Android Phone Won't Turn On? What to Do, Brand by Brand

If your Android phone won't turn on, plug it into a wall charger you know works and leave it alone for at least 30 minutes, then force restart it with your brand's button combo: hold Power for about 35 seconds on a Pixel, Side + Volume down on a Samsung Galaxy, or Power for 10 seconds on a Motorola. Most "dead" phones are a fully drained battery or frozen software, and neither fix erases your data. If the phone rings when you call it but the screen stays black, the screen is the problem, not the phone.

Also in this topic: Android Guides hub.

Jump to: match your symptom · charge it long enough · force restart by brand · the Android robot "Start" screen · screen or phone? · cold, heat, and storage · stuck on the logo · battery and repair · FAQ

Quick answer: The official wait times are longer than most people give a dead phone. Google says a Pixel that has sat drained for a long time may show no charging icon, no vibration, and nothing on screen for up to 25 minutes after you plug it in. Samsung says to charge a Galaxy with a black screen for at least an hour, and that the charging icon can take up to 10 minutes to appear. Unplugging after five minutes and deciding the phone is dead is the most common mistake.

What Does "Won't Turn On" Look Like on Your Phone?

Start by matching what you see, because "won't turn on" covers several different problems with different fixes. A phone that shows a red light is usually just empty. A phone that vibrates with a black screen is on, and its display has failed. Only the first row below is a true "no signs of life" case.

What you see	What it usually means	Go to
Nothing at all: no light, no vibration, no icon	Fully drained battery, bad charger, or a frozen phone	Charge it, then force restart
A red light, or a flashing red light, when plugged in	The battery is empty. Google says a flashing red light means not enough power to start	Charge for 30+ minutes
A battery icon when plugged in	The phone is off and charging normally	Turn it on now; it's not broken
Vibrates, rings, or plays sounds, but the screen stays black	Display or display cable failure	Ring test
An Android robot and the word "Start"	The phone is in Fastboot mode, usually from holding the wrong buttons	Exit Fastboot
Shows the logo, then restarts or shuts off	Boot loop, failed update, or a weak battery	Stuck on the logo
Only stays on while plugged in	Worn-out battery	Battery and repair
The back is bulging or the screen is lifting	Swollen battery	Stop and read this first

Step 1: Charge It Longer Than You Think

Plug the phone into a wall outlet with a charger and cable you know work, and give it a real chance: at least 30 minutes, or an hour for a Galaxy. A deeply drained lithium-ion battery charges for a while before the phone has enough power to show anything, so a black screen in the first few minutes doesn't mean the phone is dead.

Here's what each maker says to expect:

• Google Pixel: Google's Pixel won't-turn-on page says a battery that is completely drained and hasn't been turned on in a long time may show no charging icon, no vibration, and no display response for up to 25 minutes. If there's still nothing after 25 minutes, Google says to get the phone repaired.
• Samsung Galaxy: Samsung's black screen guide says to charge for at least 1 hour and that the charging indicator may take up to 10 minutes to appear. Its won't-turn-on page adds that the lightning icon may not show at all on a completely drained battery, so keep charging anyway.
• Motorola: Motorola's support page says it takes about 15 to 20 minutes with the supplied charger to reach the minimum level needed to power on. It warns against charging from a computer's USB port, which can take a few hours to get there.
• Any Android phone: Google's general Android help page says to plug in, wait one minute, and look: a battery icon means the phone is charging while off, and a red light means the battery is fully discharged and needs at least 30 minutes.

Rule out the charger before you blame the phone. Google's checklist is simple and worth following in order: charge another device with the same adapter and cable, plug a lamp into the outlet to confirm it has power, take the case off, and look in the USB-C port for lint. If the plug doesn't sit flush, our guide to an Android phone that's not charging shows how to clean the port safely without metal tools.

Use a wired charger for this test. Google notes that the Pixel 10 series can charge intermittently on some older Qi1 car chargers, and a wireless pad that isn't lined up properly can look exactly like a dead phone.

Step 2: Force Restart With the Right Buttons for Your Phone

A force restart cuts the phone's frozen software and reboots it without deleting anything, so try it before any reset. The catch is that the button combo and hold time differ by brand, and even Google's own help pages don't agree with each other. This table pulls the official instructions together, as listed on each maker's US support site when we checked them on November 1, 2026.

Phone	Force restart	If that fails (plugged in)	Charge first for
Google Pixel	Hold Power about 35 seconds, then wait 2 minutes	Hold Volume up + Power for at least 20 seconds	Up to 25 minutes before any sign of life
Samsung Galaxy	Hold Side + Volume down at the same time for at least 7 seconds, release at the Samsung logo	Hold Side + Volume down for 20 seconds, then after charging hold Side for 15 to 20 seconds	At least 1 hour
Motorola	Hold Power for 10 seconds	Repeat while connected to a wall charger	15 to 20 minutes on the supplied charger
Other Android phones	Hold Power for 5 to 7 seconds	Hold Volume down + Power for at least 20 seconds	At least 30 minutes if you see a red light

Sources: Google Pixel and Pixel screen help, Samsung US TSG10001468 and TSG10002028, Motorola US, and Google's Android help.

Google Pixel

Hold the Power button for about 35 seconds, let go, and wait about 2 minutes. That long hold is Google's own instruction on its won't-turn-on page, and it's much longer than the 5 to 7 seconds most people try. If nothing happens, plug the phone in and hold Volume up + Power for at least 20 seconds, which is what Google's Pixel screen troubleshooting page says to do.

Be careful with Volume down on a Pixel. Google's general Android page says to hold Volume down + Power, but on a Pixel 6 or newer that's also how you open Fastboot mode, according to Google's Fastboot reset page. If you end up on a screen with an Android robot, don't panic. It's a good sign, and the next section explains what to do.

Samsung Galaxy

Press and hold the Side (Power) and Volume down buttons together for at least 7 seconds, and let go when the Samsung logo appears and the phone vibrates. Samsung notes that if you don't press both at the same moment, you'll just get the volume bar or power menu, and a thick case can stop you from pressing both properly. For a black screen, Samsung's longer version is a 20-second hold.

After a force restart, a Galaxy that uses fingerprint or face unlock will ask for your PIN, pattern, or password first, so have it ready. Older Galaxy phones with a removable battery can be reset by taking the battery out for 60 seconds.

Motorola

Hold the Power key for 10 seconds. Motorola says this doesn't delete any data, and if it doesn't work on battery alone, try again while the phone is connected to a wall charger.

Other Android phones

Start with Power for 5 to 7 seconds, then try Volume down + Power for 20 seconds while plugged in, per Google's general Android help. Some brands use Volume up instead, so check your maker's support page if neither combo does anything.

What the Android Robot and "Start" Screen Means

If your phone shows an Android robot with the word "Start" and an arrow around it, the phone isn't broken. It's in Fastboot mode, a maintenance screen you can reach by holding Volume down + Power. Seeing it shows the phone has power and the screen works, which rules out the scariest causes.

Google's steps to get out of it, from its Android help page:

1. Press Volume down until you see Power off.
2. Press the Power button to select it.
3. Charge the phone for at least 30 minutes.
4. Hold the Power button for a few seconds to turn it on, or hold it for about 30 seconds until the phone restarts.

Don't pick Recovery mode from this menu unless you mean to. That's the path to Wipe data/factory reset, which erases the phone.

Is It the Screen or the Whole Phone? Try the Ring Test

To tell a dead phone from a dead screen, make it ring. Google's steps: hold the Power button for about 35 seconds to reboot, wait about 2 minutes, then call the phone from another phone or use the Find Hub app to ring it. If it rings or vibrates but the screen stays blank, the display has failed and you need a repair shop, not a charger. Find Hub is also handy for this from a computer, as our guide to finding a lost Android phone explains.

Before you book a repair, Google suggests looking very closely at the screen in a dark room, because a phone with brightness turned all the way down can look like it's off.

On a Samsung Galaxy, also check for water. Samsung's black screen guide says to eject the SIM tray and shine a flashlight into the slot to see the Liquid Damage Indicator. A solid white indicator, or white with pink or purple X's, is normal. Solid pink, purple, or red means the phone has been exposed to moisture, and Samsung says it needs service.

Is Cold, Heat, or Long Storage Keeping It Off?

Temperature can switch a healthy phone off. Google's Pixel temperature page says a phone below 0°C (32°F) may shut down suddenly, and tells you to let it warm up gradually. If your phone died outside in the cold, bring it indoors, let it reach room temperature on its own, and then charge it and try again.

Heat works the other way. Google says a Pixel automatically turns off when it passes its temperature limits, to protect you and the phone. If yours shut down after gaming, navigation, or sitting in a hot car, let it cool on a hard surface before you try to start it.

A phone that's been in a drawer for months is a special case. Google's Pixel battery page recommends storing a phone with at least 50% charge if you won't use it for more than 30 days. An old phone that was put away nearly empty is the one most likely to need the full 25-minute wait before it shows any sign of charging.

What If It Turns On but Gets Stuck on the Logo?

A phone that shows the Google, Samsung, or Motorola logo and then restarts or goes dark has a software or battery problem, not a dead phone. Try a force restart while it's plugged in first, since a weak battery can fail under the extra load of starting up. Our guide to an Android phone that keeps restarting covers boot loops step by step, including safe mode.

Pixel owners have a repair tool many guides skip. Google's Pixel Update and Software Repair tool works with the Pixel 4a and later, including the Fold. Google's reset help page says it may let you update the software manually to the latest version without a factory reset, which can fix software problems without deleting your data. You need a computer and a USB cable that connects to your phone.

A factory reset is the last software option, and it erases everything that isn't backed up. If you get there, use our guide to factory resetting an Android phone without getting locked out, because if a Google account was signed in, a reset from recovery mode will ask for that account afterward.

When It's the Battery: Swelling, Repair, and Free Programs

If none of the steps above work after a full hour on a known-good charger, the battery or another part has most likely failed, and the phone needs a repair. Start the repair from your maker's site: Google Store repair for Pixels (mail-in or walk-in, depending on your device and location) or Samsung's repair request page for Galaxy phones.

A phone that only runs while plugged in has a worn battery. Samsung's support page says that if a phone turns on for just a few minutes before powering off, the battery is likely the cause.

If the back is bulging or the screen is lifting, stop. Google's battery page says not to press on the glass or back cover to push the battery back in, not to pry the phone open, and not to try fixing a swollen battery yourself. Google says a swollen battery alone isn't a safety concern, but a lifting screen lets in liquid and dust, and an exposed battery is easier to damage, which can make it overheat. Don't throw it in household trash.

Check these Google programs before you pay for a repair:

• Pixel 7a: Google's Extended Repair Program covers some Pixel 7a phones with unexpected battery swelling. Symptoms include a bulging back, gaps along the edges, fast battery drain, or a phone that fails to charge. Eligible phones get one free battery replacement, and coverage lasts 3 years from the original purchase date, so check your receipt.
• Pixel 6a: the Pixel 6a Battery Performance Program, which offered free battery replacements, ended on July 8, 2026. Older articles that still tell 6a owners to claim a free battery are out of date.

Back up what you can first. Google's Pixel safety guide warns that repair or replacement may result in the loss of your data, and you may get a refurbished replacement phone rather than your own. If the phone turns on even briefly, check that your photos and backup are current. Our Android backup guide explains what Google saves automatically and what it doesn't.

How we put this together: We compared the official won't-turn-on, black screen, Fastboot, temperature, battery, and repair pages from Google's Android and Pixel help centers, Samsung US support, and Motorola US support on November 1, 2026, and noted where they disagree. We didn't test these steps on our own phones, so the times and button combos above are the makers' own. Button layouts vary by model, so if a combo doesn't match your phone, check your manufacturer's support page.