Hi all,

Have a Nexus 5, and the on/off button is broken (or there’s an internal fault) – it won’t turn on past the Google startup logo, before restarting again. Google have been heroes and sent me a new phone as it was still under warranty, but I would like to get my texts and some app files off the old phone if possible.

As I can’t turn it on, is that possible?

Thanks,
Duane.

Have you tried plugging it into a computer via USB?

Yup, and it keeps saying turn on/reconnect phone.

Does it have a removable battery?

If so, charge the battery in the good phone, then swap it into the bad phone. Could be the bad one has a charging fault- it sounds like its got an extremely low battery to me.

Battery is not removable (without taking phone to bits), 99% sure it’s not a battery issue. Without being plugged on it will still try to keep restarting, suggesting it isn’t dead.
From reading around it sounds like continuously restarting isn’t that uncommon.

into recovery mode, clear cache (not factory reset as that would lose data) and try again?

I was about to respond with a perfect solution but then re-read the title and realised you weren’t asking how to get dead flies off an android.

Can’t get into recovery mode as it restarts too quickly! 🙁

Not into recovery mode by holding power button and down volume? (thats the method for Nexus 4 anyway)

Next step I’d be looking for some tutorials into prising into the case, I’ve had good results with unresponsive laptops, managed to get them to boot by disconnecting faulty touchpads, front panel switch on a computer. Power button might be getting stuck causing a restart so you could disconnect it and try shorting the contacts the power button was on. Perhaps lop off the audio jack as well. All non-essential stuff.

Could also try disconnecting the internal battery and trying to power it with just USB power.

Nope, can’t get into recovery mode 🙁

Don’t want to take the phone to bits as I need to send it back to Google – plus if I end up fixing it I might have to return the new phone!

Guess I was asking if it’s possible to get stuff off a phone which is turned on – seems not 🙁

Is it rooted? If it is you can probably use ADB to retrieve SMSes etc.

(Insert obligatory lecture about backups here.)

Ah, here.

https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/37492/can-adb-be-used-to-recover-sms-messages-while-in-permanent-safe-mode

In my end of the working day weariness I read that as getting flies of a dead Android. Got me thinking how long has he had it rotting away with a flat battery…