Motorola Photon 4G Troubleshooting

Released July 2011, also known as the Motorola MB855

The power button is pressed and the device does not make any indication of activating.

If the device does not turn on, then the battery may need to be charged.

If the device does not turn on then a new battery should be installed in the device. Replace with a new battery.

If the device does not turn on then the motherboard may be faulty and may have to be replaced. Replace with a new motherboard.

If the device does not turn on after being charged, then the battery may be defective and will no longer hold a charge. Replace with a new battery.

The device does not show any indication of being charged

The battery may be defective and no longer be able to hold a charge. Replace with a new battery.

Check to see if the charger is plugged into the power outlet. If it is and the phone is not charging, the charger may be defective or the wall outlet may be defective. Try to using another charger or plugging the charger into a different power outlet.

The phone deactivates itself on its own.

Press the power button. It is possible that the phone screen is just timed out and the screen has turned black to conserve battery power.

The motherboard may be faulty. Replace with a new motherboard.

The screen on the device is not on even when the device is active.

On the Motorola Photon 4G there are two ways to wake the screen up. You must push the power button located on the top right corner of the phone or open the kickstand which will enable landscape mode and wake up the screen.

If the screen on the device is cracked then a new one will need to be installed. Replace with a new screen.

If the screen on the device will not turn on then a new one will need to be installed.

If the screen is not responding, the electrical connections between the LCD and motherboard may be at fault. To access the connections, you will need to open the phone as if you are replacing a cracked screen. If the connections are found to be faulty, soldering may be required to re-establish electrical flow. Replace with a new screen.

The motherboard may be dysfunctional. Replace with a new motherboard.

Your battery may have died. If the phone does not work when the battery is fully charged or when the phone is plugged in, it may be necessary to replace the battery. Replace with a new battery.

Pressing the buttons does nothing.

Make sure that you are pressing the buttons down completely.

The key may not be making contact with the motherboard. Replace with a new motherboard.

When making a call you cannot hear the person on the other line.

If you cannot hear the other line when making a call then the earpiece may be faulty. The earpiece should be checked and possibly replaced. Replace with a new earpiece.

If the speaker is not performing properly when putting the call on speaker then a new one must be installed. Replace with a new speaker.

If sound is muffled or distorted, water damage may be the problem. If phone was in contact with water, allow to dry before taking more drastic replacement measures. If it still doesn't work after drying, then replace with a new speaker.

The speaker of the device is making a distorted sound when placing calls.

If the speaker is not performing properly then a new one must be installed. Replace with a new speaker.

"The audio cannot be heard through using headphones in the headphone jack."

The headphones may be defective and audio cannot be heard from them. Try to use a different pair of headphones.

If the headphones are not faulty, check to see if any of the phone applications that play audio are active. If audio is supposed to be heard from the applications but is not, then the headphone jack may be faulty. Replace with a new Headphone Jack.