My phone is completely dead — what do I try first?

Charge it on a known-good cable and wall charger for at least 30 minutes, then do a forced restart (the button combo varies by model). A deeply drained battery can look completely dead and show no charging screen for several minutes. This free step revives a large share of dead phones.

What is a bootloop and can I fix it myself?

A bootloop is when the phone keeps restarting at the manufacturer logo and never finishes loading. Sometimes a forced restart or charging clears it. If it persists, it usually means a software/storage fault or a failing component, and recovering data without wiping the phone is best done by a professional.

How much does it cost to fix a phone that won't turn on?

It depends entirely on the cause. A battery replacement is roughly $69 to $149 in Australia in 2026. A charging fault is around $90 to $190. A logic-board level fault is the expensive case and may not be economical to repair on an older phone — a shop diagnosis tells you which before you commit.

Will I lose my data if my phone won't turn on?

Not necessarily. If the cause is the battery or charging port, data is usually fully recoverable once the phone powers on. Avoid factory-resetting as a first move — it rarely fixes hardware and guarantees data loss. A professional can often recover data even from a phone that won't boot.

Troubleshooting · Power

It won't turn on — or it's stuck on the logo.

A "dead" phone is often not dead. Before you assume the worst (or factory-reset and lose your data), work through these checks in order. Most revive for free; the ones that don't are worth a proper diagnosis before you spend anything.

Do not factory-reset as your first move. A reset rarely fixes a phone that won't boot and it guarantees data loss. If the cause is a flat battery or a charging fault — which it often is — your data is completely fine and recoverable once it powers on. Work the checks below first.

Work through these in order

Two free checks fix the majority of "dead phone" and bootloop cases. Don't pay for anything until you've done both.

Charge it properly — and wait (free, fixes the most)

A deeply over-discharged battery can look completely dead: black screen, no charging icon, nothing — sometimes for 5–15 minutes after you plug it in. Use a known-good cable and a real wall charger (not a laptop or car port), leave it for at least 30 minutes untouched, then try. If the port is full of lint the charge won't take — see our charging guide for the safe 60-second clean. This single step revives a large share of "won't turn on" phones at zero cost.

Forced restart (free, fixes most bootloops & frozen phones)

Different from a normal restart — a forced restart cuts power to a hung system. The button combination varies by model (iPhone: a specific volume-then-side-button sequence; many Androids: hold power + volume-down ~10–20 seconds). Look up the exact combo for your model and hold it firmly for the full duration even if nothing seems to happen at first. This clears a large share of "stuck on the logo" bootloops and frozen black screens with no cost and no data risk.

Look for signs of life (free — this tells you where you stand)

Plugged in, is there any response? A vibration, a logo flash, a charging screen, heat near the camera, a connection sound on a computer? Some response (boots partway, loops at the logo) points to a software/storage or battery issue — often recoverable. Zero response after a proper charge and forced restart points to a battery, charging, or board-level fault. Either way, you've now narrowed it — and you've reached the limit of safe DIY.

This is the diagnosis line — see a shop

If a proper charge and a forced restart haven't brought it back, the remaining causes (failed battery, charging fault, liquid damage, or a logic-board issue) need test gear to tell apart. This is exactly the point to stop — not because you've failed, but because the next step is diagnosis, and guessing means paying for the wrong part or risking your data with a reset. A good shop identifies which it is, usually quickly, and can often recover data even from a phone that won't boot.

What each outcome costs

The honest answer is "it depends on the cause" — which is why the diagnosis matters more than a headline price. A 2026 Australian independent-shop guide by cause:

Flat/over-discharged battery (just needed charge): free.
Forced restart fixed a software bootloop: free.
Battery replacement (battery no longer holds/delivers power): roughly $69–$149.
Charging fault (port not delivering power to a good battery): roughly $90–$190.
Logic-board level fault: the expensive case. Microsoldering or board work can run well into the hundreds and may not be economical on an older phone — a good shop will tell you honestly when a repair isn't worth it versus replacement.

For battery and charging-port ranges on your exact model, the cost calculator and the model pages have per-device numbers.

DIY, honestly

The two genuine DIY steps are the free ones above: charge-and-wait, and the forced restart. Do both — they fix the majority of cases and carry no risk.

Past that, we won't hand you a teardown. A phone that won't power on after those steps is one of the hardest things to diagnose without proper equipment — the same blank screen can be a $0 fix or a board-level fault, and the only way to know is to measure. Opening it blind risks turning a recoverable phone (and recoverable data) into neither. If charge-and-restart didn't do it, this is a shop job — and the diagnosis is the valuable part.

In Newcastle or the Hunter? A dead phone is the case where an in-person diagnosis genuinely saves money — it sorts a $0 issue from a $120 one from a not-worth-it one before you spend anything, and a good shop can often pull your data off even if the phone won't boot. Our Newcastle repair guide has honest local pricing and a workshop we're comfortable pointing people to.

Common questions

It's totally dead — no logo, no charging screen. Is it gone?

Not necessarily. A deeply drained battery shows nothing at all for several minutes after plugging in. Do step 1 (proper charger, 30+ min, then forced restart) before concluding anything — this alone revives a lot of "dead" phones.

It keeps restarting at the logo (bootloop). Will I lose my data?

Often not. Try a forced restart first. If it persists, resist the urge to factory-reset — that's the one action that does guarantee data loss. A professional can frequently recover data from a bootlooping phone without wiping it.

Should I just factory-reset it?

As a first move, no. It rarely fixes a hardware cause and always erases your data. It's a last resort after a shop has confirmed the cause is software and your data is backed up or recovered — not step one.

It died right after an update — is the update the cause?

A failed update can cause a recoverable bootloop, but a phone that won't power on at all after an update is more often a battery that was already marginal and couldn't survive the update's reboot. The charge-and-restart steps apply either way — start there.

Next step

Charged it, forced a restart, still nothing?

Then it needs a diagnosis, not a guess. Know the battery and charging ranges for your model before you go in.

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