How to fix Google Pixel 3 XL that shuts down randomly?

Among the most common performance issues is the random shut down in which many Google Pixel 3 XL have been complaining about. The thing about this problem is that it could be as minor as a firmware glitch but it could also be as serious as a defective hardware component depending on how it occurred. If your phone suffered some kind of physical and/or liquid damage, then it’s a hardware issue but if it started to just shutdown by itself without apparent reason, it could be just a minor issue you can fix by yourself.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Pixel 3 XL that’s powers down by itself. I will share with you the effective troubleshooting procedures that were used by some owners who have encountered this problem and were able to fix it. So, if you’re one of the owners of this device and are currently having issues like this, continue reading as this article may be able to help you one way or another.

Before we move on, if you happen to find this post while looking for a solution to a different problem, then visit our Pixel 3 XL Help Guides for we have already solved many of this device’s issues. Odds are that we already published articles that could help you with your problem so take time browsing through that page to find similar issues as yours.

Going back to our troubleshooting, here are the things you need to do if your Pixel 3 XL keeps shutting down by itself…

Run phone in Safe Mode and continue using it.
Connect Pixel 3 XL to charger and see if it shuts down on its own.
Factory reset phone and see if the problem continues.
Bring phone to store or shop as it may be a hardware problem.

I know that these procedures are pretty self-explanatory but let me briefly explain why you need to do these. First, you need to run the phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party applications. If the shutting down stopped while the phone is in this mode, then the problem is caused by an app or two that may have gone rogue. You need to find those apps and the uninstall them. That would usually fix issues that are caused by applications. Here’s how to run your Pixel 3 XL in safe mode;

With the device powered on, press and hold the Power button (located on the right-edge) until the Power off prompt appears then release.
Touch and hold Power off until the “Reboot to safe mode” prompt appears then release.
Tap OK to confirm.
The restart process may take up to 45 seconds to complete.
Upon restart, ‘Safe mode’ appears in the lower-left of the unlock/home screen.

Next is to connect the phone to its charger and make sure that it shows the charging symbol (battery with a bolt). While we really can’t conclude that it’s a hardware issue if the charging symbol doesn’t show up, but it’s most likely related to its hardware components specifically the battery. While connected to the charger, continue using the phone to see if it still powers down on its own because if not, there’s a chance that the issue is the battery. As you know, it is the first to deteriorate and depending on how extensive you are, it may start to fail in less than a year and result to a problem like this.

However, if the phone still shuts down on its own even while charging, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone. This will rule out the possibility that this problem is caused by a firmware-related issue. But before the reset, make sure to backup your important files as they will be deleted during the process. Here’s how to reset your phone:

Make sure your phone is turned off completely. So, press and hold the power key for a few minutes until the device powers down.
Press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power key together for a few seconds.
When the Fastboot Mode shows on the screen, release both keys.
Using the Volume keys, highlight Recovery Mode and then press Power key to boot the phone into it.
If you see the Android on the screen, press and hold the power key for a couple of seconds and then press the volume up key once.
Once you’re inside the Recovery Mode, use the Volume keys to navigate through the options. Highlight “wipe data/factory reset” and then press the power key to select it.
You need to confirm that you really need to wipe the data of your phone so highlight Yes and then press the power key to choose it.
Wait until your phone finished doing the reset, which may take several seconds to a couple of minutes.
When the reset is complete, highlight and choose ‘Reboot system now’ to complete the process.

Lastly, if the problem continues even after the reset, then you will have to let the technician check it for you as it could really be a hardware problem.

I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!

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