No Power Button? No Problem! 7 Ways To Turn On Your Android

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Ever got yourself in a situation where your phone’s power button stopped responding, and you wondered how to restart the phone without a power button? Powering off an android phone without a power button is pretty easy. You just have to take the battery out, or in case the battery is soldered in the chassis, wait for the phone to drain all power. It’s turning it back on without a power button which is the trickiest part.

Whenever you are in such a situation, the first thing you hear people say is to take it to the service center for a repair. But what if a service center is unavailable or you can’t visit it for one reason or another? In such a scenario, try the tricks described below. With the help of these tips, you can restart, unlock, and turn your phone back on even if your phone’s power button has gone kaput.

Keep in mind some of these tricks will work on some the phones, but we cannot guarantee these tips will work on every phone. This is because there are hundreds of smartphone manufacturers in the world. Each has its own way of manufacturing hardware equipment. With that said, we went through an extensive research process in order to find solutions to this problem. As a result, we have come up with some hardware solutions and some software-related solutions.

We will also be testing out these tricks on two phones with hardware problems. The first is a Nexus 5 with a damaged power key, and the second is Samsung Galaxy S with a broken screen and buttons.

But, before we check out these methods, let’s first discuss how you can attempt to repair your phone’s power button at home.

Is Your Phone’s Power Button Actually Damaged?

To begin with, you have to determine whether your phone’s power button is actually damaged or not. You might assume that its power button is faulty but there can be some other cause for your phone’s inability to switch on.

If it’s not the power button, your phone’s battery could most likely be dead or its charging port might not be working properly.

An Android phone with a dead battery could not even switch on for a fraction of a second. It might take a couple of minutes while being charged before the device becomes functional.

No need to worry, just connect the device and wait for it to charge before clicking its power button. However, if your phone is totally dead, you have to wait at least 10 minutes before attempting again.

Fixing a Stuck or Broken Power Button

Volume and Power buttons

There could be several reasons why your phone’s power button has gone unresponsive or acting weird. Overuse, accidental drop, lint & dust buildup, moisture accumulation, etc., can negatively impact its regular function.

Some days ago, my wife came up to me with a non-responsive phone. On closer inspection, I realized that the power button was broken. It somehow got stuck to the level of the frame and refused to come back up to its original position.

I pulled out the entire back cover with a screwdriver’s help and reached the power button area. Then I poured some Isopropyl alcohol on the button. Isopropyl alcohol is an excellent low-cost solvent for dust, lint, and other such compounds.

After pouring alcohol, I gently pulled the button up with the help of an all-pin and Viola! It worked. I was able to pull it back on and power on the phone as if nothing had happened.

Before we get down to business. I saw this video on Youtube that I’d like you to watch. This video shows you how to free up a stuck button on your phone or tablet.

That said, if your phone’s power or volume button stops responding, try one of these tricks, and I am sure you can make it work without ever going to a service center.

Method 1: Clean Power Button with Isopropyl Alcohol

  1. First of all, make sure your phone is off. Don’t try this method when your phone is already running; otherwise, it can lead to other complicated problems.
  1. Next, get a cotton swab. If cotton is unavailable, you can use your old toothbrush.
  1. Get Isopropyl Alcohol. Get the highest percentage of alcohol you can find. We recommend at least 90-99%.
  1. Submerge the swab or brush into the alcohol and remove any excess alcohol.
  1. While keeping the power button side of the phone down, clean the sides as gently as possible. Don’t let alcohol seep into the phone.
  1. In case you are using a toothbrush, ensure that its bristles are getting inside the gaps around the button for a thorough cleanup.
  1. As you are cleaning, keep checking the power button by pressing it regularly for any changes in its response. Is it loosening up a little?
  1. Continue till the button starts giving you tactile feedback.

Before we proceed with the next methods, you might as well want to earn passively through survey apps like PrizeRebel, SurveyJunkie, and the like. Inviting your friends to join you in doing this fun will also give you some bucks for your business.

Method 2: Take Advantage of a Hairdryer

Just in case, if cleaning your phone with Isopropyl alcohol does not work, check out this method:

  1. Wrap the whole back of your device with a piece of cloth with the exception of its power button.
  2. Put your hairdryer on the medium setting and turn it on
  3. Then blow moderately hot air on the button.
  4. The hot air will soften any sticky deposits or lint around the power button and loosen it up a little.

In case you know your phone may have sucked some moisture from nearby places, doing so will make it dry.

If both of these solutions are not working for you, I am afraid you may have to take it to the doctor (service center).

Turning On Phone without Power Button

Power Button

Once your phone starts responding a little and you are able to turn it on using one of the tricks given above, try the following methods to operate your phone. You can then turn it on or off without pressing the power button.

Android Accessibility Power Menu

Do you know most android phones have an Accessibility power menu? It helps physically impaired people use their phones without any problem. Once you enable it, you can use it to launch the power menu screen and hence turn your phone on or lock it without needing the power button. Cool, isn’t it? So, to enable the android accessibility power menu, go through the following steps.

First of all, go to your phone’s settings and then navigate to Accessibility settings.

In most Chinese brands, accessibility settings can be found under the Additional settings tab of Settings. Next, you have to enable this Accessibility or Assistant menu.

In Samsung smartphones, go to the “Interaction and Dexterity” setting. From there, you will be able to locate the Assistant menu. It will appear in the form of a floating button at the right corner of the screen. Simply tap it to open and enable the Power off menu.

In other brands, the Accessibility menu can be found under the Accessibility settings. Once you are in the accessibility menu, select the lock screen option or the power option to lock or restart your phone without any need to touch the power button.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, right?

Wake up the Screen without the Power Button

In case your phone’s power button becomes unresponsive, and all you see is the black screen (i.e., your phone has been locked out), there’s a very simple way to wake it back up. Yes, you can easily unlock it without even using the power button. How? By using the phone’s physical fingerprint scanner. To do that, you will first have to enable it and unlock your finger by using it. Follow the below steps to do just that.

Double-tap on your display even when it’s off.

If the screen wakes up, you can use biometric verification. Your phone’s PIN, password, or pattern unlock to access your phone.

In case the double-tap doesn’t work, and the phone stays unresponsive, you will need to enable this gesture from the device’s settings. You can find this feature on all android phones, including Xiaomi, Samsung, LG, Vivo, Nokia, and others.

You can also plug it into the charger or call your smartphone from another phone to wake up the display. Now unlock your device by entering whatever your security feature is (PIN, pattern, password). Next, go to setting and tap on the search field. It isn’t always easy to find the double-tap gesture; therefore, we suggest searching for it in the settings instead. Now, type in “Double Tap,” select the Double Tap to Wake option and then enable it.

3rd-party Apps to Turn on Android Devices

There are lots and lots of third-party apps in the Playstore that let you access the power menu without pressing the power button. These apps need Accessibility permission, though. Let’s take a look at some of these apps that let you turn on or off your smartphone without using any key.

Buttons Remapper

Most popular out there, Buttons Remapper is a handy little app that lets you remap any of the volume keys to the screen. You can then turn the lock screen on or off by simply pressing and holding the volume button. To do this, Button Remapper needs admin access to the smartphone.

  1. Download the Buttons Remapper app from the official app store.
  2. Launch the application and tap on the toggle that is shown in the Service enabled feature.
  3. Give it the requisite permissions. It’s a safe application, don’t worry!
  4. Next, tap on the plus icon and choose the “Short and Long Press” option right beneath the “Action” option. That’s all.

Phone Lock

This app lets you lock out your android phone with a single tap. Simply tap on the app icon, and the app will do the rest. Afterward, if you want to access the volume buttons or the power menu, simply tap and hold its icon. Thus you can turn off or restart your device without touching the power or volume buttons.

Power Button to Volume Button

The Power button to Volume Button is the newest app that lets you remap one of the volume keys to lock/unlock your phone. As you can see in the image below, it works from the notification area, so you don’t even have to enter the phone’s settings.

Note: Unfortunately, this feature isn’t working on phones using Android 10 or above.

Turn on and Lock Samsung Devices using Bixby.

In case you are using one of Samsung’s devices, you can lock your device without a power button with Bixby’s commands’ help. Google Assistant commands won’t do the job for the same, though. To do this:

Run the Bixby app and then use the Lock my Phone feature to lock your device.

You can turn it back on by tapping the screen twice and then unlocking it with the help of your PIN, passcode, or biometric verification.

Lock Xiaomi and Redmi Phone via Quick ball

All Xiaomi and Redmi’s smartphones come with a very handy feature known as Quick Ball. It contains various shorts for different settings such as Recent apps, Home screen, Going Back, Screenshot, and Locking your phone.

  1. Open your phone’s settings and then navigate to the Additional settings feature.
  1. Now, click on the Quick Ball.
  1. Next, tap on that toggle icon and enable Quick Ball.
  1. That’s all. You can now lock your smartphone by simply tapping on the Lock shortcut in Quick Ball, then use a double-tap to wake it back up. No need to use the power button at all.

Schedule Power Off Time via Android Settings

Scheduling the power-off time via your phone’s settings is another great way to turn your phone off or on without touching the power button. This way, if your power button gets broken, you can still access the phone without any hassle. Follow these steps to schedule power-off time.

Go to your phone’s settings and tap on that search icon.

Now type in “Schedule power on/off.”

Here you can schedule your time to make your phone power off or not automatically. Check the screenshot below to understand how to find this setting.

Restart Phone without the Power Button

Finally, you can use the ADB command to restart your phone if the power button starts misbehaving. In order to do that, you need access to a laptop or a PC. If you don’t have either, then you need at least another android device to do this:

  1. First of all, download and install the Android SDK Platform tools on your second device (laptop, pc, android). If you don’t want to install it, you can utilize the commands in Chrome with the help of Web ADB no matter what OS you are on.
  1. Connect the two devices with the help of a compatible USB connection.
  1. Now, enable the USB debugging feature on your smartphone.
  1. Next, launch the command window on your computer/laptop/mac.
  1. Type in the following command and hit that Enter key.

                                                    ADB reboot

  1. In order to turn off your Android device, use the following command

                                             ADB shell reboot –p

Pro Tip: Try to Hard Reset your Android Phone for Fixing Any Software Issues

Because of occasional software issues, your device’s power button could halt functioning sometimes.

In such scenarios, press and hold the power button for 20 to 30 seconds; your phone will reboot instantly which will fix any momentary problems.

All said and done, if you are wondering how to turn on the phone without a power button, we have mentioned all the methods you can use to wake it up, unlock and restart. Keep these tricks in your mind to restore your access. However, getting a damaged part fixed is the only long-term solution.

By the way, which approach was beneficial for you? Please let me know in the comments section. Also, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Check out our blog regularly for more content like this. See you next time!

Frequently Asked Questions about How to Turn on Your Phone Without Using its Power Button

How can I keep my device’s power button from getting degraded over time?

The method for this is quite simple. Today, the majority of smart devices come with a fingerprint scanner and face unlock features.

It’s generally suggested to unlock your device with this method in order to keep its physical power button secure over the long term.

In addition, you can turn on your phone’s accessibility options such as raise to wake and double tap to sleep or wake to completely eliminate the need of using a power button.

Can you turn on an Android phone by connecting it to a PC?

This will only function on a very small number of devices, but it’s worth a go.

Attach a USB cord from your smartphone to your computer. Let the battery recharge moderately if it’s completely empty.

When the battery is sufficiently charged to switch on your smartphone, it may power on by itself.

How can I restart my iPhone without Pressing its power button?

Users of iPhones can turn on assistive touch in the settings which will allow a virtual home button on their iPhones. When it’s turned on, perform the following actions:

Select the “Assistive Touch” > “Device” > “More.” See, restarting your iPhone will be as simple as pressing its power button.

 

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