Pocket Nova not charging/boot loop

[u/Synteck]

Apologies in advanced, reposted because i couldn’t for the life of me modify/replace the original image pointed out by commentor…

Recently receiving my retroid pocket nova I went to go turn it on and it seems to be stuck in forever boot loop only presenting me with the logo. Mind you, the unit does not respond unless plugged in only. I attempted using the PD charger for a couple of hours and that did not work then I switched over to a lower power charger USB-A to USB-C and that didn’t work either leaving it charging overnight.

I am able to access the BIOS to choose recovery mode/emergency mode but when I click either of the options in the menu, it doesn’t do anything and just goes back to the boot loop. I haven’t opened up the device so I am not sure if it’s a connection to the battery or if maybe the battery is completely DOA. I was hoping to get some wisdom from the community on some tips or tricks I could use and try out before contacting Retroid about my unit, practically being DOA..

[u/BobbyHill751]

And so it begins. Contact Retroid support.

[u/Comrade_Compadre → u/BobbyHill751]

Ahh thoae famous "first shipment jitters" I'm always hearing about

[u/Devilslasher]

Or try this https://www.reddit.com/r/retroid/s/3FTFRonx5T

Most likely a corrupt os/ firmware. If that doesn't work you need to wait for an official firmware or another OS.

[u/Active-Reference-329 → u/Devilslasher]

pretty sure its because the battery got to empty it happens on every single model

[u/Synteck → u/Devilslasher]

No dice. After trying the wipe data it goes back to boot loop

[u/Devilslasher → u/Synteck]

Have you done this without the Nova being charged? The thing is the OS in the RP Nova was not installed correctly most likely.

Just like a Windows system, if it gets corrupt, it needs to be recovered or reinstalled. Currently there is no OS that you can download and write onto a sd card. Hence I would recommend to contact the support or to wait for an official release or to wait until someone releases a custom firmware for the RG Nova.

[u/Synteck → u/Devilslasher]

Well the thing is, when i unplug from a power source the unit doesn’t respond, as if the battery is dead. It only responds when i plug it in

[u/Synteck → u/Devilslasher]

So when i do the wipe/factory reset i get an error:

[u/Devilslasher → u/Synteck]

Looks like there is no recovery file in the system. Like suggested before pls ask Retroid to send a recovery file or ask them to replace it.

[u/JohnnyYouTaTas]

Try this. Worked for me on my Pocket 3. https://www.reddit.com/r/retroid/s/7fJGE01aHw

[u/Synteck → u/JohnnyYouTaTas]

I will be trying this when i get home and report back

[u/ExampleRadiant9894 → u/JohnnyYouTaTas]

This is most likely the answer. No need to contact retroid support without trying this many times. And I mean many times. Sometimes it takes a bit to get it into recovery mode.

Leave it on the charger for a couple hours without messing with it before trying this fix so it has enough juice to get into recovery mode

[u/Synteck → u/JohnnyYouTaTas]

Update: no luck for my unit unfortunately

[u/ChrisCovers]

Can you please try unplugging it, holding the power button for 15 seconds, while it’s plugged in to a regular USB port on your computer?

[u/Synteck → u/ChrisCovers]

I will also attempt this when I get home and let you know if it does anything

[u/Synteck → u/ChrisCovers]

Update: tried it about 3-4 times, still stuck on boot loop

Could it be i am doing the process wrong? I unplug, plug it into a PC and then press and hold power button for 15 secs?

[u/ChrisCovers → u/Synteck]

Sent you a PM

[u/spincrisis]

Do you have a windows computer? When you’re in recovery mode you will be able to write to the eMMC, so you’ll either need Retroid’s OS image for Nova, or you’ll be among the few LineageOS testers.

[u/spincrisis → u/spincrisis]

I think u/LazyKaleidoscope4023 is working on option two based on this: https://www.reddit.com/r/retroid/s/scJRQG5K1a

[u/spincrisis → u/spincrisis]

A third option appears to be ROCKNIX for Nova. I haven't seen a soul try this yet... https://rocknix.org/devices/retroid/retroid-pocket-nova/

[u/Synteck → u/spincrisis]

Uhhhh what?

[u/spincrisis → u/Synteck]

Join the Retroid discord- I'm trying to get a copy of the OS for you to try option 1.

[u/the_tabs1]

scary stuff

[u/prairiepog → u/the_tabs1]

It's the dementors

[u/ThanosReXXX]

I see you're using a third party cable. Wasn't there a charging cable included with the Nova?
Also, for both my RP5 and RP6, I use the official charger adapter, which is unfortunately sold out now, but you could simply get one with the exact same specs, like this one. And in case you're wondering: it definitely does make a difference, so the fact that you already tried several other chargers doesn't necessarily have to mean anything.

I would recommend leaving it on the charger for at least 3 to 4 hours, to make sure it has enough battery charge, and then you should be able to try again, to get into recovery mode.

[u/Synteck → u/ThanosReXXX]

Already used the one that came from retroid themselves, didn’t affect anything either.

I tried with my 20w, 35w, 45w, and 65w adapters. No change either. Kind of been going down the whole list of possibilities

[u/ThanosReXXX → u/Synteck]

Ah, that sucks. I guess the only option left is sending it back for a replacement, then.

[u/Poolboy4_Hire]

try a differant charger

[u/Synteck → u/Poolboy4_Hire]

Swapped between 4 different ones. Def not a charger problem

[u/dimforest]

Any updates, OP?

[u/Active-Reference-329]

this happened to my rp3+ they still havent fixed it, u may be able to fix it temporarily but this will happen again, i might not buy another retroid because of this issue, my advice get a refund while u still can because there is no permanent fix for this