Galaxy Note 5 volume down button unresponsive

[JustAdrian]

My Note 5 works fine, except for the volume down button. I could do without, but now it seems to have put my phone into safe mode permanently. Rebooting won't help. The Samsung repair center here in Taipei (and in Hong Kong) said that they have to replace the motherboard, which would set me back more than 250 US$. I see some online forums and Youtube videos in which people claim they can replace the button without a problem. Any suggestions about what I should do? Why does Samsung not want to replace the button? Can I send it back to the factory for repair?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Is the Vol Down button physically stuck in a pressed state, or does it click normally when you press it?

 

[JustAdrian]

It clicks and moves down normally, it feels the same as the volume up, which works fine. Samsung said it is a hardware problem though, not software.

 

[B. Diddy]

It's definitely a hardware problem, since the phone always boots into Safe Mode. This is because the phone is sensing the Vol Down button being constantly pressed, and the way to boot into Safe Mode is to hold down Vol Down while the phone is booting. The reason I asked that question was to see if it was worth bathing the phone in rubbing alcohol, in case there was some sticky residue causing the button to get physically stuck, but it sounds like it's at more of the circuitry level. I'm afraid it'll need some kind of hardware repair, but I can't be sure it's definitely a motherboard issue, or if someone might be able to just replace the button component itself.

 

[JustAdrian]

OK, thanks for that. In that case I am going to look for some of the third-party repair centers here in Taipei to see if they can look into it. I think it's worth a try. Still, it's surprising that Samsung doesn't want to do that.

 

[JustAdrian]

I tried pressing the power down button with my finger nail, and let it slip back several times. After about ten times the phone responded, the volume was shown to be in its lowest position. I rebooted the phone and it was in normal mode. So for the time being it seems to be OK. Thanks for your explanation about the phone sensing the power down button being pressed. I had the phone since I bought it in a folding case, so I thought it unlikely that the problem was caused by dirt. But the case makes it a little harder to press the volume buttons, because you have to press them through the soft part of the case. Maybe I pressed it too hard.

 

[B. Diddy]

Glad it's working again, at least for now! One thing you can try is to swab the Volume button area thoroughly with rubbing alcohol, in case there is some kind of residue stuck in there that's contributing to the problem. Don't worry, rubbing alcohol isn't the same as water, and won't cause moisture damage.

Also, while the phone is working normally, make sure you back up all of your important data now!

 

[JustAdrian]

Sure, and thanks again.