battery only, replacing it is an easy fix. How will you know, you’ll ask, if it’s a battery problem? It’s really simple; just use another battery. If you know someone with the same phone, try using his/her battery and see if that will power your phone back on. If you don’t have access to another J7 battery, try to visit local shops that deal with issues like yours and see if they can let you use a known working J7 battery. Avoid buying a new battery outright as you don’t have a way of knowing conclusively if it’s a battery issue.

Try to boot the device to alternate modes

One of the possible reasons why your device fails to charge may be an Android glitch. To check, you can try to restart the phone to other boot modes namely Recovery Mode and Download/Odin Mode. These modes run independently of Android, meaning they don’t require Android operating system to operate. They use a different code so they don’t depend on Android to work. As long as the main reason for the problem is not motherboard- or hardware-related, the phone should be able to turn back on one way or another.

To boot to alternate modes, follow these steps:

Boot in Recovery mode:

1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
5. You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

1. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
4. Wait until the Download screen appears.
5. If you can boot the phone in download mode but not in other modes, that means that your only way out may be to flash a stock or custom firmware.
6. Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

If your phone boots to any of these modes, that’s a good sign as the problem may be fixed by either a factory reset or by rolling back/flashing the firmware.

Contact Samsung or any relevant party for repair

If all the steps above won’t work at all, that means that the issue must be due to hardware malfunction. You should let Samsung or an independent service center check the device to determine the problem. Hardware causes of this kind can be due to a bad battery, a malfunctioning power management IC, or an unknown component failure. For this reason, you must let a professional handle the diagnostics.

Problem 2: Galaxy J7 won’t charge, battery level continues to drop even when charging

I took the back panel of the phone off, and discovered there was water in it, and and sort of burnt smell. Ever since then, when I plug it in, it shows that it’s charging, but it continues to drop charge. I do not believe it is the battery because it charges when in an family members J3, just not in mine. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. — Robby.catney

Solution: Hi Robby.catney. If water has found its way in your phone for some reason, there must be a failing hardware component that causes the problem/s you’re having at this time. Be sure to bring the device to a shop that handles wet electronics so a full diagnostics can be done. Our blog does not provide hardware troubleshooting and solutions so there’s nothing much that we can do to help.

To see if there’s no serious hardware malfunction in the device, you can try to take the components apart and dry the device using a bag of rice. Before you put it in a bag of rice, be sure to clean everything using the type of alcohol that repair shops use. Before you do the cleaning, make sure that the battery is disconnected to avoid shorting components. After you’ve cleaned everything with alcohol, that’s the time that you can leave the dismantled parts in a bag of rice for several days. For more in-depth steps on how to dry an electronics using a bag of rice, be sure to do more research about it.

Remember, drying the components won’t fix any damage already present in affected components. If the phone remains problematic after reassembling everything, contact Samsung or a professional for help.

Problem 3: Galaxy J7 black screen issue, won’t turn on

I was looking at my phone and as I clicked on an app my phone screen went black and I haven’t been able to turn it back on since. I have followed all the steps I read online for troubleshooting your phone. it is definitely not a charging problem as the battery was on 50% however if I put it on charge the light that would usually appear at the top of the phone to indicate charging does not appear. It just seems as though my phone has died out of nowhere. I’m currently out of the country and there for can’t get it looked at by anyone. Please can you help. — Frankie

Solution: Hi Frankie. We’ve provided a detailed list of possible reasons why your phone may not charge or turn on at all. Be sure to visit our suggestions for Keempee above and see if any of them will help.

 

---