Can’t turn it on!

Can’t turn it on! a reader asks…

Coach, I’m in a real bind! I popped for a Samsung Galaxy S6 from Verizon recently. It’s been working great up until yesterday, when it wouldn’t turn on. Nothing I could do seemed to make any difference. Before I take it in to the Verizon store for help, do you have any tips to help me?

Smartphones such as yours can fall victim to various maladies that might affect them to the point where you can’t turn them on. In particular, the Galaxy S6 seems to be finicky about what you use to recharge it. Seems they like the charger and cord that came with the phone, and might not take a charge from other, 3rd party chargers/cords, or even your laptop. So it might simply be a case of a dead battery. Find your original charger and cable, and plug it in. Wait a good half-hour before you try to turn on the phone.

It may also be that you’re not giving the power button a long-enough press to turn on the phone. Try holding down the power button for a good 10 Mississippi’s, then let go.

There is also a way to get the recovery menu to come up on the Galaxy S6. At the same time, press these three buttons:

1. Power
2. Home
3. Volume Up

Keep pressing till you see the Android mascot show up. At that point, you can let go, and then press the Volume Up or Down buttons to select the Reboot System Now menu item. Then use the Power button to select that option, which should restart your smartphone. Please note this works for lots of Android-powered smartphones in addition to the Galaxy S6.

If none of the above works, then you’ll need to take it to the Verizon store for repair or replacement. If someone reading this has an iPhone, the same types of fixes as above apply, except there’s no Reboot system now menu item, and you only need to press the Power and Home buttons at the same time. Hold them down till the screen goes dark then let go. Wait a few seconds, then press and release the Power button to restart the phone.