Is my device really defective?

Sometimes your device does not work as expected. In a number of cases you can solve this yourself. By solving the problem yourself, you do not have to send your device in for repair. And that saves time!

Below you will find common problems and their solutions. Click on a problem to read the explanation.

Common problems

• My device does not turn on (anymore)

  Whether your phone is new, or whether you've had it for a while, it can happen that your phone suddenly refuses to turn on. This can have several causes, so please try the following before you send your phone in for repair unnecessarily.

  • Removable battery: Do you have a new device, but you can't switch it on? If you have a device with a removable battery, it is possible that there is still a protective film around the battery. This is located between the contact points of the battery and the device. In that case, remove the back of your device and the battery. Remove the foil and reinsert the battery into the device. Then switch your phone back on.
  
  
  • Empty battery: This may be obvious, but it could be that your phone has been empty for a long time, making it take longer for it to start charging. Put your phone on the charger for at least an hour and see if it turns on.
  
  
  • Faulty charger: If your phone does not want to charge, it may be due to the charger. Try your charger with another phone and try another charger with your phone. Don't forget to change both plug and cable, because it can also be an issue with one of those two things. This way you can check whether the problem is with your phone or with the charger.
  
  
  • Grime in the charging port: If you've had your phone for a while, dust can accumulate in the charging port. This can cause your phone to stop charging. You can try to remove the dust yourself with a special pipette that will blow the air out, or you can try to blow the dust out yourself. If this doesn't work, visit a nearby phone store. They can often remove the dust fairly easily for you.

• My device is not charging

  If your phone does not turn on immediately, your battery may have been flat for some time. In that case, your phone needs a little longer to start charging. Put your phone on the charger for at least an hour and check if it turns on.

  • Faulty charger: If your phone does not want to charge, it may be due to the charger. Try your charger with another phone and try another charger with your phone. Don't forget to change both plug and cable, because it can also be an issue with one of those two things. This way you can check whether the problem is with your phone or with the charger.
  
  
  • Grime in the charging port: If you've had your phone for a while, dust can accumulate in the charging port. This can cause your phone to stop charging. You can try to remove the dust yourself with a special pipette that will blow the air out, or you can try to blow the dust out yourself. If this doesn't work, visit a nearby phone store. They can often remove the dust fairly easily for you.

• My battery drains quickly

  If you have had your phone a bit longer, it can happen that your phone goes empty faster than in the beginning. Even when you've just gotten your phone, the battery can drain faster than you had hoped. The short battery life can be due to different things. Here are a few tips:

  • Update your software: with every software update they try to distribute the power your phone uses correctly. So there is a good chance that if you update your software, your battery life will suddenly be a lot longer again. (Android, iOS)
  
  
  • Restart your phone on a regular basis: Restart your phone on a weekly basis. This prevents unnecessary applications from using the battery and small memory errors from affecting the duration of the battery.
  
  
  • Disable unnecessary functions and apps: Bluetooth, Wifi, and GPS are functions on your phone that you don't need all day, but they use a terrible amount of energy. So always turn them off when you're not using them anymore. Also take a look at your phone's battery settings. There you can see how much battery your phone uses per app.

  You can find all the other tips to prevent short battery life on the page Repair prevention

• My phone is slow

  It is not surprising that after a while your phone responds a little slower than when it was new. Here are a few tips to make sure that your phone responds a little faster:

  • Update your software: With every software update they try to make the hardware of your phone work better with the software on your phone. So, chances are that when you do a software update, your phone will be a bit faster again. (Android, iOS)
  
  
  • Reset phone: By resetting your phone back to factory settings, everything will be restored and it will probably behave as before. All errors will be removed and your files will no longer be in the way. (Android, iOS)
  
  
  • Remove unnecessary content from your phone: Both your storage space and cache memory can cause your phone to become full and therefore slower. Emptying your cache every now and then and keeping track of your files can prevent this from happening.

• My device is not set in the language I want it in

  It is possible that your device displays a language other than Dutch or English the first time it is started up. Most telephones allow you to change languages right from the start. If this is not the case, you can often solve this by inserting your SIM card. Switch the phone off, insert a SIM card from your desired language and restart the phone. Often the option to set your phone to this language will now appear.

• My device has a simlock

  Gomibo only offers unlocked devices. If you have ordered your phone via Gomibo, it is always unlocked. Maybe there is something else going on with your SIM card. Look at the question below, "My phone does not recognise my SIM card" for a solution.
  
  Do you use a non-European SIM card?
  Some phones are equipped with a regional lock, so that a phone made for the European market, for example, cannot be sold in America. At Gomibo we only sell European telephones. If you use a non-European SIM card, it may therefore happen that it does not work because of this region lock.
  
  Region lock expires on many devices by calling (consecutively) for 5 minutes with a European SIM card. In this case, you can try to cancel the regional lock by using the Dutch/European SIM card of a friend or family member and use it to make a call via your phone. You can also purchase a Dutch prepaid card and use it to make calls for 5 minutes. Please note: Region lock cannot always be disabled. We therefore always advise you to use a European SIM card in your device.

• My device does not recognize my SIM card

  If your phone does not ask for a PIN code after inserting your SIM card, your SIM card is probably not being read. First, it's good to know if the problem is with the SIM card or the phone. To do this, carry out a SIM card cross test:

  1. Put your own SIM card in another phone and see if it works;
  2. Put another SIM card in your phone and see if it works.

  If your SIM card doesn't work in another phone either, the problem is with the SIM card. If your phone doesn't work with another SIM card, then the problem is with your phone.
  
  Are you using a cut SIM card? Some devices are very sensitive to the shape of the SIM card and do not work properly if the card is cut a little crooked. Try to see if an original micro or nano SIM card works. To be on the safe side, try the cut SIM card in another device. This way you can find out whether the issue is with the SIM card or with the device.
  
  Was your phone on when you inserted the SIM card? Then restart the device. Is it still not working? Then your phone may have a defect. We are happy to help you solve this. Please see our page Warranty & Repairs.

• My device has no service

  This can be either an issue with your phone or on your SIM card. First try to find out where the problem lies.

  1. First reinsert your SIM card into your phone and restart it. Make sure you have filled in your pincode and check if you have service now.
  2. Don't have service yet? Place your SIM card in another phone. If you do have service, it may be an issue with your phone. To rule this out, it is a good idea to try the following things first. Even if you don't have service, you can try the following things.
  3. Insert another SIM card, e.g. from a friend or family member, into your device. Check if you have service with this card. Do you have service now? Then the problem is with your SIM card or with the coverage of your provider. You can apply for a new SIM card via your provider.
  4. Do you have no service with another SIM card? Then the problem is probably with your device. First try to reset your phone, this often helps to solve the problem.

  Are the above tips not helping? Then of course we are happy to help you solve them. Check out our Warranty and Repairs page.

• My device does not connect to mobile internet

  Not connected to the internet? This may be due to certain settings on your phone. In that case, you can try to manually change the APN settings.

• My screen is not responding

  If your screen does not respond, the TalkBack function of the phone may be enabled. This completely changes the way you operate your phone. Turn the TalkBack function off and your screen should work again.

• My screen has a red glow

  If your device's screen suddenly appears more red than normal, a night mode may be enabled.

  • With Android devices you can check this by swiping from top to bottom twice. This will open the settings, where you can check if night mode is switched on. Disable this function by pressing the button.
  • With iPhones you check this by swiping from bottom to top. This will open the control panel. Hold down the brightness slider for a long time (or press it hard with 3D Touch), and see if True Tone and Night Shift are enabled. Disable both functions by pressing the button.

  Is your problem not solved?
  Then it can also be an issue with the settings on your screen. If you have a phone with an AMOLED, Super AMOLED, or OLED screen, it may be due to the settings on your screen. For most phones, you can open them by tapping on "Settings" and "Screen". If you find an option "Screen calibration" here, you can adjust the colours of your screen using a slider, for example.

• My display has a "dead" or blinking pixel

  Is one of the pixels on your screen colored differently than the rest, or does it blink white when you are calling? In most cases this is a proximity sensor. A proximity sensor is a sensor that can "see" whether you are on the phone and holding your phone to your ear. Your screen is then automatically turned off so that you do not hang up accidentally when you hit your screen with your ear.
  
  For devices with a large notch or wide bezels, the proximity sensor is often incorporated in the notch or bezel. When the display fills the entire front, it is usually incorporated into the display itself.

• My device is slow, often crashes, or suddenly has a short battery life

  If you use your device a lot, the storage will slowly fill up with apps, files, and processes. This can cause your phone to slow down, crash more often, or have a shorter battery life.

  • Delete files: Try deleting files such as apps, photos, movies, and music from your phone. This will reduce the amount of RAM used and increase the available storage space on your device. This often has a positive effect on the speed and battery life.
  • Reset device: If you want to start all over with a clean slate, reset your appliance. This will reset your phone as it was when it came out of the factory. By restoring the factory settings, your phone will delete all files on the device. So first make a backup of the files you want to keep! Restore your phone to factory defaults by going to "Backup and reset" in the settings. Tap "Restore factory settings". Once you've done this, your phone will be completely empty again and the problems will most likely have been fixed.

• My earphones do not give any sound

  If you have in-ear earbuds, such as Apple AirPods, dirt can get into the earbuds. When earbuds suddenly lose their sound, accumulated dirt is usually the cause. Dirt can build up in earbuds if they are not cleaned, so it is important that you clean them regularly. On the Apple website you can read how to clean AirPods. Follow these tips for other in-ear earbuds too.