Hero 4 Silver not turning on or charging [ New ]

[Anonymous]

My Hero 4 wont turn on or charge,

its in good condition and hasnt been used all that much, heres what ive tried so far...

Removed the battery, SD card, and any accessories. Reinsert just the battery to see if it will charge. 

Tried plugging in the camera without a battery so that it just runs on external power.

Nothing has worked so far.

any other suggestions?

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

I'd like to add my 2 cents to this one.  

This week I had the same problem with my Silver.  I was driving to work and noticed the LED wasn't blinking any more, so I knew it had stopped recording.  The camera was turned off and wouldn't turn on.  I connected a USB charger, and didn't get a Charging Indicator.

I removed the battery and reinstalled it.  That has fixed all kinds of lockup troubles before, but it didn't work this time.

When I got home I tried my other battery and charger. No dice.

I contacted Tech Support and they recommended an extended charging period with both batteries to see if the light eventually come on.  It didn't.

I left the battery out of the camera overnight.  Yesterday, just for the heck of it, I tried charging it again.  As soon as I put a battery in it, it came to life.  The LCD said it was repairing a damaged file.  It works and charged like it should.

So, maybe give that a try.  Leave the battery out overnight to see if it comes back to life the next day.  I am not certain that is why mine has rejuvenated itself, but it's free to try.  

Joe

[mattb]

Hi @Anonymous, 

Thanks for trying those different troubleshooting steps. Have you by chance tried a different batter or tried your battery in a different HERO4 camera? 

I'd also recommend trying a different cable and a different power source. Just make sure that if you're plugging into a wall that the adapter you're using emits 5V and 1A. 

If those steps don't work to resolve the problem, then it will be best to reach out to the GoPro Support Team.

Let us know how everything turns out!

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

I'd like to add my 2 cents to this one.  

This week I had the same problem with my Silver.  I was driving to work and noticed the LED wasn't blinking any more, so I knew it had stopped recording.  The camera was turned off and wouldn't turn on.  I connected a USB charger, and didn't get a Charging Indicator.

I removed the battery and reinstalled it.  That has fixed all kinds of lockup troubles before, but it didn't work this time.

When I got home I tried my other battery and charger. No dice.

I contacted Tech Support and they recommended an extended charging period with both batteries to see if the light eventually come on.  It didn't.

I left the battery out of the camera overnight.  Yesterday, just for the heck of it, I tried charging it again.  As soon as I put a battery in it, it came to life.  The LCD said it was repairing a damaged file.  It works and charged like it should.

So, maybe give that a try.  Leave the battery out overnight to see if it comes back to life the next day.  I am not certain that is why mine has rejuvenated itself, but it's free to try.  

Joe

[Anonymous]

my h4s won't turn on no light no pc pick up.. is death! any suggestions? btw things like : reinsert batt.,sd,different source all done! even I tried update firm by downloading it to sd and tried put sd to gopro and turn on but nothing happened! option with leave batt. overnight out not working too... but when is plug to power source gopro getting hot ... around 30-40 degrees celsius... without any lights or beeps... thanks

[Anonymous]

I have exactly the same problem with the same symptoms. Did you find a solution for it? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Same issue here. None of the sollutions worked for me. Batteries are charged with the external charger. Even the external battery. I have a Black by the way.

The charging light doesn't light up and I can't turn it on. I've just uses it a couple of times...

[Anonymous]

My hero 4 silver will turn on but it wont show anything on the screen. Also it wont let me cut it off. Any help will be nice I just bought this thing.

[jefft]

@Anonymous - Have you tried to do a manual update on the camera? Instructions for the HERO4 are at https://gopro.com/update/hero4.

Jeff

[Anonymous]

I have a hero 4 silver and I've tried everything on here and it still won't turn on. I've had mine for about 6 months and it's practically new haven't used to many times. I went to use it today and it kept giving me the sd error so I came home got a new sd card and decided to charge the batteries up,when I tried to turn it on nothing, I put my battery in my friends hero 4 silver (same one I own ) the battery was fully charged and I haven't been able to get it to work I haven't dropped it once kept it practically new used not too many times any help would be appreciated

[jefft]

Which SD card are you using?

[Anonymous]

I started a chat with GoPro support. We've ran some tests together and support then that it was broken. I've sent the GoPro to them and within a couple of days I received a replacement under warranty! Great support

[Anonymous]

I went on a trip and while there my GoPro died and i couldnt find my charger so it stayed without charge for 2 weeks while away from home. When I got home i tried charging it and no lights, no charge, no p.c. recognition...NADA!!! I barely use it and it is MINT condition. I've tried everything and still can't get it to work!!! I went to my local Best Buy, bought an external charger and extra battery and both bateries charged fine so I know it is not a battery issue!!! Unfortunaly I do not have anothr $400 to spend on another GoPro. Does anyone have any other suggestions??????

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry to hear about what has happened to you, and I can't avoid feeling empathy because the situation you describe is virutally identical to the one I went thru, including the deep frustration.

My suggestion is go and buy another action cam, because your gopro has passed away exactly the same as mine did some months ago, and none in this forum, neven GoPro staff, has been able to give any valid indication, other than "unplug and restart, try another battery with a new wire.." and all that typical useless staff.

If you follow my advice, you'll by a cheaper alternative, one of those China's imitations such as Xiaomi or Gitup. They offer a quality almost as high as gopro does, at a fraction of gopro's cost. Xiaomi 4k is by any quality standard not behind gopro, but if it crashes you won't feel so dissapointed because you will not have spent such a big ammount of money.

That is my (bitter) advice. Saludos Juanita.

[mihkelv80578]

same situation.
my gopro is 2 years old but hardly used, MINT condition, maybe 2-3h video altogether in its lifetime.
now it wont turn on, tried different batteries, original cable aso. just bought a Feiytech gimball - what a waste of money this has been :(

[Anonymous]

Check the battery its self... Specifically, the pins where it connects to the Go-Pro.  I have had this problem with both my Hero 3 and 4.  If switching to another battery works, you can bet that one of those pins is twisted or shorting out somehow.  With my Hero 3 battery, I was able to straighten out the pin and it works.  With the Hero 4, a small piece of plastic was missing (when compared to batteries that worked) presumably it popped off.  

[Anonymous]

Hi Guys, 

I have a Hero 4 Silver and have the same problem that the carmera will NOT turn on. Checked the battery (4 of them) they are all fully charged using a external battery charger. The camera will not charge them and will not work using them, but if I plug in the USB cable the camera will work. My camera is now out of warranty as it is nearly 3 years old (Cost £289) but I have had very little use out of it. I will not be buying a new one even if GOPRO have offered me a 20% discount on a new one. Support for the product when it goes wrong is only lip service. I did manage to do an Update but still not working :-( ???????

[Anonymous]

I will tell you how I solved this issue, after reading the useless indications by GoPro ("change batteries, go and plug a differenet cable,etc") and many well-intentioned advices by folks in this thread. I just dropped the (painfully expensive) gopro gadget into the rubbish bucket and bough another (not-gopro) action cam, less than half-priced and virtually as good as the gopro. For me it is clear that GoPro spoiled a lot of cameras with one of their updates, because the syntoms area suspiciously coincident: gopro 4 cams with little or no use that become useless around the beginning of 2017. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

My Hero 4 Silver won't turn on. I've tried every suggested fix, but I've had no luck so far. My camera has not been used a great dea, so it's definitely not wear and tear that's caused the problem.

[mihkelv80578]

Try changing and reformatting the SD card. This seems to work in many cases, even if it seems to be battery problem at first.

[Anonymous]

Hi Guys,

Just to keep you updated with my problem after some testing I found my Hero 4 Silver only worked with the USB cable attached and all features worked. Started to look at the battery connections after some playing around putting the battery in and out, it was only the way the battery was inserted into the camera that was the problem. Poor connection between the battery and the mating connector.

So if your Hero 4 is not working try the USB cable first and if it is working test the battery connection, mine just needed a little more of a push to connect and now is working fine. Also all the batteries I have are ok as well.

[Anonymous]

The way I fixed my camera was I took the same exact charger I would normaly use to charge the camera and I cut it so you could see all the wires inside of it. Take those four wires and cut the red and the black wire so you are able to touch the medal of the wire. Plug in the cable into a port or into your computer and stick the red wire into the positive side of the battery and then put the black wire into the negative side of the battery. Keep it on the battery for 3-5 minutes. If you can check the voltage of the battery it should be around 4 volts when done. Put the battery back into the camera and turn it on. This fixed all my problems and my camera works fine. Here is a video if you dont understand what I said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSYxUp4spsc     

Now it does say gopro hero 3 but it works for all gopros I have a 4 and it worked fine for me. Sooooo hoped this helped out with your problems and gopro will never tell you to do this.

[Anonymous]

I'm having the same problem haven't used it for awhile going to Thailand and it's frustrating that so many are having the same problem! Hero 4 Black

[mihkelv80578]

Try a different SD card, a different usb cable and different charger. If possible try different battery.
And all combinations of the above.

Most of the people seem to get the problem solved with TF card change or reformat.
Different cable / charger seems to be another popular solution.
Less often it seems to be crooked battery issue.

[ryanv12566]

@Anonymous

If you are still unable to get that camera to turn on our Support Team may be able to help. https://gopro.com/help/ContactUs

Best,

Ryan

[Anonymous]

hey everyone!!
i had the same problem the camera wont work and the front light doesn't work
i got two battery and i try them all
i left the battery out of the camera last week before 7 days exactly

and i was just reading what you guys wrote then i bring my camera and i install the battery and connect it to the laptop saaame problem the light did not work

soooo i was reading what @Anonymous wrote
and i try to disconect the cable from the PC and try to ON the camera and the magic happened the camera worked
i turn it off now and i connect it to the PC and The red light came back to life .............. wouve

i guess and i'm not sure this problem happend cuz

i left the battery in the camera and i didn't use the camera for a long time around 10 months

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the replies I’ve had no luck in this since I’m in Thailand now without my GoPro gutted have to wait till I get back to the UK 🇬🇧

[Anonymous]

I really can't get over GoPro. 

They charge a fortune for their camera's and then so many people seem to have so much issues with them.

I got my first GoPro 3 years ago. Right from the outset it didn't work.  It kept freezing. So eventually GoPro replaced it.

I used the replacement fine for 2 years (not often), and now when I go to use it, it won't charge.  No light when i plug it in. Just dead. I tried everything: Different cables, different plugs, take battery out and plug in, take sdk card out and plug in, but nothing. No life in it. It's a disgrace I think that a company can make such expensive products and the products quality is, apparently, just so poor.

For me I'll go for one of the much cheaper non-gopro action cams. Hopefully they're compaitible with the array of accessories I bought!

Red card GoPro.

[Anonymous]

Yep I brought mine 2015 hadn’t used much twice on holiday then just stopped working I had spent hundreds of pounds for something that worked twice! And I guess this is one reason the company has had a decline in purchases and a loss of 40% two years in a row . I’ve sent my away to a third party to repair they’ve said they have come across a few that has had the same problem. Absolute joke!

[megadusk30086]

I have a GO Pro silver. It never really held a charge that well. Now it won't accept a new GoPro battery charged with a new GoPro charger.

I have not used the camera too much, but i expect it should work. i went to the GoPro support web site, it requested i paue y ad block. I did and it STILL won't let me begin a chat because of ad block.   WTH Go NO?

[Anonymous]

Hi Friend,

How did you fix the issue? I'm having the same problem

[aragon1006]

Hi @Anonymous

Kindly go over the steps listed on this link to get your camera to power on again.

If it's still not turning on, please contact our Support Team via phone or chat for further assistance. https://gopro.com/help/ContactUs

Thanks!

EJ

[loyalbluff13574]

Im pretty sure that its the usb plug within the camera that is broken.. like mine. I know because when i try to plug an external microphone it doesnt work too... so is there anyone that can tell me if gopro does repairs the camera? If.not i will be.forced to buy something i can trust... i did take care of that camera.and the plug is broken...

[aragon1006]

Hi @loyalbluff13574

Here are some steps to get your camera to power on again. If this does not resolve the issue then it will be best to reach out to our Support Team as this might be on the unit itself already.

You may contact them via phone or chat. https://gopro.com/help/ContactUs

Thanks!

EJ

[Anonymous]

Ok so I just spent the whole day and most of the night with this same issue. I took my camera OUT, and this is key, of hawnits protective shell and I could not get it to turn on. So I tried to charge it. After a few seconds the red charge idicator light kept going out. I tried ever method found on the web. I was just getting ready to chuck it agaisnt the wall when I gave up. I out the canera back into its shell and just for giggles decided to try again to turn it on. IT DID! So I took it and and tried and it would not turn on. So this is my belief, I bought and ater market case for my camera and it fot very snuggly. I believe after being in there awhile it warpped the battery housing. At any rate I tried it in a regular GoPro shell and it turned on too sooo. I hope this helps. Technical note: My camera is new and so is the battery.

Thanks]

S

[mariustanya]

Good to know that the camera is working consistently now, @Anonymous. Thank you for posting and sharing what worked for you. Stay stoked! 

[elmag58]

This Go Pro Silver Hero 4 is sucks. We bought it on 2015 we didn't used it until 2017. Whoala it was aleady broken when we bought it. Never buy GO PRO product it is a piece of garbage.

[megadusk30086]

I will NEVER purchase a gopro POS again. gopro 4 battery issues GALORE! 

[mariustanya]

Hello @elmag58 and @megadusk30086, 

Thank you for your feedback. Let us know how we can help. Alternatively, you can reach our team here https://gopro.com/help/ContactUs for a more personalized support. 

Best regards, 
Marius

[spiryjump7227]

It's completely shocking and disheartening seeing so many similar complaints--I also have the same issue--barely used in two years, in mint condition, always kept in case--and one day, the battery fails, and the device will not turn on.

As a "premium product" selling at a premium price point, GoPro owes it to its customers to be accountable for faulty devices that seem to be so prevalent. Recall them. Offer a free exchange. Offer for a significant credit for an upgrade.

You cannot simultaneously claim to be the best, while selling a product that doesn't work--that's just getting the basics. I personally find this embarassing for the brand; this technical issue a betrayal to your customers trust, and will cripple their willingess to ever buy your brand again--nevermind recommend you to a friend.

It speaks volumes about what is going wrong with the GoPro business. I hope you'll find the integrity to fix this issue and make things right for your customers. What a way to turn brand promoters into detractors who will tell anyone listening how terrible your products (and support services) are....

I 

[danielk8388]

You are right on the money. I received my gopro hero4 silver as a gift. It had been working for my friend. When we tried to fire it up for the first time, DOA. Called GoPro customer support. IF it was purchased within the last year - free replacement. If not, then congratulations, you get a 20% discount on the new Hero7 Silver or White. Now why would I want to throw good money away after getting a piece of junk the first time? 

[loyalbluff13574]

My gopro4 black is still remaining on the desk, brand new and still c ant be working more than 4-6 min... completly useless...lol that was a great gift i had.