A power button is supremo uno on a smartphone as it is one of the three physical buttons that you can spot on a phone. Well, we are discussing the prospects of what you are going to do if you are observing Koolnee power button not working problem. Note that there are a number of reasons why a power button could go rogue or out of work which weighs much when compared to the functionalities that a power button portrays on a phone. Here is a troubleshooting guide on how you can do about to fix it.
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Let’s start by exploring ways to detect if the problem is caused due to hardware or software failure.
Reboot
I know it is strange to learn that you need to reboot the device when in actual, you are facing power button not working problem. But seems like Android-enabled smartphones are full of features that can be used for the better good. If the problem is temporarily causing the power button from working, a quick reboot must work wonder. For this, you’ll need to horn the ‘Scheduled On/Off’ feature on your device. For instance, if it is exactly 15:00 hrs when you discovered that the power button no longer working, schedule the phone to switch off at 15:01 hrs by accessing it from ‘Settings’ app on your device. Note that you must also schedule turn ON duration i.e. 15:03 hrs to get this method working.
Clear Cache files
When you access an app on your device, it creates cache files to store some data that would speed on the retrieval process when you try to access it again. Yes, cache files are helpful but are easily corruptible and vulnerable to issues as well. This is why you need to get rid of cache files assuming that the broken power button problem that you are facing is due to accumulated cache files. Also, you need to delete app cache and finally, storage cache as well.
Get rid of unwanted apps
Apps are everything on a smartphone as it lets you do stuff that otherwise requires work to do such as visiting a bank for some transactions, etc. Now, apps are great and I can understand but that doesn’t mean that you can freely load any and every app that you can find on the internet. This is because Android smartphones have specific RAM and storage except for midrange or flagship smartphones. This puts a lot of stress on these resources and could end of causing damage to drivers running a power button or more. Thus, you need to get rid of unwanted apps from within ‘Settings >> Apps’ section.
Update apps/upgrade OS
Another way that apps can cause a problem on a smartphone is if the apps aren’t updated regularly or as and when available. The same goes for the firmware which although is updated at intervals a few months apart, it is important because outdated apps can be vulnerable to bugs and another sort of issues. For this, you need to visit the Google Play Store and check out ‘My apps and games’ list to update all the apps installed. Further, you need to upgrade to the latest OS version if available, which is via Settings >> About Device >> Software Updates >> Check for Updates.
Assuming that you went through some of the methods aforementioned trying to squeeze the power button not working problem if indeed it was due to a software failure, here are few ways to fix a broken power button.
Clear the debris
Not all smartphones have openings around the power button and even if it does, it is quite small. If your phone has it, you can use a sharp object to roll across the walls trying to squeeze out debris in an attempt to see if the debris is the reason why the button wasn’t working.
If you are not willing to go to an authorized service center just yet, you can, of course, look at the ways you can use the phone with a broken power button. But anyhow, let’s assume that you believe it is a hardware failure and for this, you’ll have to walk-in to an authorized service center in order to get it repaired or replaced if needed. Fortunately, it wouldn’t cost you a fortune to fix a broken power button and you’ll be able to use the phone in a couple of days or even hours.
This particular question could pop up in your brain if the power button is not working. But you need to understand that there are three cases under this particular question for reference.
Case 01: Screen is ON
Raise screen time-out duration
One way you can avoid the screen from going blank and which means you won’t be able to revive the phone without pressing a power button, you need to increase the screen time-out duration. The maximum is 30 minutes and before the duration ends, you need to tap on the screen once to give it a push for the next 30 minutes.
Enable Always-On display
The feature is available on all flagship and some of the midrange smartphones as well. This feature keeps the screen off but shows timing on the display or notification icon, etc. This enables the knock to wake up the screen mechanism as well.
Enable Double Tap feature
Most of the smartphones have this feature where you simply double tap on the screen to wake it up. This resolves the battery draining problem that you will be facing after extending the time-out duration further.
Use apps to substitute
Well, there are a number of apps in the Google Play Store that you can use as substitutes for a broken power button. It includes the likes of Shake Screen On/Off, Power Button to Volume Button, Gravity Screens, Proximity Actions, etc. These apps have varying functionality that you can use to neglect the fact that your phone has a broken power button.
Scheduled On/Off
One of the best things to use is to enable scheduled on/off feature that’ll help determine if the problem is software or hardware related at the first place. Also, it will help by saving battery in the night when you might not be needing the device and don’t want the extended screen time-out feature to gargle all the juice from the battery as well. This feature can help tap into occasional reboots as well.
Case 02: Screen is OFF
Ask someone to ring or ping
Assuming that the screen is off but the phone is switched on, you can use a different phone or borrow it from someone to ring or ping you. This will trigger the screen to wake up and there you have it.
Charge to wake up
If the phone is turned on but the screen is off, you can connect it to charger mounted on a wall or use a power bank or even connect the device to computer or laptop to wake up the screen.
Use fingerprint scanner
Majority of the devices have FPS and it totally bypasses the need to click on the power button to turn on the screen, etc. Simply place the finger on FPS and voila, the screen is unlocked. But you’ll need to configure it beforehand for it to work.
Case 03: The phone is switched off
Unless you have enabled the Scheduled ON feature that I mentioned earlier or you can use PC Suite or fastboot tools, you might not be able to use a phone with a broken power button. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to use any of the methods explained in ‘Case 01’ and ‘Case 02’. Finally, the last resort is to visit an authorized service center to get the problem fixed.