Every smartphone owner's worst nightmare is to try to fire up their phone and find that nothing happens. Your phone won't turn on. A black screen with no signs of life means disaster.

Maybe the following reasons why your Android phone or tablet may not turn on? Let us look at some of the causes and solutions.

1. Charging problems

The most obvious cause is usually the correct one.

If you haven't noticed any signs of your phone malfunctioning before, this problem could be as simple as a lack of juice in the battery. More often than not, this leads to charging problems.

Check your connections

Check the obvious points first. Are you sure you didn't forget to charge your phone? Has the charger been partially unplugged? And is the outlet on?

Dirt and dust

Also, make sure that no dust, dirt, or other debris is blocking the USB port on the charging cable or the phone's charging port. Remember that connections are delicate. The best way to remove dirt from the ports is to use a can of compressed air.

Troubleshoot the cable

USB charging cables are notorious for not working on a whim. You can check the integrity of the cable by using it with another device and see if it works. If you'd like to explore other options, we've covered some of the best charging cables for Android.

If your phone won't turn on even after charging, read on.

2. Perform a power cycle

We've all experienced a frozen phone. The screen is unresponsive and none of the buttons work. But did you know that it is also possible for the phone to freeze when it is turned off?

If your Android phone won't turn on, one solution is to perform a power cycle. For older devices with a removable battery, it's as easy as removing the battery, waiting a few seconds, and reinserting it.

On more modern phones that don't have a removable battery, press and hold the device's power button for a few seconds. Depending on your manufacturer, you may need to hold it for 10 to 30 seconds.

3. Check the battery

If your phone died and won't turn on or charge, but you're sure your charger is working and power cycling didn't fix your problems, it's time to turn your attention to your phone's battery. This could be the reason why your phone won't turn on.

Most batteries for phones and tablets begin to rapidly decline in quality after a few years of use. Eventually, they will die completely. Different types of damage can also irreparably affect the battery. Liquid drops on hard surfaces and extreme temperatures can render the battery unusable.

Check that the battery is powered

After connecting your phone or tablet to the charger, wait one minute to see if the battery icon appears on the screen.

If so, your battery is fine and you can move on to the next steps. Alternatively, you may see a small red (or other colored) light flashing. If you do, it means your battery doesn't have enough power to turn it on or display any content on the screen. Keep it charged for 30 minutes and try again.

Don't see the battery icon or light? It means that your battery is dead and needs to be replaced immediately.

If your phone has a removable battery, you can pick up a new one on Amazon for a decent price. For phones without removable batteries, you must either try to disassemble the phone and replace the battery yourself or take it to a specialist store.

4. Check the screen

You might be frustrated that your phone won't actually turn on, but it might be on without you even realizing it. The broken screen can give us the impression that there is no power.

This is easy to tell if your screen is to blame. Hold the Power button for 30 seconds to make sure your phone turns on for good, then wait at least two minutes for the boot process to complete.

Now simply make a call from another phone. If your phone rings, your screen is to blame. If you have a PIN activated on your SIM or eSIM, you won't be able to tell if your phone is enabled when you call yourself because the number will be disabled.

In this case, we recommend moving to the vicinity of a saved Wi-Fi network. Your phone should automatically connect to the network and you should be able to hear the sound of incoming new notifications unless Do Not Disturb is enabled. If your phone is still unresponsive, you need to continue.

Note that sometimes you can replace the screen yourself, but again you will lose your warranty.

5. Use your computer to solve problems

If you still can't boot your device, you may be able to force it to turn on using your computer. Google provides a somewhat convoluted series of steps you can go through. We've simplified them below:

1-You must connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable.

2-Allow charging for 15 minutes.

3-Disconnect the cable from the device (not the computer).

4-Reconnect the cable within 10 seconds of disconnecting it.

5-Charge your device for another 30 minutes.

6-Hold and press the Power button for five seconds.

7-Tap Restart on the screen.

If you don't see the Restart option, hold down the power button for another 30 seconds.

6. Reset your Android device

Maybe your device turns on but can't go through the process of booting to the home screen. An upgrade or custom ROM may be to blame. In that case, you can try to reset your Android device.

Resetting your phone or tablet will erase everything from it. To reset your Android phone using recovery mode, follow these steps:

Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons for a few seconds until the Android logo appears on the screen. (This key combination is different for some manufacturers.)

You should use the volume up and volume down keys to enter recovery mode.

Press the Power button.

Use the Volume buttons to select Wipe Data/Factory Reset and press the Power button.

Finally, select Yes-Erase all Data and press the power button.

This process will take a few minutes.

Your Android device might be jailbroken

If nothing works here, maybe it's time to face the reality that you need a new phone. Remember that some phones are specially designed for use in dirty or rough areas. If you find that you are still experiencing damaged ports, one of these devices may be the best solution.