Galaxy S5 - Static Screen/won't turn on

[Stav_D]

Hi all,

For the past week or so my S5 has been very temperamental. It will be working fine, then randomly when I try to wake the screen it won't turn on (however the LED still works, as do the multitasking and back buttons). So thinking nothing of it I took out the battery then turned it back on. When I do this the screen will turn on but it will be static, I can hear the startup sound, but the screen won't work. After taking out the battery again, and again, and repeating this process nothing changed, so I decided to leave it for a while and try again later. After maybe an hour I tried again and it worked fine. But after a random amount of time (could be 5 mins, could be 12 hours) the screen won't wake and I have to repeat this process again.
This happens at least twice a day now.

p.s. I did drop it a couple days before this started happening, however it was only from about a foot of the ground.

Any help appreciated

 

[EthanJWarburton]

Hi there

I had this exact same issue with the exact same phone, eventually it wouldn't turn on once, just the static and blue notification light.

The problem I found out was a loose flex ribbon connecter (I have know idea).
So I tried turning in on while holding down fairly hardly the spot they're at, which is just under the heart rate sensor area. The phone booted up fine but as soon as I let go it turned to static.

So I turned the phone off and held on the place I held as hard as I could for a good 10 minutes. I tapped it and shook it as well. And then, voilà! The phone works as good as new again!

So I suggest you do what I do, hold it hard down near the top of the battery, try different places. I guess it reconnected the cable somehow I hope this helps

 

[kittykay1987]

This worked! I had been taking the battery in and out for hours. The screen would go right back to static flash the static twice, then black with the blue notification light. I could hear the phone restart but the screen was black. I followed your steps. Put the battery in and pressed down under the heart rate censor. And it worked. I don't understand what's going on with the s5...I have an Ottor box case on it...and I thought these phones were supposed to be durablessed anyways...

 

[AZgl1500]

The very thin ribbon connectors have a metallic composition overlaid on the plastic strip.

It is all too easy to get a tiny bit of dust, or a slight bit of corrosion on the face of either the strip's connector pins, or the mating jack pins it is supposed to contact.

when you pressed on it really hard, you performed a "wipe clean" procedure... yes, extremely miniscule but it was enough to create a tight and firm electrical connection.

I'm an old retired electronics tech, and have done that to more ribbon connectors than I can remember. On computers, they are big enough to physically unlock, pull the ribbon, reinsert and lock down again.

 

[kittykay1987]

Well that worked temporary, I'm back to the same issues...more frequently now.

 

[AZgl1500]

Hope you have a strong heart, here is how you can fix it. Permanently.

* [Guide] Samsung Galaxy S5 Repair Guide | Complete Teardown | Android Forums

 

[throttlehappy]

Just found this after doing a search. I didn't have a passcode on my phone and didn't want to send it in with personal info on it.

I'll add a passcode and see how long it lasts.

It worked great! Thanks!

Hi there

I had this exact same issue with the exact same phone, eventually it wouldn't turn on once, just the static and blue notification light.

The problem I found out was a loose flex ribbon connecter (I have know idea).
So I tried turning in on while holding down fairly hardly the spot they're at, which is just under the heart rate sensor area. The phone booted up fine but as soon as I let go it turned to static.

So I turned the phone off and held on the place I held as hard as I could for a good 10 minutes. I tapped it and shook it as well. And then, voilà! The phone works as good as new again!

So I suggest you do what I do, hold it hard down near the top of the battery, try different places. I guess it reconnected the cable somehow I hope this helps

 

[John Wallace6]

I had the problem where my screen when fuzzy or static after a drop. I have SOLVED the problem!!!! It looks like a loose cable problem because the main thing you get is a problem with the screen or it not waking up. Well to toot my own horn, I am a computer tech and the first rule of a hardware issue is to remove all variables. Removed every peripheral (micro sd card, sim card, changed the battery, etc.) Remember, the phones today are just small computers! Anyway, turns out it was the micro sd card!!! That is how the S5 responds to a damaged micro sd card. Most other phones just tell you that it (micro sd) needs to be formatted. When I dropped the phone, it must have been reading/ writing to the micro sd and corrupted it. When you push on the back of the phone, you are re-seating the micro sd which is next to the fingerprint sensor. You don't realize it because you have the battery cover on the phone, covering where the micro sd is located. Sorry for the long post, but I bet there are a lot of frustrated owners happy that they found this post!

 

[Guillermo Valle]

Thanks! That fixed it! At least at the moment, I will see how it goes, though may be sending it to samsung to repair. Anyway, thank you so much, at least I can use it!!

 

[throttlehappy]

So I had this issue with my replacement S5. Did the squeeze trick and it worked for a month or so but now that doesn't work. Is just the flex ribbon connector replaceable? I looked at the disassembly post, but how far into the procedure do I need to go for that?
Thanks!

 

[throttlehappy]

Anyone?

 

[Bruno Slivar]

My wife drop phone and now have this problem. I go in service and they told me that i need change screen. But that work cost more then phone. Can i do something? When she loose screen just need to press on screen in the midle top side and screen turn on. But i cant sold phone like that

 

[Rzberry92]

Hi all,

For the past week or so my S5 has been very temperamental. It will be working fine, then randomly when I try to wake the screen it won't turn on (however the LED still works, as do the multitasking and back buttons). So thinking nothing of it I took out the battery then turned it back on. When I do this the screen will turn on but it will be static, I can hear the startup sound, but the screen won't work. After taking out the battery again, and again, and repeating this process nothing changed, so I decided to leave it for a while and try again later. After maybe an hour I tried again and it worked fine. But after a random amount of time (could be 5 mins, could be 12 hours) the screen won't wake and I have to repeat this process again.
This happens at least twice a day now.

p.s. I did drop it a couple days before this started happening, however it was only from about a foot of the ground.

Any help appreciated

I had this same problem & I simply just switched to a new battery & all is good!!

 

[Nata Ning]

I have the same issue as well, i have tried many different methods but still didn't work. Need help!!

 

[MssSparkle]

Hi guys,

I did exactly what all the posts said put pressure on the screen...The white static is it starts up normal now but i can't do very much on it and the screen freezes again. Does anybody have an idea what the problem might be?

 

[Sleddog89]

I had the same problem with the Static Screen Startup. After reading this post and seeing the “pressed down while starting" and “replaced the battery" statements, I had a look inside. I saw that my fourth battery terminal on the phone, the rightmost when looking at them, was not quite touching the battery. I took the battery out, then I got in there with a sharp implement to yank the terminal out just a little, thus making it contact the battery fully when inserted.
Bingo. Fixed it.