Nexus 7 problem; Won't charge, and when it does, screen goes dead and pixels fly across the screen.

[Scoobadood]

I can confirm the same problem (static screen) and fix.

I'd had my N7 for a week, never dropped etc. I'd left it all day without using it although the battery was at about 47% and when I came to turn it on I'd get nothing but static on the screen. Trying the various push buttons for 30 seconds approached made no difference, the device would power cycle but only to a static screen - i.e. there was no ability to select any menu options.

At first I though the screen was damaged but if I removed and replaced the USB charger, I'd get the Google logo for a fraction of a second before it reverted to static again.

Eventually, prior to returning it, I opened the back to check the battery connection (using the method from ifixit). Sure enough the battery connector was loose. Pushing it fully home has resolved the problem entirely.

 

[boydicus]

I just wanted to second that I had the same problem and none of the "boot into bootloader and power it off" solutions fixed it. So I took the back off using this guide (simple really with a credit card) and found that the battery connector was not connected. I think what happens is that the tablet gets bumped, the battery slides to the right (the side with the power button) and the cable gets yanked off of its connectors. I was able to make this happen by tapping it against my hand with the cover off. I was also, due to the stiffness of the battery cables, able to reseat it by tapping it in the other direction. Something to consider trying. Failing that, pop the back off and reseat the cables, then cut a little foam or something to put into the extra space in the battery compartment that allows it to slide around.

 

[boydicus]

UPDATE: I was originally talking about my wife's tablet, which we purchased from Staples just before christmas. I wanted to be proactive so I pulled the back off of my brand new one and found that the battery in it was firmly in place, apparently with some double-sided tape. So it would seem that Asus figured this out and implemented a fix. Just FYI.

 

[Coftar87]

I had the same issue and pushing down the power + volume down combo did not work. I decided to take the back cover off and immediately saw that one of the connectors was loose. The cover is a little hard to take off but I think it's worth having a look for people still having issues with this. My Nexus 7 device is now working like new.

 

[jbvv7]

Had same issue for 2 days had it on charge with nothing but white pixel flash, tried the on/off and volume- button press and nothing, read further about taking the back of and checking the battery connection........lo & behold connector not properly pushed home, I'm not techno minded and was glad of the advice given, thank you scobadood

 

[Baleeted]

I know people have probably posted a solution now, but plug it in and put it into recovery (hold power + vol down I think) then let it charge for a bit. It's happened twice to my 4.2.1 stock N7 and I've just left it overnight to be greeted with a full battery in the morning

 

[Kallan Osborne]

I find it is usfull to tap it firmly with your palm and that should do it.

 

[Bytepirate]

scoobadood
jbvv7

your solution fixed it for me
flip the back off push home the battery cables
boot
100% battery

 

[ericsond]

Re: Nexus 7 problem

What I did to solve this was un/plug my charger multiple times, then I held all the side buttons at the same time.

I had lost all hope until I tried this and it worked!

 

[Q-fugee]

Re: Nexus 7 problem

Just wanted to report that my Nexus 7 developed the exact same symptoms (dead, wouldn't power on, screen backlit but dark when plugged into charger, pixels flying across the screen when power held, hard and soft reset methods didn't work) after just two days. Granted, it was two days in the hands of an 11-year-old.

Popping off the back and re-seating the battery connector worked like a charm. This is really a crappy design. The battery is smaller than the battery compartment, and it slides around. Double-sided stick tape was clearly added as an afterthought and doesn't work. I rolled up a long thin piece of paper and wedged it in alongside the battery. We'll see how that works in the long term.

I have a feeling every problem reported here is a battery connector problem, and that all reports of button pressing, multiple plug-unplug cycles, etc., just shook the connector back on again. I've seen some other threads that put the blame on magnets in the Nexus cover. I'd encourage everyone to pop that baby open, re-seat the connector, and wedge something safe against the battery. All it takes are really small bumps or tilting to make it unseat and then work again. It's still good to know there is a hard-reset process for other problems, so thanks for that advice.

I want to thank everybody here for their help, even for the suggestions that didn't work for me. Time to go click on a few thumbs-up.

--Qfg

 

[ratovan]

Re: Nexus 7 problem

+1 on the loose battery cable. Really didn't want to open it up, but sure enough, when I popped off the back I could see the connector was not seated properly.

I used a plastic knife to start getting the cover off and then ran a credit card around the edge to carefully unseat all the clips.

Thanks

 

[Webman97]

Re: Nexus 7 problem

Just got home from school, this issue occurs. The screen stopped flashing with random pixels eventually. My battery was on 90% when this happened, so I was getting worried when I saw people saying that the battery had died. I finally found this thread. Since I thought I had to replace my battery, I found a guide on how to open the back of the device, if that helps.

Battery Guide for Nexus 7

I was able to pop off the back using a credit card. This was the problem for me, and I was able to get my tablet working again. The battery is placed incorrectly and has enough room to actually slide around, so I had to use two cough drop wrappers to hold the battery up. I have no doubt that it will come unplugged again.

Thanks!

 

[sarah clancy]

I have discovered the infamous black static screen issue. You must open up the back cover of the nexus and make sure the battery connection is not loose. My nexus was 3 days old when it acted up so I opened it up and found the battery connection was never snapped in place. I hope this helps out.

Thanks for posting this! i've had my nexus for 2 months and it just started doing this. After trying the other suggestiong about a hard reset, i came across your post about the static issue, and it turns out the battery connection had come loose. After fixing the connection problem my Nexus lives again! Cheers!

 

[Helen Ollerenshaw]

The problem I'm having is slightly different. charging is no problem. However, when I boot the Nexus up it looks fine except once it gets to the home screen it freezes and restarts the boot up process again and again and again until it runs out of power. I have tried restarting it in safe mode but it just power cycles and returns to standard mode. I have also tried the Recovery Mode but it shows a dead android with an exclamation mark in a red triangle and the words 'No command.' underneath. Has my Nexus mad a major failure or is there something else I can do?!

 

[Komus]

Yeah you could start a new thread

 

[DanLocks]

Thank you for this, it definitely did the trick. Amazing how an important issue like is the battery hooked up was overlooked, amazing. For others wanting to try taking off the back cover is easy. And if you have any questions as to the layout of the innards (it is pretty clear you will see a black plug with multicolored wires. That is what you want to gently pry out and plug back in). Super easy and my nexus is back in service. Thanks again, honestly loose battery wire, would have been the last thing I thought it would have been!

 

[pixel67]

You're the tits (_*_|_*_) EdisonDJ, worked like a charm:-*

 

[manaflux]

Solved. Thx for the info!

 

[spicypancakes]

same thing happens to my tablet, although when it turns back on the date and time are all fudged up.

 

[Bellozanne]

Cheers my friend mine also crapped out, but following your steps I have now got it back to the battery icon and it's hopefully charging and going to behave itself.