How to restart Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro without the power button

When the switch on a smartphone stops responding, the owner of the Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro can be taken by surprise.This device, also known as the Prada, has a physical design where mechanical wear of the key becomes a real problem over time. If the screen goes out and the phone needs to be started urgently, standard methods are useless.

However, do not despair, as the architecture of Android and the specifics of the shell. MIUI There are several workarounds to power management, some of which require simply connecting the charger, others require a computer connection via a power supply. USB-It is important to understand that the choice of method depends on the current state of the system: whether the phone is turned off completely or simply the screen is turned off with the processor running.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all known ways to activate and restart a device without the involvement of a damaged control. We will consider both debugging software and hardware combinations available on the smartphone board.

Diagnostics of the condition of Redmi 4 Pro

Before you start active action, you need to clearly define the current status of the Redmi 4 Pro. Often users mistakenly believe that the phone is turned off, when in fact it is in deep sleep or getting stuck with a black screen. If the motor vibrates when connecting to charging or the LED lights up, then the battery has a charge, and the system is functioning.

If the device is responding to the network connection, but the screen is black, it's likely that the GUI or system has failed, and that's where the forced reboot through the software commands is the safest solution, and if the phone is completely inert, doesn't show signs of life even if you're connected to a powerful power supply for a long time, the situation gets complicated.

It's worth noting that a long-term discharge of a lithium polymer battery to a deep discharge state can simulate a button breakage, and in this situation, the power controller blocks the device from starting until the minimum charge is dialed, so the first thing to do is to leave the smartphone on charge for at least 30-40 minutes, even if the screen does not light up.

⚠️ Note: If the smartphone heats up when connected to charging, but the screen does not turn on for more than an hour, it may be a problem with a malfunction of the display or plume, and not in the switch on button.

Diagnosis also involves checking the touchscreen response, try to swipe or touch the screen, and if you hear a locking sound or you feel a vibration, then the system is working, and the problem is only displaying or freezing the interface, in which case the methods of software rebooting through ADB will be most effective.

Using Recovery Mode to Start Up

One of the most reliable ways to turn on the Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro with a power button that is broken is to log into Recovery mode. This mode loads regardless of the state of the main operating system and allows you to control the basic functions of the device. To enter this mode on most Xiaomi devices, you need to simultaneously press the volume and power button, which creates a problem when the latter breaks.

However, there is a technique that allows you to bypass the need to hold the power button, provided that the phone is at least partially responsive to charging. USB-Cable and simultaneously press the Volume button+ (Volume increase: In some versions of the bootloader, this can trigger logging into the recovery menu or Fastboot mode, from where power can already be controlled.

If you get into the Recovery menu (usually a black screen with a multilingual menu or an orange Mi-Recovery menu), the navigation is done with volume buttons and the power button is the choice. But how do you choose a item if the button doesn't work? Here comes the feature of some versions of the recovery, where connecting a USB cable can emulate a press, or you can use the method of blind navigation, knowing the order of the items.

It's important to understand that logging into Recovery is not just a way to reboot, but also access to reset features. Be careful when choosing menu items, as random selection of Wipe Data will result in the loss of all user data. The main goal here is to find the Reboot or Reboot to System item.

Reboot via computer and ADB

The most professional and controlled method of managing the Redmi 4 Pro is the use of an Android debugging bridge known as ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires prior preparation: the phone must be enabled to debug over USB, and the computer must have drivers and platform tools installed. If these conditions are met, you get full control of the device.

First, you need to connect your smartphone to your PC. If the phone screen is active but the button is not working, just connect them with a cable. If the screen is black but the phone is on, the connection to the computer can wake the device up, especially if previously accessed data was allowed. Open the command line on your computer and enter a command to check the connection:

adb devices

If a device with device status appears on the list, the connection is established. To perform a reboot, you just need to enter the following command:

adb reboot

This command sends a signal to the kernel to restart, completely ignoring the physical buttons, but if the phone is turned off and not detected in normal mode, you can try to turn it into Fastboot mode (if you can pinch the volume when you connect the cable) and use the command:

fastboot reboot

If the phone is completely powered down or is in deep sleep without a USB reaction, the ADB method will not work until the device is activated, and in such cases, the ADB serves as a tool for softly restarting a working but locked system.

Hardware method: closing the contacts of the battery

When software methods are not available and the power button is physically broken, the only option is hardware intervention, which requires disassembling the Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro and is only suitable for those with experience with small electronics. The essence of the method is to simulate the press of a button by closing the corresponding contacts on the motherboard or directly on the button plume.

First, you have to remove the back cover (which is difficult because it's glued) or bend it back, warm up the edge, then turn off the plume of the display and battery, and find the contacts that are responsible for the on button on the board (usually called the multimeter in continuous mode), you can briefly close them with metal tweezers, which signals to the power controller to press.

There is also a method of closing contacts on the battery itself, but it is extremely dangerous and can lead to a short circuit or fire, so we strongly recommend not using it without professional equipment. TP (Test Points) intended for service inclusion, if available in this Board revision.

⚠️ Warning: Opening the Redmi 4 Pro case automatically deprives you of warranty.Closing the contacts can lead to permanent damage to the motherboard if you confuse polarity or touch neighboring elements.

If you are unsure of your soldering or electronics skills, you should contact a service center.Replacing the power button is a standard and inexpensive procedure that will return the phone to full functionality and eliminate the need to use "crutches" to turn on.

Set up automatic switching on schedule

To minimize the need for a physical button in the future, Xiaomi owners should take advantage of the built-in automatic on and off feature, which allows you to configure the phone so that it will start at a given time, even if it was completely turned off.

To set up this feature while the phone is still running, go to the Settings menu, then select the Battery and Performance section (or simply Battery in newer versions of MIUI). In the upper right corner, click on the gear icon or look for Power Planner, where you can set on and off times for each day of the week.

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Set up an automatic phone turn on 5 minutes before your alarm clock, so you can wake up to the music of your smartphone, even if the power button finally stops working.

Activating this function creates a software bridge through the power lock. If the phone is turned off, the system timer (RTC) will signal to turn on at a given hour, which is the perfect way to wake up the device in the morning if it was turned off at night and the button is not working.

However, it is worth remembering that this method only works if there is at least some charge left in the battery and if the phone was not disassembled with the battery removed. Also make sure that the settings do not prohibit working in the off state, although this is implemented in MIUI quite reliably.

Use of the “Double tapping” function

Another useful feature of the MIUI shell that can save the day is "Dual tap unlock." While it's designed to turn the screen on from sleep mode rather than turning the phone completely off, it can help in situations where the phone is "hang" with a black screen.

If you see the phone responding to calls or notifications (vibration or light) but the screen is black, active tapping on the display can wake the system. To activate this option, go to Settings → Lock Screen → Additional (or Lock Settings) and turn on Double Touch to turn the screen on/off.

This feature uses the touch layer of the display to signal the wake of the processor. Unlike the Power button, the sensor in the Redmi 4 Pro fails much less often. If the screen is broken, but the touchscreen partially works, this method may be the only way to interact with the interface to conduct further reboot through the software menu.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions