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My phone won't turn on

PRkid

Android Enthusiast
Jun 16, 2011
519
50
34
Bronx, NY
Ok, so for about a week, my phone would randomly shut off. I was able to turn it back on with no problem. Today, my phone was all good, until I got to work and was listening to the TuneIn app. It suddenly turned off. I haven't been able to turn it back on fully since! I hold the power button for about 4 seconds, it vibrates, the "Samsung" logo shows, then the "Galaxy S3" shows, and thats all I see. Sometimes it does goes to the lock screen of my phone, but a few seconds after, it shuts back down. Exchanged batteries, took the battery out for a few seconds, have the charger plugged, but nothing works. It doesn't even detects the phone is charging. But here is the weird thing; I go into Recovery Mode, and the phone stays on. So I restored from my back up, everything goes good. I restart the phone from Recovery Mode, and the same thing happens. Doesn't fully start the phone. I don't get it. I have no problems in Recovery Mode, but when I want to start the phone, it has problems. :thinking::thinking:

Additional info: I have read somewhere that it has to do w/ the power button. Which makes sense because my power button has been acting funny. It has gotten sensitive. If you touch the power button very lightly, it would turn the screen on. And if you pressed on it like normal, it would detect it as a double press. So it will turn the phone off, then back on.
 
I'm not sure if this is what's wrong with my phone, I'm not very technical. Basically my s3 has been switching itself off for a while, and I just literally switch it back on. Anyway tonight it's switched itself off and won't come back on. It goes to the s3 screen and just sticks. I've taken the battery out and put it back in but it literally freezes on the galaxy screen and won't go any further so I can't do anything to my phone.
Any ideas?
 
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It won't, I've been trying that all night after reading it on here and it won't, it's just literally going to the same screen and just staying there.
Am really narked as it's a mini sim so the sim won't fit into another phone so I'm going to nip into the shop tomorrow. My phone is due an upgrade in July, wish they would say it's no point sending it away and just let me have my new phone!!
 
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It's not even coming on now no matter what I press, it's just like it's dead. I tried my sim in my old samsung, but it didn't register just said no sim. I'm going to go into the shop tonight to see what they can do, I have teen kids and one of them likes to fly under the radar and I don't like not being able to contact him, so I need my phone.
Thanks.
 
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It's been on charge all day as when I got home at lunch, I plugged it into charge and it showed no battery so I have left it charging, I've just got home from work and tried the power, volume up and home and again it goes to the samsung screen, so I pulled the battery out and tried the volume down, power and home, something flashed up warning me about download mode but I just clicked it, it now says "downloading do not turn off target"
Is is good or bad?
 
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That's good, but it is actually not downloading anything. It is waiting for you to download software to it via your computer (odin). You will need to pull the battery to get that to go away.

With the volume up thing, let go of power when you see the Samsung logo, but hold the other two for a few seconds more. If you can get it into that mode, I suspect that wiping your cache may help, but doing a factory reset would for sure.

Before a factory reset, though, you need to make sure it's backed up.

If you plug you cable into the computer while it is in download mode, does the computer see it? If so, you can use Odin to reflash the firmware.
 
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It just stayed on the download screen but nothing happened, but when I tried the volume up nothing happens. It just loads and samsung screen and nothing else. I'm a bit gutted cos I'm resigning myself to the fact that everything is probably going to get wiped, but it don't use a laptop I use an iPad so can't exactly back my phone up onto the laptop.
I took it into carphone warehouse, but I needed proof of purchase so I have to go back. I did get an adaptor for my sim though so I now have it in my spare phone so I feel better about that. But also he commented that my home button isn't right, I've always thought it a bit odd, it doesn't seem to press properly but I always thought it was just cos I couldn't do it cos of my nails. So he wants to send it away.
 
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...it vibrates, the "Samsung" logo shows, then the "Galaxy S3" shows, and thats all I see. Sometimes it does goes to the lock screen of my phone, but a few seconds after, it shuts back down.


This sounds suspiciously like a sticking power button. The US S3 models use the same type of power switch as the S2 did, and those had LOTS of power switch problems. See these threads:
Galaxy S II Won't Turn On!!! Only beeps!!!
samsung galaxy s II won't turn on-vibrates | Support
Blank Screen, Will not do anything except pulse... | Support
FIX: Constant reboot and vibrates every two seconds
Galaxy SII SPH-D710 Power Button issues

If your wife/kid/coworker has another S3, have them press the power button down when they turn on the phone (and keep holding the button). I bet you'll have the same symptoms you're seeing on your S3, until they let go of the button.

If so, several eBay sellers offer replacement power switches for under $10, but you'll need a high level of soldering skill to replace it:
1
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...+Switch+(I535,+T999,+I747,+L710)&LH_PrefLoc=1

Or, for about $40, you can mail it in to be repaired:
1
AT&T i747 Galaxy S III bad power switch repair service | eBay
1
Verizon I535 Galaxy S III bad power switch repair service | eBay
1
T-Mobile t999 Galaxy S3 bad power switch repair service | eBay
1
Sprint L710 Galaxy S3 bad power switch repair service | eBay
 
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