Troubleshooting
Phone playing up? Most of it is fixable in five minutes.
Work through the common fixes below before assuming a fault. A surprising number of issues — a dead screen, a phone that will not charge, patchy Wi-Fi — come down to a force restart, a different cable or a settings reset. If none of it helps, we will take a look.
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Three things to try before anything else
These resolve a large share of the problems people contact us about.
Force restart the device
iPhone 8 and later: press volume up, then volume down, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Most Android handsets: hold the power and volume-down buttons together for about ten seconds. This is different from a normal restart and clears a lot of odd behaviour.
Try a different cable and plug
Charge for at least 30 minutes using a different cable and adapter before concluding the phone is dead. Faulty cables are the single most common cause of a device that appears not to power on.
Check for software updates
Settings, then General or System, then Software Update. Performance problems, camera glitches and connectivity issues are often resolved by an update that has not been installed.
By symptom
Common device issues
My device will not turn on
Charge it for at least 30 minutes using a different cable and adapter, then try a force restart. A phone with a completely flat battery can take several minutes before it shows any sign of life. If there is still nothing after that, get in touch.
The battery drains quickly
Battery performance varies with usage, app activity and settings. Check Settings for which apps are consuming the most power, reduce screen brightness, and close anything running in the background unnecessarily. Bear in mind that a refurbished phone is supplied at a minimum of 85% battery health, so it will not last as long as a brand-new device. If the drop seems sudden or extreme, contact us.
The device is running slowly
Restart it, install any pending software updates, and free up storage by removing unused apps and files. Phones slow noticeably when storage is nearly full — if you are under a couple of gigabytes free, that is likely the cause.
The camera is not working properly
Restart the device and check the lens is clean and unobstructed — a case lip or a thick screen protector can interfere. If it persists after a software update, contact our team.
The touchscreen is unresponsive
Remove any screen protector, clean the display, and force restart. If specific areas of the screen remain unresponsive after that, the device needs inspecting rather than troubleshooting — get in touch.
The device is not charging properly
Check the cable, adapter and charging port for damage or debris. Lint compacted in the charging port is extremely common and stops the connector seating properly. Try a different cable and plug before assuming a fault.
It will not connect to Wi-Fi or mobile data
Restart the device, then reset network settings — on iPhone that is Settings, General, Transfer or Reset, Reset, Reset Network Settings. You will need to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords afterwards. Also confirm the problem is not with your router or network provider by testing another device.
The speaker or microphone is not working
Check for dust or obstructions around the speaker and microphone openings. Restart, then test in more than one app — if it works in one but not another, the issue is with that app rather than the hardware.
Still faulty
Within your warranty period
If your device develops a covered fault during the 18-month warranty period, submit a claim through the returns portal and the team will guide you through it.
Outside warranty
Or not covered by it
Cracked screens, liquid damage and accidental damage fall outside warranty. Our repair business, Repair My Crack, handles paid repairs — often much cheaper than replacing the device.
Need a person
Speak to the team
Tell us what you have already tried and what happened — it saves us both a round trip.
Related
Other help pages
Tried everything?
Start a warranty claim and the team will assess the device and tell you what happens next.
