[Q] Samsung Galaxy S2-i777 Spontaneously Rebooting - Power/Unlock Button Not Working

[MissN]

Hi, my Samsung Galaxy S2 (i777 from AT&T) had been spontaneously rebooting every few minutes in the last few days. (FYI, I am using the unlocked phone outside the US. Currently running Android 2.3.6). I have been charging the phone with my USB cable lately (which might have caused the problem), and it doesn't recognize the device anymore.

When the repeated restarting started, then I somehow managed to delete some recently updated apps/new updates, and the restarting stopped for a while before returning the next day.

Then finally, the power button just stopped working altogether. For unlocking the screen - I now have to either plug in/disconnect from the charger, when it beeps & lights up, and then I can use the phone. I have tried using apps such as: Fix Broken Power to at least maintain the usability, but the app only seems to work after I plug the charger in/out, so it isn't any help.

I guess the power button could've died & need replacing, since the device is almost 2 years old. But before taking the phone to a mobile-phone repair shop, I wanted to check if there is any other option for fixing the issue (without doing a factory reset). Also, please advise any alternative screen unlocking app for using in the meantime.

Thanks in advance!

 

[SteveMurphy]

Replacing the power button is extremely easy, I wouldn't spend the money to send it off. All you'd have to do is take the cover of, remove a few screws and pop the new button in. Takes about 4 minutes.

An alternative is to root your phone, upgrade your firmware to 4.1+ and use either the AJK or STI kernel; they both use Stweaks, which has a slide2wake feature that allows you to wake the screen up without using the power button.

Sent from the i777

 

[MissN]

Replacing the power button is extremely easy, I wouldn't spend the money to send it off. All you'd have to do is take the cover of, remove a few screws and pop the new button in. Takes about 4 minutes.

An alternative is to root your phone, upgrade your firmware to 4.1+ and use either the AJK or STI kernel; they both use Stweaks, which has a slide2wake feature that allows you to wake the screen up without using the power button.

Sent from the i777

Thanks SteveMurphy! That was some good advice. But since I'm not very technically sound, so I took it to a repair shop. After keeping it for one day, they said that, the power button is fine, but the internal processor is having problems (probably because I've been charging it with a USB cable), and they quoted a pretty high amount for replacing it. What's more annoying is that, the battery went dead since it wasn't charged while it was with them, and over 24 hours of charging (after I got it back) didn't bring my phone back to life. At least before I could use it while it was plugged in to the charger, but now its all darkness. I'm thinking of taking it to my local Samsung Service Center, and I can see it costing a fortune, if it can at all be fixed. Very upsetting.

 

[SteveMurphy]

Thanks SteveMurphy! That was some good advice. But since I'm not very technically sound, so I took it to a repair shop. After keeping it for one day, they said that, the power button is fine, but the internal processor is having problems (probably because I've been charging it with a USB cable), and they quoted a pretty high amount for replacing it. What's more annoying is that, the battery went dead since it wasn't charged while it was with them, and over 24 hours of charging (after I got it back) didn't bring my phone back to life. At least before I could use it while it was plugged in to the charger, but now its all darkness. I'm thinking of taking it to my local Samsung Service Center, and I can see it costing a fortune, if it can at all be fixed. Very upsetting.

Good luck my friend. Sorry to hear about your phone.

Sent from the i777