Tech Problems in English: My Phone Died

Technology stops working in the same few ways everywhere: the battery runs out, the screen stops moving, an app closes by itself, the internet disappears, and nobody can hear you on a call. English has one short phrase for each of these — my phone died, the screen froze, it keeps crashing, the Wi-Fi is down, you're on mute — and, just as useful, a short phrase for each fix. This guide goes problem by problem and gives you both.

Prefer to hear it first? The podcast episode My Phone Died! walks through the same twelve phrases, and the follow-up episode 10 Tech Words Learners Get Wrong fixes the words around them — laptop, charger, log in, sign up.

Battery: died, low, and charging

The problem. When the battery is empty, English says the phone died. It sounds dramatic, but it's the normal everyday word — and it usually means “the battery ran out,” not “it's broken.”

The fix. You charge the phone (the verb) with a charger (the thing with the cable), and you plug it in at an outlet.

Outlet is the American word for the place in the wall; in British English it's usually a socket, and both are understood. Died can also mean a device stopped working for some other reason — if it needs repair, say my phone is broken.

Frozen, crashing, and the classic fix

The problem. Two different things can go wrong. The screen stops moving — it froze (like ice). Or an app closes by itself — it crashed. When it happens again and again, use keep + -ing.

The fix. The first question IT support asks is famous enough to be a joke — and it often works.

Have you tried restarting it? — with -ing — means “test this as a possible solution.” Try to restart it is also possible, but it sounds more like effort: it may be hard to do. And notice the word order: turn it off, not turn off it — see our guide to phrasal verbs.

Wi-Fi, signal, and updates

The problem. When nothing loads, it's often not your phone — it's the connection. Down here means “not working, usually for a short time,” and the opposite is back up.

The fix. Sometimes an app stops working because it's old. You update it — the verb and the noun have the same spelling.

In these examples, the Wi-Fi is down means the Wi-Fi connection is not working; no signal or no bars refers to mobile reception. Signal can also refer to Wi-Fi when you name it: a weak Wi-Fi signal.

Passwords and backups

The problem. Forgot is the simple past of forget; I can't remember means the same and sounds a little softer.

The fix. You reset your password — make a new one, usually with a link in your email. Reset has the same form in the past: Yesterday I reset it. And before anything goes wrong, you back up your photos: save a copy somewhere else.

The verb has two words and the noun one: back up your photos → a backup, log in → your login. Here, back up means save a copy. In It's back up, up means working again — the expression from the Wi-Fi section above, with a different meaning from making a backup.

Sign up or log in. Sign up creates an account. Log in opens an account you already have. Some screens say sign in for that second step; it means the same as log in, not sign up.

On a video call

The problem. Someone's mouth is moving, but there's no sound. Their microphone is off — they're on mute. The most useful sentence in remote work:

The fix.

On mute is no sound; breaking up is broken sound. For the rest of a bad connection — I think we got cut off, let me call you back — see our guide to phone calls in English.

A short conversation on a video call

You're on mute is the missing sound. Breaking up is the sound cutting in and out. The Wi-Fi is down names the cause, and turn the camera on is the fix for the picture.

Common mistakes

“My phone is broken” for an empty battery. Broken means it needs repair. If the battery just ran out, the everyday word is died.

Broken is the right word when something is actually damaged: The screen is broken — I dropped it.

“My screen is blocked.” A screen that stops moving is frozen. Blocked is for things you can't access — a blocked number, a blocked website.

“The internet fell.” In English, a connection doesn't fall — it goes down, and then it's down.

“I reseted my password.” Reset doesn't change: reset, reset, reset — like put and cut.

“I backed up them.” With a pronoun, back up and turn off split: the pronoun goes in the middle.

With a noun, both orders work: back up your photos or back your photos up.

“I need to log in” when you have no account. The first time, you sign up. After that, you log in. A sign-in screen may also offer account creation; choose sign up when you need a new account.

“You're in mute.” The preposition is on: on mute, like on silent and on speaker.

Quick exercise

Complete the sentences with these words, using each once: died, down, froze, keeps, low, mute, reset, restarting.

1. Sorry I didn't call you back — my phone ___ in the middle of the afternoon.
2. Can I borrow your charger? My battery is ___.
3. I was watching a video and suddenly the screen ___. Nothing moved for a minute.
4. This app ___ crashing. I've opened it five times this morning.
5. Have you tried ___ it? Just turn it off and on again.
6. Nothing loads at home — I think the Wi-Fi is ___.
7. I forgot my password, so I had to ___ it.
8. We can see you, but we can't hear you — you're on ___.

Frequently asked questions

What does “my phone died” mean?

Usually that the battery ran out: Sorry I didn't answer — my phone died. It can also mean the phone stopped working for another reason. If the phone needs repair, people say “my phone is broken.”

What is the difference between “the Wi-Fi is down” and “I have no signal”?

“The Wi-Fi is down” means the Wi-Fi connection is not working. In these examples, “no signal” or “no bars” means no mobile reception. Signal can also refer to Wi-Fi: a weak Wi-Fi signal.

Is it “you're on mute” or “you're muted”?

Both are common on video calls and mean the same thing: your microphone is off, so nobody can hear you. “You're on mute” is the everyday phrase; the fix is “unmute yourself.”