Fixing the volume up key on a nokia N95

Posted on November 19, 2008 by matt

volume buttons

I recently got my hands on a nokia N95. Great.

However, I soon realised that the volume up key doesn’t work, only down works. This was a little unfortunate since it is the only key capable of turning the volume up of music when played with the music player software installed on the device. Something I definitely needed to do once I had managed to turn the volume down to zero percent.

My first idea was to look for some other software I could install that would allow me to alter the volume with another key but I had no luck on that front (let me know if you have).

I then googled around and realised I was not alone and that other people had found success in taking the back off and re-soldering it, so I thought I’d have a bash.

I ended up fixing mine with no tools, just a bit of paper.

Here’s how to take the back off:

Turn it off.
Take the battery out
Slide phone open and bend one side off
Bend the rest off. I was quite rough with mine and I’ve done it a few times now and it has been fine.

You should see the two microswitches, the volume up microswitch on mine was bent upwards. Not only does this mean it doesn’t connect the circuit, but it also won’t be pressed by the outer button.

I simply jammed a bit of paper in there to make the microswitch touch the contacts again.

If this post has helped you fix your phone, show me some love with the flattr link above. Thanks!

paper jam

90 thoughts on “Fixing the volume up key on a nokia N95”

Laurie on November 26, 2008 at 8:19 pm said:

Great stuff. got my volume working again.
many thanks

Reply ↓
brad on December 6, 2008 at 10:53 am said:

wicked m8 i just love ppl like you propa nhs repair………it worked fantastic cheeeeeers

Reply ↓
Adrian on December 7, 2008 at 6:38 pm said:

That’s brilliant mate. I don’t think it voids your warranty either. So long as you don’t solder it.

Reply ↓
James Thomas on December 7, 2008 at 6:45 pm said:

Cheers mate! Happened to my Nokia last month and I’ve been trying to get it fixed. Your method was simple and worked first time.

Reply ↓
addy on December 12, 2008 at 10:13 am said:

thanks for the info mate
much appreciated

Reply ↓
freddy u on December 17, 2008 at 4:43 am said:

Thank you , my button is working again… mil gracias

Reply ↓
caarmenss on December 21, 2008 at 4:14 am said:

you are absolutely awesome (:
thanks so much, it works now!

Reply ↓
Simon Spurrier on December 21, 2008 at 5:04 pm said:

I love you
My phone works again!!! I am very thankful for your genius!

Reply ↓
Tim Wilson on January 5, 2009 at 12:46 am said:

Awesome work – I went for the soldering approach, but saved me a repair fee, so thanks for the post

Reply ↓
Gary on January 11, 2009 at 10:06 pm said:

Cheers mate.

Thanks a million!

Reply ↓
rik on January 12, 2009 at 2:04 pm said:

THANK YOU SO MUCH
I WENT SO LONG EITHOUT MY MUSIC
N DIS IDEA RELI WORKED
UR A GENIUS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Reply ↓
Maxh2c on January 12, 2009 at 8:51 pm said:

thank u very much, so simple. I was wondering why i didnt think of that and i was stuck with this problem for months. You are a life saver cheers mate.

Reply ↓
Les on January 14, 2009 at 10:21 am said:

For remapping volume keys check :
http://voiceofteenagers.blogspot.com/2008/06/magickey-10-n95-able-to-use-all-4.html

Get the app signed as per this link:
http://thesymbiancore.com/2008/03/29/open-signed-killer-sign-any-app-online/

Works magickey fine just did it to my N95 as I broke the switch that was so poorly soldered when I opened the case by using superglue to fix it – lol

Reply ↓
Jase on February 2, 2009 at 9:30 am said:

All good here now, cheers

Reply ↓
Kim Helmer Andersen on February 6, 2009 at 4:25 pm said:

Impressive it actually works.
2 minute fix to Huge problem.

Cheers mate!

Reply ↓
Anonymous on February 6, 2009 at 5:32 pm said:

life saver!!

Reply ↓
Conor O'Brien on February 9, 2009 at 3:59 pm said:

Excellent – thanks for the fix – works perfectly!

Reply ↓
yos on February 26, 2009 at 4:50 pm said:

tnx , now is working!!!!

Reply ↓
Paul Evans on March 22, 2009 at 11:54 pm said:

I was ok without the increase volume button until I upgrade the OS…then it took me down to medium volume and desperate to find a solution. So surprised to find this affected so many people – but then looking at the button, not a surprise…looks very flimsy.

Your solution didn’t work at first, because it wasn’t tight enough to keep it pressed down, so had to pack some more in there really tightly.

Reply ↓
Krystian on March 23, 2009 at 9:48 pm said:

I fucking love, I thought I would have to pay alot of money to get it fixed but it worked with a little piece of paper, I think Nokia should redesign that little part in the phone

Thanks,
Krystian

Reply ↓
chris on March 24, 2009 at 1:20 am said:

thanks lad, owe ya one

Reply ↓
raaaavi on March 26, 2009 at 8:47 pm said:

thanks mate.
I used wood instead of paper, because mine was bendth tomuch already
but it works!

Iloveyou.

Reply ↓
chipy on April 7, 2009 at 7:53 pm said:

thanks mate had no sound for 6 months now works fine

Reply ↓
niko on April 16, 2009 at 4:10 pm said:

well done mate fixed my phone aswell ! so keep up the great work man ten points for you for this im well happy now that i can listen music again

Reply ↓
Steve on April 22, 2009 at 2:34 pm said:

Thanks mate your guide got my phone apart and I found the switch had snapped off. Got music back up by shorting the points so will have to resolder.

Reply ↓
Dean Mutton on May 10, 2009 at 10:50 pm said:

You are a genius….just downloaded music to phone and volume control broke just in time for my hols abroad tomorrow….thanks heaps!!

Reply ↓
sam on May 24, 2009 at 1:58 am said:

wow these are the worst instructions ever

WHAT THE FUCK DOES

# Slide phone open and bend one side off
# Bend the rest off. I was quite rough with mine and I’ve done it a few times now and it has been fine.

MEAN???

CAN YOU FUCKING EXPLAIN U FAGGGOT THANKS

Reply ↓
Stewart on May 24, 2009 at 11:06 am said:

Thanks mate, that worked a charm. I thought i was going to have to use my 300 pound phone as a paperweight after my 1 year old daughter got a bit violent with it and broke the button. It works now and only a couple of minuites to fix, cheers.

Reply ↓
matt on May 25, 2009 at 5:46 pm said:

Ahh, don’t you just love the internet.

I’m struggling to decide how to respond to Sam. I’m certainly not going to censor his comment, free speech and all that…

Part of me wants to engage in a pointless rant, but, like I said, it would be pointless.

I don’t know if I can make the instructions any clearer, those four points are just instructions to take the back off. I didn’t get any specialist training, I just took it off.

If anyone else is struggling to do this step I could make a video I suppose, please comment here if that is something you’d like.

I’d also like to thank everyone else for their positive comments, it feels good I was able to help so many people. I’m also quite glad that if these comments are representative of my fellow man, then less than 4% of them are idiots. I can live with that.

Reply ↓
dan on May 25, 2009 at 8:07 pm said:

“I’m certainly not going to censor his comment”

Of course you should censor his comment. You should set an appropriate standard, not lower yourself to the lowest common denominator.

Be the change that you want to see…

Reply ↓
DANNY on May 28, 2009 at 9:54 am said:

Cheers Matt your the man done it in 2 mins. Sam you fucking mug are you thick or sumthink??? Thinking about it you must be cos you spelt faggot with 3 g’s you prick!!!!

Danny lead fist’s

Reply ↓
Andrew on May 30, 2009 at 4:49 pm said:

Thanks, this was helpful. I didn’t get it to work because the contacts actually weren’t there! I compared it to my other n95 (!). Now I see them in your photo – they are actually little buttons.

Anyway, I never would have imagined it was so easy to get the cover off – you saved me a lot of worry. Thanks!

Reply ↓
Derrick on June 8, 2009 at 5:04 am said:

Awesome. Just awesome. Simple, elegant, effective. I was traveling at the time mine broke, and was able to fix it with a pen and a couple bits of paper… truly a matt burns inspired McGuyver moment.

If only all of life’s problems could be solved with such ease.

Reply ↓
matt on June 8, 2009 at 9:56 am said:

Hehe thanks, simple and effective it may be, but I’m not sure I’d describe it as “elegant”

Reply ↓
Danny on July 2, 2009 at 5:19 am said:

cheers matt, thought id be sendin the phone away to get fixed…
a 4 yr old could do this! SAM=NOB

Reply ↓
Wayne on July 4, 2009 at 5:38 pm said:

What can i say, pure genius

Reply ↓
Paul on July 8, 2009 at 10:35 am said:

You are a hero, alas didn;t fix my problem as the microswitch is actually broken, but did at least allow me to diagnose that.

Reply ↓
Callam on July 14, 2009 at 6:42 pm said:

Man you amaizing i go abroad tommorow and it’s just broke, it works straight after i did thanks alot you made my day!

Reply ↓
jahfranky on July 27, 2009 at 5:11 pm said:

so simple yet so effective…badman tingz..

Reply ↓
Patrick Wray on August 2, 2009 at 8:49 pm said:

Cheers matey. Solved.

Reply ↓
Mark on August 4, 2009 at 8:36 pm said:

Hello guys.
Well my button is broken aswell, so i searched for an music player with integrated volume control, and i found!
Im using this one right now: http://gallery.mobile9.com/f/819761/?view=download

Just download and install. Add the music, and you can turn up and lower the music with the 4-pad. ( up/right/down/left button ).

Good luck!!

Reply ↓
Duke on August 9, 2009 at 12:29 am said:

Thank you so much for your help! I had this problem for 6mnths and was at my wits end to send it back to nokia for repairs!

Reply ↓
Khalid on August 14, 2009 at 9:08 pm said:

Thanks a million!!

Reply ↓
Jimbo on August 22, 2009 at 5:47 pm said:

This is WONDERFUL!
I have just given this phone to my girlfriend forgetting about the problem, the switch had come off completely and I have until today just pumped up the volume. Tiny bit of glue and the paper to hold down. Now working as new!

Reply ↓
Rob on September 2, 2009 at 1:29 pm said:

Wow, great!!! Works like a charm. I was already looking for a new Nokia (like the N86 ) but I can postpone my intended buy until the N900 will be a bit less expensive

Thanks man!!!!

Reply ↓
Tim on September 21, 2009 at 6:09 pm said:

This advise is most definately the best thing i have ever found on the internet… i typed in my problem in plain english in google… landed here…and fixed it in 2 mins, LOVE IT!

Reply ↓
Yaryna on September 30, 2009 at 6:32 pm said:

i have bigger problem(( my chip is missing((( where i can get ?!? maybe someone has this info? i was thinking to find someone with tottaly broken itam so i can buy chip….is that possible!?!

Reply ↓
Adil on October 4, 2009 at 9:33 pm said:

Thanks man just broke it today went on Google in a matter of minutes, redirected to here and was thinking this might be hard since mine was completely detached but after 10-20 minutes of resizing paper and adding paper using tweezers finally got it fixed! Thanks a lot man.

Reply ↓
wes on October 9, 2009 at 10:15 pm said:

great instructions thanks, mine gave up over a year ago and i was thinking of changing it tried googling a fix. Worked first time after i found the little thing it had come clean of, on the blink again now but at least the sound is up.
big thanks
PS simple 5 min job my dog could do

Reply ↓
Suzie on October 21, 2009 at 12:34 pm said:

Hero! Thanks so much! So easy! And the little volume up piece had actually completely fallen out, but managed to jam in with paper and double sided tape. Works perfectly now! Thank you!

Reply ↓
liam on October 27, 2009 at 2:26 pm said:

what a legend! Thanks mate! I didnt know how i would live without listening to music on my phone. Once again . . Thanks! What a legend!

Reply ↓
CokiDoki on November 4, 2009 at 5:06 pm said:

how do you take the case off ??

Reply ↓
majesticxpx on November 21, 2009 at 9:38 pm said:

i had the same problem with my volume keys. I fixed it with a soldering iron. It was easy stuff for amateurs. The contacts were loose of the main board

Reply ↓
Dimi on November 27, 2009 at 9:06 pm said:

Geart stuff man, i had exacly same thing. Worked great from first try. Many thanx.

Reply ↓
rayner93 on November 29, 2009 at 12:17 am said:

super job mate worked a treat

Reply ↓
S on December 9, 2009 at 6:09 pm said:

Thanks for taking the time to write this up. Saved a bunch!

Reply ↓
j on December 18, 2009 at 12:17 am said:

ahh damn, my switch is not there anymore, I think its gone..and the unsigned link is not working.. I have latest firmware to …
ahhh what a hassle

Reply ↓
Jermaine on December 22, 2009 at 1:35 am said:

Hey thanks man, your a real life saver

Reply ↓
Niko on January 2, 2010 at 7:17 pm said:

Thanks a million, although it took me a while to get the button in place with my large fingers.

Reply ↓
Salsaturation on January 12, 2010 at 10:57 pm said:

You life saver… it worked like a charm.

Reply ↓
nic on February 26, 2010 at 12:55 pm said:

hey my things were snapped off so mine isnt workin

Reply ↓
Mark on March 4, 2010 at 12:51 pm said:

Nice one fella. The little blighter had actually snapped off. Stuck it back on and used your paper jam. Result! Cheers

Reply ↓
Dave on March 28, 2010 at 3:56 am said:

Thanks Matt.. Great site!!
I’ll try your trick soon but for now:

Mark’s Reply on:
“August 4th, 2009 at 8:36 pm”
Did the trick perfect (in 2 mins including download) with the software allowing you to use other keys:

** POWER MP3 **

So thanks Mark heaps for that – it will fix the issue the users with the missing key have too

Reply ↓
Sam on April 17, 2010 at 12:06 am said:

I Have done it but i dont see what i have done wrong its all working fine now but now its jammed on up and wont go down how do i sort that out :S ?

Reply ↓
Jore on May 31, 2010 at 9:30 pm said:

N95 covers off -close study – wiggling right microswitch -fell off -soldered by just replacing switch -holding in position with screwdriver and pressing 2 sec each connector with soldering iron.

Reply ↓
DBMage on June 24, 2010 at 2:52 am said:

My button had completely fallen off the main phone board but using a key I connected the two terminals and wahey my volume turned up cheers dude

Reply ↓
d.jurin on July 24, 2010 at 1:34 pm said:

I ‘ve done the same and it work for me!

Reply ↓
Andreas on September 18, 2010 at 6:38 pm said:

I would like give a hug to you:D ,my phone works again ,thanks genius:D

Reply ↓
Thomas from Norway on October 3, 2010 at 3:09 pm said:

Thank you so much! My phone finally works again!

Reply ↓
Claire on October 7, 2010 at 8:48 pm said:

Amazing dude acutally works! you rock! x

Reply ↓
Fiona on October 12, 2010 at 11:29 pm said:

Thank you so much, the micro swith even feel right out when I took the back off, but wedging it in with paper still worked

Reply ↓
MJ on October 20, 2010 at 6:09 pm said:

Hi, when I opened the casing, both internal volume buttons fell out from the motherboard. What do you recommend?

Reply ↓
Matic on November 6, 2010 at 5:49 pm said:

Thanks! I got my volume back on the track

Reply ↓
HoMero on December 27, 2010 at 3:35 am said:

Thanks a lot!! this solution work for me!
I have a Nokia n95 mexican, and now , the volume back.

Muchas muchas gracias por la informacion, batalle un poco, pero al final todo salio excelente!!!

Reply ↓
Jacks on April 11, 2011 at 8:45 pm said:

An article created 2+ years ago still works great today!!

spent a total of 5minutes on google to find your article… 10minutes stuffing paper with a paper clip… and there we have it… volume button FIXED!!

Reply ↓
Gabesz on April 21, 2011 at 3:51 pm said:

I dont know what is the poblem of my phone.my volume down button doesn’t work and it isnt damaged.I can push it but doesnt respond my volume up button works great.I dont know what is my problem

Reply ↓
matt on April 27, 2011 at 7:13 am said:

It’s great to hear this fix is still helping people out.

I still use this phone today (great little phone) and my bit of paper is still doing its job in there

If this post has helped you fix your phone, show me some love with the flattr link at the top. Thanks!

-Matt

Reply ↓
Asd Abd AlRahman on April 27, 2011 at 11:48 am said:

I fixed my parents mobile and they are very happy and they are Sending their love, prayer and good thoughts your way And I also wish you well.

Best regards,
Asd Abd AlRahman

Reply ↓
Mat on May 23, 2011 at 5:37 pm said:

It’s amazing how sharing one small idea can help so many, Thank you Matt

Reply ↓
Shoggoth86_pl on June 4, 2011 at 1:03 pm said:

Saved my life ! Cheers

Reply ↓
Onur on October 25, 2011 at 6:04 pm said:

Thank you bro. you should have work for Nokia

Reply ↓
Sandro on December 10, 2011 at 3:08 pm said:

Thanks a lot for the tip, Matt!

A friend of mine gave me his old N95 8GB just a couple of days ago and I was kinda let down to find out that the volume rocker didn’t work, since one of the things I was looking forward to the most was filling up the storage with music to listen during my commute.

This did the trick, though! It took a few tries, but It’s working perfectly, now! It’s pretty awesome to see how many people you’ve managed to help with this little fix!

Reply ↓
- matt on December 10, 2011 at 6:31 pm said:
  
  Glad to help Sandro!
  I’ve since broken my n95 beyond repair but it’s still good to hear about people it’s helping
  
  Reply ↓
Olivia Mya on February 16, 2012 at 9:24 am said:

Thank you so much. I have had three different N95 over the past 3 years. And have managed to survive by keeping the volume abd 80% and never turning it down. But a couple of weeks my little sister unknowingly turned the volume down.

Ive just jammed some paper in and i can listen to music again. Thank you so much.

Reply ↓
russel on March 28, 2012 at 7:54 pm said:

Dr the patient will live

Reply ↓
Cavan on April 12, 2012 at 5:07 pm said:

Yet another phone fixed with this awesomely lo-tech solution. This saved me a massive ear-bashing because it’s my girlfriend’s phone. Thanks matey!

Reply ↓
apanag on July 13, 2012 at 1:45 pm said:

Fantastic solution. I didn’t even had to switch it off! Thanks
andreas

Reply ↓
Omi on July 16, 2012 at 5:08 am said:

wow it really works thanks for that

Reply ↓
Joel on July 23, 2012 at 3:02 pm said:

The two microswitches of my phone are not attached to it so when i tryed to open it like you said,the two microswitches fell out.

Reply ↓
Richard Bannister on September 25, 2012 at 10:44 pm said:

Followed your instructions and it indeed located the problem as you indicated. However my little micro switch was broken off completely and I am having trouble getting this procedure to work. Having positioned the switch and held in place with the paper it still wouldn’t work on the up volume button.
This is obviously a great little procedure but is it only for when the switch is bent or is there a way to make it work when it is broken off completely?
Many thanks

Reply ↓

90 thoughts on “Fixing the volume up key on a nokia N95”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply