You’re probably wondering, “Why are the buttons on my Samsung phone failing?” Like everything, this type of problem has its explanation, but the most important thing is that we’re going to show you how to solve most of the problems you may encounter with your Galaxy phone.
Physical buttons like the power button and volume rocker are vital to the functionality of any Samsung Galaxy. However, over time or after an update, they can become unresponsive, behave abnormally, or even not work at all. These problems can have physical, software, or even configuration causes, but fortunately, in most cases, they can be fixed.
The truth is, as we’ve mentioned, the reasons are often of a different nature and sometimes even coincidental, but let’s look at each of the problems we may encounter, case by case.
I can’t turn the volume up or down.
One of the most common problems is that your volume buttons may not respond, become stuck, or perform actions on their own (raising or lowering the volume without you touching them) randomly and without any apparent explanation. These are the steps you should follow to resolve this issue:
- Remove the case or cover. Sometimes it presses the button and prevents it from returning to its original position.
- Clean the button area with a soft brush or a cotton swab lightly moistened with isopropyl alcohol.
- Check that the button is not damaged, otherwise, it will fail again.
- Test with Samsung Members: Open the app > Diagnostics > Button Test.
- If it doesn’t detect the keystroke, it could be a fault with some of your phone’s components.
- Update the system by going to Settings and accessing Software Update.
If the problem persists, reset your system settings or have the keypad or key sensor replaced by a service center.
When the power button isn’t responding, it won’t lock you out or turn on your phone. It can also do unexpected things (such as opening various native phone functions). This can also be due to physical problems, incorrect settings, or software issues. Here’s a step-by-step solution to avoid this problem:
- Check to see if the button is loose or depressed. If so, it’s probably a physical defect.
- Check the side key settings :
- Open Settings
- Go to Advanced Features
- Check, Side Key
- Make sure it is set to show the shutdown menu
- If your phone is frozen, force restart by pressing Volume Down + Power for 10 seconds.
- Activate the assistance menu (floating button on the screen):
- From Settings
- Go to Accessibility
- Click on Interaction and Skill
- And finally, go to the Support Menu. This way, you can lock your phone without using the physical button.
This is usually due to a ” phantom touch ” or power failure. The phone interprets a button as having been pressed even if you didn’t. In this case, check the following:
- Clean the button area as explained before.
- Update the software in case the bug was fixed in a newer version.
- If it continues, consult a technical service, as it could be a short or damage to the button module of your Samsung Galaxy.
The virtual buttons (Back, Home, and Recent Apps) are an essential part of One UI navigation and something its users frequently use. Although they’re integrated into the screen and don’t look like physical buttons, they can stop working properly for a variety of reasons: system crashes, errors after a system update, or even poorly applied screen savers.
Many users have complained that the “Recent Apps” button stops working without warning. They press it, it lights up, but nothing happens. What can you do in these circumstances? Here’s a solution:
- Restart the device; most likely, it is a random failure.
- If the error continues:
- Open Settings
- Go to Advanced Features
- Click on Labs (if available) and disable experimental enhancements.
- Another alternative would be:
- Go to Settings
- Enter Home Screen
- Go to Show recent app suggestions and turn it off
- Update your system or enter safe mode to rule out an app interfering with these functions.
Sometimes, when you tap the Back or Home button on the screen, nothing happens, or the touch is even misdetected. Possible solutions include the following:
- Check if there are any screen protectors that are incorrectly positioned, especially if they cover the bottom edge of the phone or leave any surface uncovered. This can even cause dirt to accumulate in this area and prevent it from working. It can also interfere if you have dropped it and broken the protector, which can transmit the touch poorly, which could be the reason why it is not working. So remove it if you suspect it is affecting the touch, and it will probably work correctly.
- Activate the assistance menu from Settings > Accessibility to access floating navigation buttons as a temporary solution that may help.
- If the error persists, clear the One UI cache:
- Turn off your cell phone.
- Turn it on by holding Volume Up + Power.
- In the recovery menu, select “Wipe cache partition”.
- Reboot.
In One UI 6 or later versions, many users think the buttons have been disabled, when in fact the system has switched to shape gestures by default.
How to recover disabled buttons:
- Go to Settings
- Tap on the Screen
- Access the Navigation Bar.
- Switch from “ Swipe gestures ” to “ Navigation buttons ”.
- Customize the order if you want it another way: Back right or back left.
The phone does things as if it were possessed
Sometimes it seems like your phone is “going crazy,” having a bad day, or being a ghost: it opens apps or backs up menus on its own. In reality, it could be a software glitch or a physical fault in the screen digitizer. Applying this solution can get rid of this problem:
- Restart the device.
- If the problem persists, try in safe mode:
- Turn off your cell phone.
- Turn it on by holding Volume Down while booting.
- If everything works fine in safe mode, an app is causing this error. Check the most recent ones or those that modify the interface.
- If the error persists in safe mode, it may be a more serious physical problem. In that case, contact technical support.
