Is the power button on your mobile broken? How can we lock or unlock the screen if the power button doesn’t work? And most importantly, how can we boot the phone if we can’t use the damn button? It is clear that if we have reached this situation we have a serious problem, but do not panic (yet)! In the following guide we will try to solve it in the most dignified way possible.
What can I do if the Power button on my Android phone is not working?
The first thing we have to determine is if the mobile is turned on and has a battery . Unfortunately, we are talking about the most important physical button on a phone, and since it is the one that receives the most use, it is also usually the first to start failing.
The problem comes, therefore, when we try to turn on the terminal and see that the power button does not respond. What we are going to try to explain below is how to turn on our Android without using the power button , and then how to transfer its functions to another physical button , such as the volume control button.
Of course, if the mobile is still under warranty or we prefer to take it to a repair shop, it is something that we must consider in the first instance. On the contrary, if we prefer to hold out for a while until we buy a new terminal, we can try to get by with these little tricks.
If the mobile is still on, activate USB debugging and program an automatic power on
First of all, if we still have some battery left in the phone, or the power button fails from time to time but it can still be used, it is recommended that we do a couple of things:
- Activate USB debugging: This will allow us to access the device by connecting it to a computer via a USB cable. To activate USB debugging we go to the Android settings menu and navigate to « Phone information «. If we press 7 times on the “ Build number ” we will see that now a new section called “ Developer options ” appears in the settings menu . We enter and activate the tab « USB debugging «.
- Program an automatic switch-on: Some devices offer the possibility of programming both the switch-on and switch-off of the terminal automatically. Not all mobiles have this option, but just in case go into the settings menu of your Android and look for it (it should be in the system settings or in a separate menu). In this way, the phone will automatically turn on every day at a certain time. It is not a trick that will save our lives, but at least it will help us get out of trouble. A little further down you have more details on how to program an automatic start on your Android.
- Set an alarm: Some phones turn on automatically when they have an alarm set and the device is turned off. If your smartphone is still on, don’t forget to set a daily alarm just in case. With a bit of luck it will help you to have your mobile on every day.
How to boot the phone without using the ‘power’ button
The first big hurdle for a phone with a broken power button is getting the operating system to boot. If our Android was turned off at the time of the disaster, we have 3 methods that we can try:
- Enter the recovery mode: A good way to turn on a phone is to enter the recovery mode and load the operating system from there. This is done with the mobile turned off and performing a combination of buttons. Each device usually has its own combination of buttons: “Volume up + home”, “Volume down”, etc. The big problem is that this combination of buttons in most cases involves pressing the power button, and since it does not work, it is most likely that we will not be able to enter the recovery either. | More information in the post “ How to access recovery mode on Android ”.
- Use an ADB command:We can also boot an Android phone by connecting it to a computer and using the “adb reboot” command. | More information in the post “ Basic guide to ADB commands ”.
- Connect the charger: Sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective. Some phones have a self-boot function when connected to a power source. Try plugging your phone into the charger.
Warning: not all mobiles allow this type of startup. In some cases, when the power button has stopped working due to a short circuit on the board, it is recommended to remove the battery (if possible) before trying to enter recovery mode, use an ADB command or connect to the charger.
Once we have the mobile turned on, if we notice that it slows down after a few days or is a bit blocked, we can restart it using a free application such as Shutdown (at the end of the post you will find more details next to the download link).
How to turn the screen on and off with the broken power button
Now that we have the mobile running, the idea is to try to never run out of battery. But what about locking and unlocking the screen then?
For this we can use an app called “Gravity Screen”, thanks to which we can turn the screen on and off by using gestures . When we put the phone face down or put it in our pocket, the screen locks automatically, and it unlocks when we put it face up or take it out of our pocket. Tremendously useful and practical for a mobile phone with a broken power button.
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Gravity Screen – On/Off
Developer: Plexnor
Price: Free
Here is a short video demonstrating how it works:
How to change power function to volume button
Another one of those really valuable apps from the Google Play Store is “Power Button to Volume Button”. As its name suggests, with this tool we can assign the functions of the power button to the volume button.
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Power Button to Volume Button
Developer: TeliApp
Price: Free
Its operation is as follows:
- Once installed, we give it all the permissions that the application requests.
- In the configuration screen, we activate the “Boot” and “Screen Off” options.
Once the initial settings are made, the app will also allow us to turn off the screen from the notification bar . An addition that can really come in handy when the power button on our mobile has passed away.
How to schedule automatic on and off in Android
As we said a little above, some mobiles allow the mobile to be turned on and off automatically at certain times. If you have a Xiaomi, Oppo or Vivo phone you can probably do this from the device settings (check out « Settings -> More settings -> Turn on/off automatically «). The mobiles of the Samsung Galaxy line also allow scheduled restarts from « Maintenance and battery -> Automatic restart at set times «.
How to restart mobile with broken power button
If we cannot program automatic switching on and off, another application that can save our lives is Shutdown . Basically it is in charge of showing a screen from where we can restart the phone without having to use the physical power button.
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Shutdown (no Root)
Developer: samiadom
Price: Free
The application doesn’t require root permissions, and it also doesn’t have any advertising, making it a highly recommended tool. From here, we simply have to make sure that the mobile never turns off , and whenever we notice that it is slow or crashes, we will restart it with this application and that’s it.
And that’s all! If you think I’ve left out any tricks or details along the way or you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to drop by the comments area.
