If your Samsung Galaxy S21 will not turn on and has a black screen, there are several things that can cause the issue.
Often the phone can be heard working but the display does not work, there are lines, or the phone can be completely blacked out.
There are several fixes talked about in forums, Reddit, and YouTube for some quick fixes that may help.
I recently became aware of this issue when a friend’s Galaxy S21 wouldn’t turn back on.
For him it was the freezer method that worked and it is still working.
Keep in mind, that you do these fixes at your own risk as we cannot be responsible for your phone.
If the below fixes do not work on your S21 and you need to read text, voice mail, or similar it may work when connected to a TV with an HDMI cable.
It is easy to connect to a TV with a USB-C to HDMI cable.
Read Here for more information on connecting to a TV with an HDMI cable to display the screen.
Reasons Why a Galaxy S21 Won’t Turn On with Blank Black Screen Display
- Bad Data (Force Restart the Phone)
- Power Button or Volume Button Stuck
- Loose Connection (Tap Around Edge Of Screen Front and Back)
- Display Connection (Use a Cloth and Press Down on the Screen)
- Bad Soldering Connection (Freezer Method)
The first thing to try is a force restart that even though you can’t see the screen, the phone may be working in the background.
To do a force restart hold the Volume Down and Power Button at the same time and keep holding until you see the Samsung Logo.
Once you see the Samsung Logo you can let go.
The buttons will need to be held for 30-60 seconds before the phone restarts, so don’t let up too early.
Sometimes the power button or volume button can get stuck.
Put the phone on its side and push in tapping on the power and volume button multiple times.
After multiple taps, force a restart of the phone.
Some of the electronics may have a bad connection which sometimes can be fixed by tapping around the edges of the screen
Tap around the edges of both the front and back and restart the phone when done.
Often called the massage method it has the same fix as tapping but with a more smooth action.
Use a cloth and press in around the screen and force restart when done.
This can help reconnect a display that has a bad connection.
When I first heard this method, I didn’t see how it could fix a blacked out screen but this method actually worked on a friends Galaxy S21.
Stick the phone in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, take it out and do a force restart.
I am unsure why this method would work but has given some good result.
Summary
If your Galaxy S21 has a blacked-out screen and won’t turn on hopefully, one of the methods above will help fix it.
The phone could have a display hardware defect or a bad display module.
If the hardware is bad it will need to be taken to a professional to get it fixed.
Do you have a Galaxy S21 that won’t turn on and has a blacked-out screen? Let us know your thoughts below and any fix that worked for you.
I was at step 5 and just starting to think, “what like I’m gonna Freeze this thing??” and then it started working, lol. Incredible, thank you
just bought my s21 Plus for 3 weeks and the screen turned black while phone is still on (I can receive calls), I tried the first method failed, then the 2nd worked, thanks a lot for the tips