Phone won't turn on? Force restart and 5 more steps before you go to a repair shop
A phone that seems “dead” is very often just deeply discharged or frozen. Before you pay for a diagnosis, try these steps. They take half an hour.
- Most common cause
- a deeply discharged battery or a frozen system
- Time
- 30–40 minutes, mostly charging
- Repair shop, if nothing helps
- from a battery replacement (150–500 zł) to a motherboard (300–900 zł and up)
Don't charge a phone that has been soaked, is swollen or gets very hot. Don't leave it plugged in unattended in those cases.
Step by step
Plug it into a charger you know works for 30 minutes
A deeply discharged battery needs time before the phone shows anything on the screen. Use a charger and cable that definitely work with another phone. After 30 minutes, try turning it on without unplugging the charger.
Do a force restart
iPhone 8 and newer: press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears (10–20 seconds). Samsung: hold volume down and the side button for approx. 10 seconds. Other Android phones: hold the power button for 15–20 seconds, or power and volume down.
Check whether the phone is working “in the dark”
Call the number from another phone, or plug it into a charger and listen for vibration or a sound. If it rings but the screen is black, the phone works and the screen is what's broken. That's a completely different and usually cheaper repair.
Connect it to a computer
iPhone: connect it to a computer with iTunes or Finder. If the computer detects the phone, you can update it in recovery mode without erasing your data. Android: check whether the computer shows the phone or whether charging starts.
Try another wall socket and clean the port
Dust in the charging port can stop the phone from charging at all, so it looks dead. Clean the port with a wooden toothpick, gently and with the phone turned off.
Think back to what happened before
A fall, liquid, freezing cold, a failed update? This information helps the repair shop a lot and speeds up the diagnosis. If the phone got wet, don't try to force it on, take it to a repair shop right away.
- The phone was soaked or dropped right before it failed.
- The case is coming apart or the phone is hot without charging.
- Nothing helps and the phone holds important photos or data. Tell the repair shop so they try to save it first.
How much does a repair shop charge?
| Diagnosis | 0–100 zł |
| Battery replacement | 150–500 zł |
| Charging port replacement | 120–350 zł |
| Screen replacement (if it works “in the dark”) | 250–1600 zł, depending on the model |
| Motherboard repair | 300–900 zł and up |
Typical prices at independent repair shops in Poland, October 2026. Authorised service centres and big cities can be more expensive.
Repair or buy new?
If the battery, the port or the screen is to blame, repair usually pays off. The motherboard is a different story. In older and cheaper phones, repairing it often costs more than the device is worth. In that case, use the calculator to see how much your phone is still worth.
Check if it's worth repairing your phone
Pick your model and fault. In 2 minutes we show the repair cost, what the device is worth and an honest verdict.
Open the calculator →FAQ
Does a force restart erase my data?
No. It's just a hard shutdown and start of the phone. Data is erased only by a factory reset.
My phone shows the logo and keeps restarting. What should I do?
This is called a bootloop. It's most often caused by a failed update or a badly worn battery. Plug the phone into a charger and try recovery mode. If that doesn't help, get a diagnosis at a repair shop.
Can cold turn off a phone?
Yes. In freezing weather, a worn battery can suddenly shut the phone down even at 30–40%. After warming up at room temperature, it usually comes back to life. It's a sign that the battery needs replacing.