Chosen Solution
Hi there, I purchased a used iphone but it won’t turn on unless it is plugged in to the wall (it won’t turn on if plugged in to the computer, and thus, itunes won’t recognize it). When plugged in to the wall, it shows the apple logo, and then immediately goes to the ‘connect to itunes’ screen. However, when you unplug to connect to itunes, the screen goes black and it won’t turn on. What do I do? Would a battery replacement help?
Hey there. I have repaired many iphone’s with this exact same problem. First I try a new battery (most of the time that fixes the issue). If the battery does not work, than try a new USB doc port. Sometimes you have to replace both. Also make sure that the two gold battery contacts on the logic board are cleaned off. If still no luck, than you probably have a bad board. Good luck. -Nick c
Hi. I had this exact same problem after replacing a cracked screen. The first couple hours it turned on just fine, but would randomly shut off, and the same the next morning. So I took the phone apart to make sure all connectors were cleaned with alcohol and firmly in place and that none of the screws were loose. But now It would power on and work perfectly only when plugged into a wall, but would immediately shut off when unplugged and would do nothing when plugged into the computer. What was even more frustrating is that the phone did show the battery, it’s % (almost full), and showed charging. One last try, I opened up the back and took out the battery, as I unscrewed the tiny grounding piece near the vibrator, I wasn’t sure if I had it the right way. I checked the pictures in the guide it looked like it might be upside down, so I flipped it, put the battery back in and presto, my iPhone worked again, WOOHOO! Funny how it can be something so simple sometimes. I’ve spent hours looking for an answer to a problem and have it be where I can’t even find the subject, let alone a solution. So hopefully this will be helpful to someone.
I had this problem iphone 3GS would only turn on if plugged into mains. The button on top does not work so used on screen button to lock but then couldnt switch back on. I seem to have got around this by turning off the auto lock timer to never. I then switch on with mains and then unplug. The screen eventually turns itself off but I am still able to press home button to switch on again. Strange but true!
My phone had starting exhibiting the same behavior after dropping it I eventually found that applying pressure to the bottom right of the phone resolved the problem. I tried applying a binder clip over the area and the phone started working as expected. It seems like there is some kind of contact not being made with the battery and the pressure is perhaps closing that gap. In the end this provided me a working phone until I can get a replacement. Thanks, Mike
Don’t get a cheap battery they have usually cycled 200 times plus. Pay the silly money for an original Apple battery. Update Whooo just remembered Don’t forget to clean the end on the grounding pin. Oils on your fingers will effect it :-)
