Android phone won’t turn on? How to get your photos back

Your Android phone was working yesterday. Now it will not switch on, or it starts, shows the Samsung, Google or other maker’s logo, and then restarts again and again. Your first thought is probably the photos, messages and contacts on it. The good news is that a phone that will not start has not necessarily lost anything. The bad news is that some of the most common “fixes” will wipe it for good. This guide explains what to check, where your data might already be backed up, and why getting data off a dead modern Android phone is different from recovering a computer hard drive.

First, check whether your data is already safe

Before trying anything on the phone, sign in from a computer or another device and see what has already been backed up. You may find you have more than you expected.

• Google Photos. Go to photos.google.com and sign in with the Google account used on the phone. If backup was turned on, your photos and videos will be there up to the last time the phone synced.
• Google account backup. Many phones back up contacts, call history, SMS messages and settings to the Google account automatically. Check contacts.google.com for contacts, and in Google Drive look under Backups (sometimes listed under Storage) for the phone’s backup.
• Samsung account and OneDrive. On Samsung phones, some data may be synced to your Samsung account, and the Gallery can be set to sync with Microsoft OneDrive. Check both if you used them.
• WhatsApp and other apps. WhatsApp chats can be backed up to Google Drive; you will see when the last backup ran once you set WhatsApp up on another phone.
• The memory card. If your phone has a microSD slot, take the card out and check it in a card reader. Photos saved to the card are stored separately from the phone’s internal memory, although a card that was set up as internal storage will not be readable elsewhere.

If everything important is backed up, the phone’s fate matters much less. If not, read on before you try anything else.

Common reasons a phone will not start

• A flat or failed battery. A completely drained battery can take a while to show any sign of charging, and a worn battery may not supply enough power to boot.
• Charging port or cable faults. Lint in the USB-C port, or a damaged cable or charger, can stop the phone charging at all.
• A failed software update or corrupted system. A boot loop straight after an update often points to a software problem rather than hardware.
• Liquid damage or a drop. Water and impacts can damage the main board, sometimes days after the event as corrosion develops.
• Main board failure. Power management or processor faults stop the phone starting even with a good battery.

Safe things to try

1. Charge it properly. Use a known good charger and cable, plugged into a wall socket, for at least 30 minutes. Check the port for fluff with a torch, and remove it gently with a wooden toothpick if needed, never anything metal.
2. Force a restart. On most Android phones, holding the power button and volume down together for 10 to 20 seconds forces a restart. The exact combination varies by maker, so check the manufacturer’s support pages for your model.
3. Try safe mode. If the phone gets as far as the lock screen or home screen before restarting, safe mode starts it without downloaded apps. If it stays on in safe mode, a recently installed app may be the cause. Copy off your photos at that point.
4. Clear the cache partition, if your phone offers it. On some models the recovery menu includes “Wipe cache partition”. This removes temporary system files, not your photos or messages.

What not to do

• Do not choose “Wipe data/factory reset” in the recovery menu, and do not let a repair shop or support line do it “to get the phone working”. On a modern Android phone a factory reset destroys the encryption keys, and the data cannot be recovered afterwards by anyone.
• Do not reflash the firmware with tools found online unless you are certain the method keeps user data. Many flashing methods wipe the phone.
• Do not keep charging a phone that gets hot, smells or has a swollen back. Stop and get it looked at, because a damaged lithium battery can be dangerous.
• Do not put a wet phone in rice or keep trying to switch it on. Turn it off and get it dried and cleaned properly.

Why a dead Android phone is a special case

Modern Android phones encrypt their internal storage by default, and the keys are tied to the phone’s own hardware security and your screen lock code. That means the memory chip cannot simply be removed and read in another device, as can sometimes be done with a USB stick or older phone. To get the data back, the phone itself, or at least its main board, usually has to be brought back to life long enough to start up, accept your PIN, pattern or password and let the data be copied off.

In practice, that often means board-level repair: finding and replacing a failed component, repairing liquid damage or dealing with a faulty power circuit, with the aim of getting the phone working just long enough to recover the data. You will need to know your screen lock code, because without it the data stays locked even on a working phone.

Getting help

If your phone holds photos, videos or messages you have not backed up, stop experimenting and get it assessed. You can read more about our Android phone data recovery service.

Call Data Retrieval on 020 7064 4996 for a free assessment with no obligation, or request a quote online.