VTech InnoTab 3S Troubleshooting

When the power button is pressed, the device does not turn on.

The most likely solution to this issue is that the batteries are not charged or need to be replaced.

If you are using the rechargeable battery pack, please plug in the device, wait at least two hours, and then try to turn it on.

If you are using AA batteries, remove them and replace with four new AA batteries from the same brand.

Another solution would be to check the battery connection.

Please remove the batteries from the device. Leave the batteries out of the device for 1 minute. Place the batteries back into the device. Press the power button for 5 seconds to see if the device turns on.

If this fails there may be an issue within the device, such as a loose wire.

When using the device, the battery only seems to last a few hours or even minutes before it needs to be charged again.

A possible cause is that the battery is at the end of its lifespan and needs to be replaced. Purchase a new rechargeable battery pack or replace the batteries with four new AA batteries.

There is no or an incorrect display is projected on the screen. Pressing the power button does not help solve the problem.

Disconnect all batteries and adapters from the device. Insert them back into the device and hold the power button to turn it back on.

Remove the cartridge from the device and clean if necessary. Insert the cartridge back into the device and try turning it back on.

If the problem persists, check if the cartridge is damaged and replace it accordingly.

When using the device, it does not play any sounds or if it does, they are distorted.

If the audio coming out of the device is distorted, try pressing the lower volume button until the volume is displayed as zero.

Afterwards, raise the volume once more to see if the speakers are working properly. A possible cause of a distorted volume is when the speakers are clipping, due to too much volume that the speakers can't handle.

If the problem persists see below.

If the audio isn't working properly the device may need to be restarted.

Hold the power button for up to five seconds or until the screen flashes off, then press the power button again to turn it back on.

If the problem persists, see solutions below.

If the audio isn't working properly, the speakers may have dust on them, they could have gone bad or a loose connection inside the device.

Carefully open up the front panel of the device. If it appears dusty, gently clean the speaker and check to make sure there aren't loose wires.

Look for any signs of an electrical short such as a burn-mark or strange smell coming from the device. If you observe any of these signs, the speaker has likely blown out and will need to be replaced.

If there aren't any of these signs, close the front panel and restart the device to check if the audio is working.

If the audio still isn't working, the speaker may have blown out. See our (Speaker Replacement Guide).

After powering on the device, the buttons do not seem to work.

Hold the power button for at least five seconds or until the screen flashes off. Then press the power button again to turn the screen back on.

Test the buttons to see if they have regained functionality.

If the problem persists see solution below.

If any of the buttons on the device aren't responding this may be caused by dust clogging the button input or loose wires.

Carefully remove the front panel. Blow out all visible dust particles and check to make sure there aren't any loose wires.

Secure the front panel correctly, restart the device and check to see if the buttons are working again.

When using an application that uses the camera, the camera does not display or the video is distorted and pixelated.

If the cameras image is distorted, try restarting the device.

Press and hold the power button for at least five seconds or until screen flashes off. Then press the power button again to turn the screen back on.

Restart the application that uses the camera and check to see if the image is working properly.

If the previous solution didn't work, the camera is probably broken.

Please see our Camera Replacement Guide.

When using the device, it becomes extremely hard to select the correct icon.

If the touchscreen is not working properly, it most likely needs to be recalibrated.

In order to manually recalibrate the touch screen, switch off the device and hold the “Home”, “Question mark” and “Speaker” button at the same time, while turning the device back on.

The screen will then display the steps needed to recalibrate the device.

If the touchscreen is cracked, it most likely needs to be replaced. Please see our "(Touchscreen Replacement Guide)"