Manufacturers make sure that their devices are properly tested and actually work before leaving the warehouse for shipment because failing to do so is financial and branding risk and no company would want to take that risk especially if what at stakes is millions of dollars. Needless to say, high-end smartphones like the Google Pixel 3 should work without a hitch out of the box.
There are of course cases wherein isolated problems may occur to a few units and retailers or services providers would be happy to replace those units with new ones just to retain their customers. My point is, if your phone doesn’t turn on out of the box, you don’t have to do anything except bring it back to the store and have it replaced. A receipt would be enough for you to receive a brand new replacement. However, if you were able to use the phone for a few days or weeks before the problem started, then there are things you need to do to make sure it’s not just some kind of a minor problem with the firmware and that’s the purpose of this post.
So, if you’re one of the owners of this new device, continue reading as this article may be able to help you one way or another. If, however, you’re looking for a solution to different problem, then visit our Pixel 3 Help Guides for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this phone. We may have already published articles that could help you fix the problem with your device.
How to troubleshoot Pixel 3 that won’t turn on or respond?
Most of the time, when a phone turns off by itself and would not longer turn on or respond after that, it’s a minor firmware issue and usually a result of a firmware crash. That is if there are no signs of physical and/or liquid damage because if it so happened that the phone would no longer turn on after a drop on a hard surface or in the water, then it’s no use troubleshooting your device because there’s only so much you can do about its hardware. In such case, you should let a technician fix the problem for you instead of you tinkering your phone, well, that is if you still care about warranty.
But assuming that this problem started without apparent reason or cause, here’s what you’re going to do:
Force restart your Pixel 3
The forced reboot should be the first thing you need to do if you’re dealing with an unresponsive device simply because it’s the most effective solution to a firmware crash. As long as there are no signs of physical and/or liquid damage, the forced reboot could be enough to bring your device back to life.
- Press and hold the Power key for 30 seconds or even more and when the logo shows up on the screen, release it.
If your Pixel 3 boots up after this, then that would be the end of the problem. After all, the main issue is that the device won’t turn on so even if we can only display the logo on the screen, the problem will be changed into something else which is much easier to fix considering the device actually responds. However, if it’s still unresponsive after doing this procedure, then you must try the next solution.
Charge phone and do the Forced Reboot
Here’s the thing, an empty battery isn’t really a problem because most of the time devices would respond immediately once connected to active charger. But there are times when a drained battery would also cause the firmware to crash because some of the components as well as services may not be shut down properly once the battery gets depleted. As a result, you’d be dealing with a couple of minor issues that both result to an unresponsive phone. Here’s what you need to do about it…
- Plug the charger to a working wall outlet and connect your Pixel 3 to it.
- Regardless whether the phone shows it’s charging your not, leave it connected to the charger for at least, 10 minutes.
- After which, press and hold the power key for 30 seconds or more to see if it boots up this time.
Had the problem been caused by a drained battery that resulted to a firmware crash, then your device should already be booting up by now. But if it still remains unresponsive, then it’s time to bring it back to the store or shop so that a technician can check it up for you.
I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your Pixel 3 through this post. Thanks for reading!