Database Info

Some Captivates Unable to Use Three Button Recovery

It appears that some newer Captivates being sold suffer from not being able to reboot into download or recovery mode using the three button (VOL UP + VOL DOWN and PWR) combination. These phones will not respond to these key combinations. If you have one of these phones, you have a significantly higher risk of bricking your phone irreversibly since you cannot three button reboot into download mode from a failed flash.
The first two Captivates I used did not have this problem. The two Captivates I got this week both DO have this problem. Others who have purchased their Captivate recently (in the past week) have discovered this problem as well. This indicates it may be more common in newer Captivates.
A number of Galaxy S I9000 have experienced this problem and they have put pressure on Samsung Canada via Facebook to fix the problem. For those affected, I suggest we do the same for our Captivates:
http://www.facebook.com/SamsungMobile?v=wall
Examples of Captivates that can't use three button recovery:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=8066648
and from I9000 users:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=765703

Asked and answered my own question. Relevant information condensed into the post above.

Pretty sure you can still do it... try this
shut down your phone, plug in the usb cable and wait for the battery to come up, then do the key combo.

I call user error. How and why stop key combos? I wouldnt think it would happen.

smokestack76 said:
I call user error. How and why stop key combos? I wouldnt think it would happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've went through 2 cap's also, both cannot do it. I have to use ADB to kick into recovery. Also, in the SRE thread another user had the same issue. All bought within the last week..

Thanks for the heads up. I was planning on swapping mine out because it isn't consistently detecting my SIM card; looks like I should wait for a bit and see if this is a temporary issue.

I swapped mine so its the so called newer one. And i can still use the buttons just fine. Even tried with another one today and still worked fine. So i dunno.

To clearify some issues. Power off. Hold power and BOTH volume buttons down. Thats the key here. Once the att screen comes on wait. Dont do anything. The screen turns off. THEN the screen comes back on. Thats right twice. THEN release the power button. ONLY the power button and continue holding the volume up AND down. You will see recovery menu.

thats exactly how we are doing it. its the download that is having issues though, not recovery. thats holding both vols, pluggin in USB. it should go to Download mode, but it doesnt.

Ok just tested. Same thing with usb plugged in takes you to download.

Make sure odin is up and running. And usb is plugged in when u power off. Not sure if its needed but thats how i tested it.

Worked fine here plugging in a usb after powed off.

If this does not work for you please post a system dump. Or pm me for more help. Kinda wonder why so many users have these issues :-(

I was having these problems as well.. When I first got that phone I tried to boot it into recovery mode, and it wouldn't work.. THe only way I was able to get it into recovery mode was through quick boot.
So while I was flashing the SRE v 1.2.2a somehow it got stuck in a loop of installing the files over and over..
I tried putting the phone into download mode via every button combination people suggested.. I literally am not exaggerating that I spent 4 hours trying over and over..
Today i sent it back rma.

Take your phone back if 3 button recovery mode does not work
malfuncion said:
I've went through 2 cap's also, both cannot do it. I have to use ADB to kick into recovery. Also, in the SRE thread another user had the same issue. All bought within the last week..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is my suggestion. Take your phone back if it does not do the 3 button recovery mode. Otherwise you will sooner or later brick it and not be able to recover:cool. Take it from someone who has bricked one that could not do the 3 button recovery mode. I lucked out and got a new phone that does do the 3 button rec now LOL. Test the phone in the store to ensure it can go into recovery mode.

smokestack76 said:
To clearify some issues. Power off. Hold power and BOTH volume buttons down. Thats the key here. Once the att screen comes on wait. Dont do anything. The screen turns off. THEN the screen comes back on. Thats right twice. THEN release the power button. ONLY the power button and continue holding the volume up AND down. You will see recovery menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did this for about 2 hours on both devices. No joy. If you follow the links I posted in the first post, you'll see that a number of I9000 devices have this problem and now a couple of ours do as well. It has to do with the way they are flashed from the factory.
I can certify (unless I have gone completely mental) than I am doing it the right way. I had two Captivates before this that I could put into download and recovery easily using the vol up + vol down + pwr combo. The last two, no way. Also cannot do the vol up + vol down then plug in USB with ODIN running and ready to get out of brick mode (i.e. computer -!- phone). Which means once bricked, always bricked.
I've attached build info for the device. JF6, built 8.11.2010, hardware is REV0.4.

ok so I am basically screwed then. I just called AT&T and they wont warranty the device. Do I have to call samsung? I got that number: 18889874357.
AT&T didnt even know what a recovery mode was, they wanted to walk me through the factory reset on the phone itself.
Has this issue been confirmed with Samsung?

Called Samsung this morning- actually just got off the line. I spoke to about 3 people, then finally got to level 3 support. They stepped me through the same steps I have read everywhere- the 3 button reset. He actually had me try it a few different ways too. After a second, he put me on hold to see if there is some other way to put the phone into recovery or download mode, but after 5 minutes he came back and had no good news. He had a couple things he googled but they didnt work- of course. He basically resolved the call with "I don't know what to do..." So I then asked if this is an RMA'able problem and he said he didnt think so since the phone functions fine but put me on hold again for another 5 minutes. Finally he came back and said he can setup an RMA to do a factory reflash. It is a 2day air to send it to them, then a flashing, and a 2day back. Should take about a week or so. He suggested I maybe go to AT&T and possibly get it replaced that way first so I will head over to corporate this evening. If that doesnt work then I'm sending it off to Samsung...

I had much difficulty getting into recovery. But it turned out to be a matter of timing. Using the usb cable plugged in seems to change the criteria and made it easier to get into recovery.
What I do now. Phone is off. Wait at least 10 sec after shutdown to ensure it is fully off. In low light you may see a small amount of light coming from the screen then it goes black.
Press both volumes then the power button and hold till the att screen pops up. After att screen is on (the initial screen not the animation) for one or two second. Release power then volume quickly. If that doesn't work try it as design gears describes with the usb cable.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk

Dani897 said:
What I do now. Phone is off. Wait at least 10 sec after shutdown to ensure it is fully off. In low light you may see a small amount of light coming from the screen then it goes black.
Press both volumes then the power button and hold till the att screen pops up. After att screen is on (the initial screen not the animation) for one or two second. Release power then volume quickly. If that doesn't work try it as design gears describes with the usb cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried umpteenth different timings. Now that I have one of my original Captivates back, the difference is clear. I can get it into recovery/download 100% of the time. On both the new ones, 0% -- as in never. It's gonna be a fun conversation at the AT&T store trying to tell them that:
1. The phone is broken because I can't get it to switch into a mode mainly reserved for engineers.
2. I will test the replacement they give me for the same problem and return it if doesn't work.
3. Repeat step 2 until I find one that works.

[SOLVED] Yet another phone bricked...

I know this had been posted all over this forum but I can't for the love of me find a way solve this. By phone won't boot, nothing comes up in the screen everything is black. This happened while trying to do the 3 button fix.
This is what I have tried so far:
All the possible combinations of buttons
Trying to get it to connect with adb on 3 different computers
Tried to see if the usb connection was read by the linux kernel
And nothing...
At this point the only thing I haven't tried is the Jig method that I will try tomorrow. Aside from this is there anything else before having to go to ATT and beg for a new one?
Thanks in advance
Additional Info:
I was running Serendipity 5.10 with the kernel included

Some people have had success getting back into download mode by removing the battery for 30 seconds to a minute then plugging in the USB cable, holding the volume buttons and (continuing to hold the buttons) inserting the battery.

opcow said:
Some people have had success getting back into download mode by removing the battery for 30 seconds to a minute then plugging in the USB cable, holding the volume buttons and (continuing to hold the buttons) inserting the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone was soft bricked last night, this method above helped me get back into download mode. Good luck to the op!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

Drkstar81 said:
My phone was soft bricked last night, this method above helped me get back into download mode. Good luck to the op!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same experience last week. Took several tries, but I finally got back in and flashed a new ROM onto it.

The three button fix requires you to flash a new sbl, right? Chances are pretty high that you permanently bricked your phone and a jig won't do you any good. If the jig doesn't work (and I don't expect it to), you have one of two choices: Buy a riff box and revive your phone by taking out the motherboard and connecting it to the riff box, or mail it back to Samsung and have them do it for you.
Note that using the riff box will definitely void your warranty and Samsung will be able to tell that you took it apart in the event that you eventually send it back to them. Custom roms and bricking supposedly void your warranty, but if you're clever enough over the phone, they'll be none the wiser. Especially in your situation, where the phone doesn't do anything when the power button is pressed.

Thanks to all for your help and will update this thread on what happens for future reference. The jig did not work so the next step is to go beg at an AT&T store for a new phone... Here goes nothing.

masterkoppa said:
Thanks to all for your help and will update this thread on what happens for future reference. The jig did not work so the next step is to go beg at an AT&T store for a new phone... Here goes nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tell them the official 2.2 update did it. "My phone turned off by itself while I was trying to do the update through kies".
Also, if you deal with Samsung directly, they'll mail you back the same phone, so if you got one of the lucky ones with a functioning GPS, you might want to hang on to it by dealing with Samsung instead of ATT.

I took out the SIM, and battery for more than 30 seconds, enter recovery using 3 button mode, open ODIN, attach cable and flash to Eclair...worked fine. Installed SIM after everything worked.

As modest_android pointed out nothing at this point works. I managed to get a hold of AT&T yesterday and they'll send me a new phone overnight.
Thanks to everyone for their help.

[Q] Phone won't boot into recovery or otherwise

Hi there,
Sorry but I think I finally found the right forum for this and I wanted to take one more stab before kissing this phone goodbye.
I have a Rogers Galaxy SGH-i727R. About three weeks ago, the phone started re-starting on it's own. I though maybe it was a sticky power key and had that replaced. The problem persisted. I then noticed that it was primarily upon receiving text messages that the phone would reboot. So it seemed it was a software issue. I am running the stable build of CM9.
Yesterday the phone rebooted and never got off the angry alien screen. I pulled the battery, charged it etc and still could not get it to fully boot up. I left it for over an hour. I finally decided to call it quits and re-flash the phone. Problem is, it will not boot into recovery at all. When I hold down Vol + - and Power, it jsut goes into a loop of vibrating every three seconds until I let go and then it tries a normal boot again. Once, I briefly got a screen saying I was trying to install custom software and to press volume up to do so, but before I could hit volume up, the phone cycled off.
I should also mention that the four buttons on the bottom of the screen do not work. I accidentally sliced the wires on the side of the phone when opening it up. I use a software button saver widget to access their functions. I wonder if that issue is related....
Thanks for any advice. I would like to get into recovery so I can load a new ROM or a stock ROM.

If you haven't ventured there yet in this forum I'd recommend Vincom's roundup on just about everything http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1652398. I don't know if it will help much in your situation but it's worth a look. Also, you may want to research usb jigs, not sure if they will work with our devices though ... research is the key word.

tonyrage.stc said:
Hi there,
Sorry but I think I finally found the right forum for this and I wanted to take one more stab before kissing this phone goodbye.
I have a Rogers Galaxy SGH-i727R. About three weeks ago, the phone started re-starting on it's own. I though maybe it was a sticky power key and had that replaced. The problem persisted. I then noticed that it was primarily upon receiving text messages that the phone would reboot. So it seemed it was a software issue. I am running the stable build of CM9.
Yesterday the phone rebooted and never got off the angry alien screen. I pulled the battery, charged it etc and still could not get it to fully boot up. I left it for over an hour. I finally decided to call it quits and re-flash the phone. Problem is, it will not boot into recovery at all. When I hold down Vol + - and Power, it jsut goes into a loop of vibrating every three seconds until I let go and then it tries a normal boot again. Once, I briefly got a screen saying I was trying to install custom software and to press volume up to do so, but before I could hit volume up, the phone cycled off.
I should also mention that the four buttons on the bottom of the screen do not work. I accidentally sliced the wires on the side of the phone when opening it up. I use a software button saver widget to access their functions. I wonder if that issue is related....
Thanks for any advice. I would like to get into recovery so I can load a new ROM or a stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I can tell you is that your problem sounds exactly like a stuck power button. I know you replaced it but all the symptoms you point out suggest stuck power button. Maybe try cleaning it again?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

rushi.1986 said:
All I can tell you is that your problem sounds exactly like a stuck power button. I know you replaced it but all the symptoms you point out suggest stuck power button. Maybe try cleaning it again?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes but i wouldn't rule out
I should also mention that the four buttons on the bottom of the screen do not work. I accidentally sliced the wires on the side of the phone when opening it up. I use a software button saver widget to access their functions. I wonder if that issue is related....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

rushi.1986 said:
All I can tell you is that your problem sounds exactly like a stuck power button. I know you replaced it but all the symptoms you point out suggest stuck power button. Maybe try cleaning it again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But if it were a stuck power button it would not stay on the loading screen indefinitely, no? If I hold down the power button while booting, it will turn the phone off.

Hold vol +- and pwr until it vibrates let go of pwr continue to hold vol +-. You were letting go of all of them at once going by your described method.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

mtdew said:
Hold vol +- and pwr until it vibrates let go of pwr continue to hold vol +-. You were letting go of all of them at once going by your described method.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
****. I am a total moron. The phone still reboots after receiving a text but I was able to boot into recovery. Thanks.

[Q] Weird power button?

Hey Guys -
You guys were all so helpful last time that I had to come back because I'm at my wits end with this problem I'm having.
I've been running stable cyanogen for a while now and, all of a sudden, it seems as if the power button on my phone won't work. It's more of an annoyance than anything really, the screen sometimes flashes on or "sleeps" by itself. At one point the problem actually cured itself and I could use the power button again, but then it all messed up again. Currently can't use the power button at all. Seems like a software issue more than hardware though.
So anyways, I'm trying to flash a new rom on (figuring that might fix the power button issue) and I just cannot get into TWRP. I'm sure it has to do with the power button, but the farthest I can get it to is that blue screen that says "Team Recovery", it never fully goes into TWRP though.
Any ideas? Do I have to act as if its soft-bricked and go back to stock software?
Thanks in advance!

no ideas at all?

Probably best to Odin stock. Especially since you can't get into TWRP. If you want you could try reflashing TWRP. You can do it via GooManager or Odin. But it really sounds like a hardware issue.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Just had the same problem. Since about October 1st had the same exact power button problems. Had a warranty at bestbuy though so am getting a new one shortly. If you have a warranty Odin back to stock and bring it in. Just be ready for one hell of a night getting it back to stock. If the phone reboots after Odin it might go into bootloop because of the power button problem. I had to continually bang it on a table while holding down and home for hours.
Make sure you use the "Official VRALG1 4.0.4" from here under section 5 - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762709 . I used VRBMF1 thinking I could save myself some update time. That was the biggest time waste because getting back to download mode with the bad power button was brutal.
Also, just remember if the phone turns off a good amount of bashing it on a table works to jar the power button sometimes. Around the power button of course. Good luck.

Lol, just posted this same thing in anther thread... "quickboot" from the store will get you into recovery.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

[Q]Nexus 5 boot loop at Google logo!

Hi,
I've been using Nexus 5 since Nov '13, but this is the first time i'm facing a serious issue in my device.
I was browsing through Chrome and my Battery was 73%, all of a sudden my device rebooted and here comes the main issue/problem.
My device is suffering a boot loop only displaying the google logo for 3-5 seconds and again it reboots.
Occasionally the boot animation starts but no success, again it reboots.
I tried to enter fastboot menu, it enters but it doesn't stay there for not more than 2 seconds. So I can't make any choice over there.
I tried all the combinations (VOL UP+ Power, VOL DOWN+Power, pressing all the buttons), but its of no use.
My device is out of power now.
Even when I plug my device to charger/computer its not showing the battery charging animation instead the reboot loop occurs.
I suspect it can be a problem with the power button in the board.
What do you guys think?
Is there any Solution for this weird problem?
hoping for possible and positive replies.
My device details:
I'm running Stock Android 4.4.4 with stock kernel.(not modified any system files)
TWRP recovery V 2.7.1.1
UNLOCKED ( @present Locked)
ROOTED. @present Unrooted)

Try pressing the power button hard and see if it helps. Probably a power button failure.

vin4yak said:
Try pressing the power button hard and see if it helps. Probably a power button failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your suggestion, but I tried holding the power button for more than couple of minutes, No use of it.
While charging I can't even completely turn off the device, the bootloop occurs continuosly.
I've kept in charge for about 30 minutes but no change in its behaviour.
I haven't recorded the video, I searched youtube and found the exact problem.
here is the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzj73qYg5HA
this is what happening to my device.

prvn234 said:
Thanks for your suggestion, but I tried holding the power button for more than couple of minutes, No use of it.
While charging I can't even completely turn off the device, the bootloop occurs continuosly.
I've kept in charge for about 30 minutes but no change in its behaviour.
I haven't recorded the video, I searched youtube and found the exact problem.
here is the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzj73qYg5HA
this is what is happening to my device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said earlier, it's most probably a power button failure. RMA the device or get it repaired at a LG service center.

vin4yak said:
As I said earlier, it's most probably a power button failure. RMA the device or get it repaired at a LG service center.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think its the only solution available.
Can i claim warranty?
Because my device is unlocked and rooted.

prvn234 said:
I think its the only solution available.
Can i claim warranty?
Because my device is unlocked and rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope..Unlocking will void it.

gamer.11 said:
Nope..Unlocking will void it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it is not.
---------- Post added at 08:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:58 AM ----------
prvn234 said:
I think its the only solution available.
Can i claim warranty?
Because my device is unlocked and rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can. Google don't care about root and unlock, just like LG in case of nexus 5 because it is a google phone.

prvn234 said:
I think its the only solution available.
Can i claim warranty?
Because my device is unlocked and rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you've bought your phone from google play store, then RMA it. Google accepts rooted/unlocked devices as well. However, LG is a different story altogether. Here in India, they don't provide warranty if the bootloader is unlocked. Whether it's a nexus device or not. You will need to check it up.

Thanks a lot.
bitdomo said:
No, it is not.
---------- Post added at 08:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:58 AM ----------
Yes you can. Google don't care about root and unlock, just like LG in case of nexus 5 because it is a google phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vin4yak said:
If you've bought your phone from google play store, then RMA it. Google accepts rooted/unlocked devices as well. However, LG is a different story altogether. Here in India, they don't provide warranty if the bootloader is unlocked. Whether it's a nexus device or not. You will need to check it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for clearing my doubts.
I have decided to reach the nearest LG care and look up for a solution.

My deviced turned on.... but after 5 minutes its off again
by making some irregular presses in the power button. the device turned on.

prvn234 said:
Hi,
I've been using Nexus 5 since Nov '13, but this is the first time i'm facing a serious issue in my device.
I was browsing through Chrome and my Battery was 73%, all of a sudden my device rebooted and here comes the main issue/problem.
My device is suffering a boot loop only displaying the google logo for 3-5 seconds and again it reboots.
Occasionally the boot animation starts but no success, again it reboots.
I tried to enter fastboot menu, it enters but it doesn't stay there for not more than 2 seconds. So I can't make any choice over there.
I tried all the combinations (VOL UP+ Power, VOL DOWN+Power, pressing all the buttons), but its of no use.
My device is out of power now.
Even when I plug my device to charger/computer its not showing the battery charging animation instead the reboot loop occurs.
I suspect it can be a problem with the power button in the board.
What do you guys think?
Is there any Solution for this weird problem?
hoping for possible and positive replies.
My device details:
I'm running Stock Android 4.4.4 with stock kernel.(not modified any system files)
TWRP recovery V 2.7.1.1
UNLOCKED
ROOTED.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue happening here. All the place I go searcing for an answer andthey say that it is related to software. I suspect too that might be something to do with the power button. I've tried to open it, took of the motherboard, but it seems to be okay.
I have a Black Nexus 5 16gb, 4.4.3. Unrooted Locked

provetti said:
I have the same issue happening here. All the place I go searcing for an answer andthey say that it is related to software. I suspect too that might be something to do with the power button. I've tried to open it, took of the motherboard, but it seems to be okay.
I have a Black Nexus 5 16gb, 4.4.3. Unrooted Locked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might be an issue with the power button.
In my case it was the power button, which tends to rattle and its not fit enough.
As I lost the copy of bill, i can't send the device to LG care.
So today morning I tried pressing the power button and as soon as the google logo appears I started to tap fast at the back cover with my finger right behind the power button.
SURPRISE! the device booted succesfully and was using for about couple of minutes.
Again it started to boot loop.
did the same procedure to boot. now my device is running for more than three hours and I don't know when it would again go to bootloop.
Its just the problem with my power button and I will soon get the bill copy from my retailer so that i will send the device for repair/replacement.
Meanwhile I've locked my device and set the tamper flag to false.
EDIT:- Now my device is back to normal. Thanks for your valuable responses. Its just the power button failure.

Useless service centers!
Today I went with my device to LG service center, but they were not ready to accept my words regarding this issue.
Surprisingly I found almost more than 6 peoples who bought their Nexus 5 for the same reason.
The technical person in the service center said that it might be due to software update and he suggested a silly solution, After each OTA update he asked me to uninstall each and every app and reinstall again.
I was repeatedly arguing him that it was a Hardware problem and its related to power button, he is not ready to take my words.
I also explained that when the problem existed in my mobile, in OFF condition if device is shaked too much it turns ON without even pressing the power button.
As many of them were waiting there with the same problem I just showed live demo of the problem.
Finally they said if again the problem occurs we should remove the cover and disconnect the battery and then again reconnect it.
Really frustrated spending a whole day in the service center. Main reason is the person in the service centers and technically backward and they were not able to understand the problem.
Is there any other solution available other than service center (Is there any possibilites of contacting google tech support directly) so that my power button gets repaired before the warranty ends!!!!!!

Progress
prvn234 said:
It might be an issue with the power button.
In my case it was the power button, which tends to rattle and its not fit enough.
As I lost the copy of bill, i can't send the device to LG care.
So today morning I tried pressing the power button and as soon as the google logo appears I started to tap fast at the back cover with my finger right behind the power button.
SURPRISE! the device booted succesfully and was using for about couple of minutes.
Again it started to boot loop.
did the same procedure to boot. now my device is running for more than three hours and I don't know when it would again go to bootloop.
Its just the problem with my power button and I will soon get the bill copy from my retailer so that i will send the device for repair/replacement.
Meanwhile I've locked my device and set the tamper flag to false.
EDIT:- Now my device is back to normal. Thanks for your valuable responses. Its just the power button failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THANK YOU!!! This is the most helpful tip I've found so far! I started tapping its back part while charging the battery, and then I was able to turn it on, but when I quit tapping it the phone shuts down. It is really something related to the power button because the phone was locking itself constantly while it was working. I made some progress and I will keep trying until I make it work permanently. If you have any more helpful tip, please, share it with us! I've been trying to fix it for 3 weeks and Im getting crazy with this! Also, I moved to Brazil and there's no warranty here, so that's why Im trying to fix it by myself.
Did you contact Google and get it finally fixed?
Thank you and good luck!

i faced the exact same problem..
initially i thought it's a software problem..but in reality it was a hardware fault.. power button was stuck may be..
after repeatedly pressing the power button phone finally booted up..
thanks for the tip

I have the same problem I don't know if I can give the phone to LG care cause I'm in Mexico and I shop my nexus in usa. I have noticed that if I unplug the phone to the charger while Google logo is on the device turns off

Started happening to me a few hours ago....
tapping close to the power button seems to work but it shuts down once u stop.
attempted to repair it myself but im not seeing anything physically wrong with the tiny power button (inside).
leaving the phone off for a few hours. hope that works.....anyone else found a solution besides returning it to Google?
edit: I solved the problem!!!! (voided my warranty as well. lol)
the physical power button (internal) was stuck.
1. I opened the nexus 5 (using any repair guide)
2. I located the internal power button (very tiny)
3. I gave it a few taps with the base of my screwdriver (not too hard but not too soft either)
after re-assembling (partially) the phone came on for about 10 minutes but the problem started happening again so i disassembled it once more.
THE FOLLOWING MAY NOT BE AN ACTUAL FIX (I PROBABLY JUST GOT LUCKY)
4. (looking from above) the power button is square (half is white and the other half is yellow).......i used a razor blade and gently separated the two halves....not completely separated, just a tiny bit. completely separating the white from the yellow would destroy it.
5. gave it a few taps again and now the phone is working fine.
I hope this helps someone who is unable to return their phone to Google.
I tried to explain what I did as clearly as possible. I will be happy to answer any questions asked.

Same problem
Hey Guys. Same problem here. I was sending a whatsapp message and boom. OFF. I tried to connect it to power but it turns on for a few second, shows google logo and the unlocked bootloader and turns off and again and again..it was at 52% battery charge....I'm unlocked, rooted and on cm11. Reading here, i have understand that it's a hardware issue, and i've bought it since 8 months, so can I RMA it? I'm in Italy and i've bought it from play store..
SORRY FOR MY BAD ENGLISH

prvn234 said:
by making some irregular presses in the power button. the device turned on.
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Click to collapse
What did you finally do? I have the same problem.

Workaround to keep your data
I had the same problem already twice. It appears that the cache partitions on the phone is corrupted and therefore Android won't boot. As long as you have an unlocked bootloader you can bring your phone back to life without loosing your personal files. If your bootloader is locked, you have to unlock it first( see here http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/guide-nexus-5-how-to-unlock-bootloader-t2507905). This is how it worked for me:
Connect your phone to the PC and bring it into fastboot mode
Download the Factory Android image from https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images
extract the images from the zip
run "fastboot flash cache cache.img"
restart phone
Done
I hope this can be of help.