Solutions to Galaxy S8 won’t turn on and black screen issues

Hello guys and welcome to our latest read for the #GalaxyS8! Today we’re bringing you some troubleshooting tips and possible solutions to one of the common problems in any smartphone. Not being able to turn on your phone can be a frustrating issue, if not a sure source of panic for some. We hope that this article will help those experiencing this problem.

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: Solutions to Galaxy S8 won’t turn on issue

My S8 Plus phone will not turn on. I’ve tried pressing and holding the power and volume down buttons and at first it did turn on, but then it turn off and now when I tried to do it again all it does is have static line appear, like when you turn your TV off. Help me please!!!!!!! I need my phone to be on all the time. I already have enough problems in my life I don’t need another one. — Pinkiegrl17

Solution: Hi Pinkiegrl17. There’s a number of possible reasons why your S8 Plus phone no longer powers on at this time. Below are the steps that you should take to narrow down possible causes and eventually identify the main reason.

Step 1: Check the accessories

The very first troubleshooting step that must be done in this case is to determine whether or not one of the gadgets connected to your phone is responsible. These things includes the following:

• USB cable/charging cable
• charger/adapter
• External case
• Power outlet

It’s always recommended that you use the charging cable and adapter that came with your phone. If you’re using third party USB cable and/or adapter, make sure that you check if they’re working properly. If you’ve been using the official Samsung USB cable and adapter all along, try using it to charge another Samsung phone to see if it works.

Once you’ve verified that the current USB cable and adapter are working normally, the next step is to ensure that the USB cable is plugged in properly. Also, you want to ensure that there’s nothing in the charging port that may prevent charging from working properly. If you see dust, lint, or debris in the port, try cleaning it out using a can of compressed air. Try to avoid sticking something inside as that may damage or bent the pins.

In case the reason why the phone is not charging is your favorite outlet, consider plugging in the adapter to another known working outlet in your house.

Lastly, be sure to remove any cases that might interfere with the charging function. If your phone has a case, try removing it to see if it charges normally again.

Step 2: Ensure that the phone is charging correctly

While it’s possible for an S8 to charge without any LED light notification, it should show a red LED when its screen is off during a charging session. If your phone is not showing any LED light at all, it’s either not charging or the LED light is simply turned off.

Your S8 should also make some heat at the back portion during charging so another way to know if the battery is charging is by touching the back. If it remains cold, or does not heat up at all even after leaving the phone charging for at least 30 minutes, it’s possible that the main reason for the problem is the failure of the device to top up the battery. This can mean a number of things including a possible charging port problem, bad battery, or some hardware malfunction. If you think the device is not charging, you should contact Samsung so the phone can be repaired.

Step 3: Troubleshoot the screen

Another possible reason why the phone acts the way it does right now is a bad screen problem. To check, try to determine if the phone rings when you call your number. If it makes sound or vibrate notifications when there’s an incoming message or alerts, the problem must be isolated to the screen only. This means that it may be damaged for some reason. The two common reasons for a bad screen issue however are accidental drop and water exposure. If any of these two happened before, you should send the phone in so it can be repaired.

These are the quick tips that you can do to try and troubleshoot a possible screen issue:

• Make sure that your screen isn’t cracked, chipped, or damaged.
• If you have a case or screen protector, take it off.
• If you’re wearing gloves, take them off.
• If you’ve put any stickers over the screen or sensors, peel them off.
• Make sure that your screen is clean.

At times, bad or poorly coded third party apps can lead to screen problems. To see if a downloaded app is causing the trouble, consider booting the device to safe mode. While safe mode is enabled, all third party apps and services are blocked. To restart to safe mode, follow these steps:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

To exit safe mode, simply restart the device.

Remember, if the phone’s screen works normally while the phone is booted to safe mode, an app is definitely causing the problem. You need to uninstall apps until the issue is gone.

Restart the device to alternate boot modes

Another good way to see if the problem is being caused by an app or a software (Android) glitch is by restarting the device to other boot modes. If the phone turns on fine when the phone is either in Recovery or Download Mode, there probably is an Android issue that prevents it from working fine. Below are the steps on how to boot your S8 to Recovery Mode or Download Mode:

Boot in Recovery mode:

1. Turn off the phone. If it shows any light indicator, makes any sound notification, or vibrates and you can’t turn it off normally, allow the device to drain the power until it shuts off on its own. In order for this troubleshooting to be successful, it’s important that you turn the device off.
2. Then, charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
3. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
4. When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
5. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
6. You can either wipe the cache partition or do a factory reset when in this mode.

Boot in Download Mode:

1. Turn off the phone. If it shows any light indicator, makes any sound notification, or vibrates and you can’t turn it off normally, allow the device to drain the power until it shuts off on its own. In order for this troubleshooting to be successful, it’s important that you turn the device off.
2. Then, charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
3. Press and then hold the Home and Volume DOWN keys, then press and hold the Power key.
4. When the Samsung Galaxy logo shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume DOWN keys.
5. Wait until the Download screen appears.
6. 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.
7. Use Google to look for a guide on how to do it.

If any of these screen troubleshooting techniques won’t fix the screen problem at all, send the phone to Samsung for repair or replacement.

Problem 2: Galaxy S8 black screen issue, won’t turn on

I just recently had my screen replaced for my Galaxy S8 and when i turned it on, i saw the screen light up, then it went black. I tried resetting it but it didn’t work. I tried a hard reset and a soft reset i could only hear it restarting. I waited for the phone to die, charged it  then tried to turn it on again and i didn’t even see the screen turn on at all this time. Do i need to replace the motherboard in my phone or something else? — Tyler

I had left my phone to charge overnight and when I woke up, found that it was not turning on. Every time I press a button on my phone or hold down the power button, a white line flashes across the screen at different places each time. I’ve tried holding the volume down and power button as well as all the buttons for a minute but nothing will work. What do I do? Dalia

Solution: Hi Tyler and Dalia. Based on our years of experience dealing with this issue, you’ll most likely end up having the phone’s hardware checked for this one. Before you send the phone in though, it would be good if you can try the suggestions we have for Pinkiegrl17 above. If you’re lucky and the issue lies on the screen only, troubleshooting it may save you the trouble of repair.