Student-Contributed Wiki
An awesome team of students from our education program made this wiki.
After charging for hours, the phone is still dead
If your phone had died before charging, then the phone may be off even though it is completely charged. Hold down the “PWR/END” button on the phone for 3-5 seconds to turn the phone on. Afterwards, the phone will light up and you will be able to check the battery status of the phone.
If the phone is connected with the charging cable, but there is no symbol indicating this on the phone’s screen, it may be due to a loose end of the cable. Check the charging port on the phone to make sure the cable is securely connected. Check the other end of the USB charging cord to make sure it’s securely connected to either the PC/laptop USB port or the wall adapter that is being used.
If the phone is on and is correctly connected for charging, but is still not charging, this may be due to the battery. Try to remove the battery from the phone, put it back in, and attempt to charge the phone while it is off for the full 8hrs. If the phone still doesn’t charge or doesn’t fully charge afterwards, the battery may need to be replaced. To replace the battery, follow the Battery Installation Guide.
If both your battery and cable are fine, the port or hole in which you plug the phone in, maybe have dirt or other particles stuck inside it. You can clean the charging port out with an aerosol can of computer dust spray.
My audio suddenly stopped working
If your phone has been exposed to water or other liquid, your speakers may be wet and will not work properly. To dry your phone, follow the troubleshooting instructions for “My Phone is Wet.” If audio still does not work, the speakers may be permanently damaged and the device will be need to replaced through your cell phone carrier.
If your speakers did not get wet, but the sound coming out is distorted, this may be due to a broken speaker. The phone has an internal and an external speaker, so if one is broken, then the sound will not be correct. If this is the problem, the speakers may be permanently damaged and the device will be need to replaced through your cell phone carrier.
If your speakers did not get wet, but the phone is losing sound off and on, it may be due to a problem with the sound circuit. If so, call your cell phone carrier to discuss the problem and possible phone replacement options.
If your speakers did not get wet, but the phone has no sound at all, this may be a hardware problem that isn’t directly related to the sound circuit. There may be something blocking the sound circuit. If this is the case, then contact your phone company to discuss the problem, to find a solution, or to replace your phone.
The plastic screen protector on the inside of the phone is cracked or broken.
If the screen protector on the inside of your phone is broken, from dropping the phone or other accident, you can replace it by following the steps in the Plastic Screen Protector Installation Guide.
My phone appears to be on, but the screen doesn’t look right
A damaged front or main screen can cause discoloration to the LCD screen. If this is the case, follow the LCD Screens Installation Guide to install a new screen.
The phone may be “on,” but shows a white or blank screen. To deal with this, remove the battery from the back of the phone for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Place the battery back into the phone and hold the “PWR/END” key on the phone for 3-5 seconds to turn the phone on. If the phone continues to have a white or blank screen, then the problem may be with the Motherboard. If so, you can attempt a motherboard replacement by following the Motherboard Installation Guide.
Some or all of the keys on the phone are not responding.
If some keys are stuck and won’t click, then there may be objects or dust that stuck under your keypad keeping it from functioning properly. Take a Q-tip or a small swab and lightly dab it with water. Make sure the Q-tip or swab is not dripping with water and use it to clean around your keys. If keys continue to be stuck, then you may want to replace the keypad by following the Keypad Installation Guide.
If none of your keypad keys are working properly it may be a software problem. Try restoring the phone to its originally factory settings. To do this enter the menu section of your phone by hitting the OK button, then scroll down the menu to find Settings & Tools, select by hitting OK button again. Scroll down Phone Settings, hit OK; scroll down to Security and hit OK again. The phone will prompt you to enter a 4 digit security code, the default code is the last four digits of your phone number. This will bring up a new menu where you will select Restore Phone. This will bring a warning page. If you restore factory settings to your phone you will loose all of you contacts and any saved content. Click OK again to proceed. The phone will again prompt you for the security code, which is the last four digits of your phone number. Your phone has now been restored to factory settings. If the keys are still working improperly you may have to consider replacing the phone.
My phone is charged and operates normally but cannot connect to service provider.
If your phone doesn’t have service in an area where normally it would, then it may be that the antenna on the phone is broken. You can try restoring the phone to its originally factory settings. To do this enter the menu section of your phone by hitting the OK button, then scroll down the menu to find Settings & Tools, select by hitting OK button again. Scroll down Phone Settings, hit OK; scroll down to Security and hit OK again. The phone will prompt you to enter a 4 digit security code, the default code is the last four digits of your phone number. This will bring up a new menu where you will select Restore Phone. This will bring a warning page. If you restore factory settings to your phone you will loose all of you contacts and any saved content. Click OK again to proceed. The phone will again prompt you for the security code, which is the last four digits of your phone number. Your phone has now been restored to factory settings. If this does not help with the problem then you need to contact your service provider for a replacement phone.
I got my phone wet, will it still work?
If you had dropped your phone into a puddle, a sink, a toilet, etc and now your phone is wet, don’t turn your phone on. If the phone is turned on before being completely dry, it may cause the phone to short circuit. First, take a towel and dry the outside of the phone as much as possible. Then take the back cover off of the phone and remove the battery. Find either a jar of rice or take some silica packets– the ones found into purses and bags– and put them in a ziplock bag. Then place the opened phone and the battery into the jar or the zip bag and allow to dry for several hours or overnight. Rice and silica packets absorb water, and hopefully they will be able to remove enough moisture from the phone, so that it will still operate correctly. Afterwards, once everything seems completely dry, reassemble the phone. Then, hold down the phone’s “PWR/END” button for 3-5 seconds. The screen should light up and the phone will be fine. If the phone continues to be dead, then you may need to call your phone company for a replacement phone.
My camera suddenly stopped taking pictures.
If your camera suddenly stopped working, but everything else on your phone seems to be working normally, the camera itself may be broken. You can replace it using the Camera Installation Guide.
If the camera, along with everything else on your phone seems to be broken or not responding the motherboard may be broken. You can replace it by following the steps in the Motherboard Installation Guide.
My phone keeps taking pictures in my pocket or purse
If you have a problem with the camera button constantly going off in your pocket or purse, you may want to consider disabling the side camera button. If so, then set a shortcut key as your new camera button. To do so, go to the phone’s “Settings & Tools." Then select “Phone Settings” and then the option for “Set Shortcuts" and look for “Set Directional Keys.” After choosing a new directional key as your camera shortcut, remove the battery and back of the phone. Take a toothpick and place a small amount of Epoxy glue on its tip. Apply the glue to the side camera button until it is completely covered. After letting it dry, put the battery and the back cover on the phone. The side camera button will no longer function, solving the accidental picture problem.
