Many Android phones have methods to wake up the screen without a power button if the phone is already on, but what if the phone is off? Is it possible to turn on a phone without a functional power key?
Is Your Power Button Broken?
First, it’s important to know if your power button is truly broken. You may think the power button is broken, but there could be another reason why the device refuses to power on.
Usually, if it’s not actually the power button, the battery might be dead. An Android device with a dead battery may not turn on even for a split second. It can even take a few minutes on the charger to be responsive. That might be the problem.
Before you get too worried, plug in your phone and give it some time to juice up before you try pressing the power button. If it’s completely dead, you might want to give it ten minutes or so before trying again.
RELATED: How to Check Battery Health on Android
If Your Power Button Is Broken
Here’s the bad news: If your phone is already powered off and the power button isn’t working, you’re most likely out of luck. There used to be some methods you could use, but these tricks don’t work with Android devices made since 2012 or so.
The good news? Well, there isn’t any good news. When your phone is powered off, there’s really no way to communicate with it. You can restart a phone with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), but it won’t work to start a phone that’s already off.
RELATED: How to Install and Use ADB, the Android Debug Bridge Utility
There are button combinations that some people claim work. One example is holding Power Up and Down at the same time and plugging into power. However, if you’re not careful, the wrong button combination can wipe your phone clean—like it almost did on my Samsung Galaxy device.
Sadly, the best course of action is to get the power button repaired. This is usually a relatively simple fix for a phone repair shop, and you don’t run the risk of losing the contents of your phone.
You can probably find a phone repair shop near your location. uBreakiFix is one of the largest phone repair chains, but you may find a local shop. Best Buy’s Geek Squad service is another option in a lot of locations.
It’s unfortunate there’s not a better solution, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. A broken button is a broken button.
RELATED: How to Force Restart an Android Phone When It’s Not Responding
