In 2016, I decided to spend about $800 (€700) on an upper mid-range phone for that time: the Samsung Galaxy S7. Years later, I replaced the battery with one bought on AliExpress, and it didn’t satisfy me. I also dropped the phone and replaced the screen simply because I was attached to that model—it felt much higher quality to the touch than more modern devices. I wanted it like when I first bought it: pristine. I promised myself I’d use a case and replaced its “Super AMOLED” screen. This replacement didn’t satisfy me either. It was done at an out-of-warranty repair service, and the screen quality wasn’t the same as the original. Moreover, this process caused the battery to move around inside the phone.
My son dropped the S7 a second time. That case didn’t live up to its promise. I had backups of the data, but something still left me unsatisfied—I couldn’t go through a proper “mourning” for its sudden, total screen failure. But I decided it was time to move on.
A couple of years later, I saw it in a drawer in my man cave while doing a general cleanup, and that feeling of not having been able to say goodbye came back strongly. I retrieved it and, carefully and under supervision, started charging it. The battery didn’t overheat too much or swell. I told myself, “I’ll take one last look at that stupid Mr. Robot wallpaper before taking it to recycling.” I immediately thought of scrcpy. I downloaded the ADB app pack—somewhat uneasily due to cybersecurity concerns—and connected the S7 to my Windows 10 machine. For some reason, USB debugging wasn’t enabled. That’s when my problems began.
I won’t go into the details of the (at least) 6 hours spread over 3 weeks. Instead, I’ll say what didn’t work and what strategy finally let me take one last look at the home screen of an S7 with a completely black display.
What didn’t work:
Disassembling the phone to try to fix the digitizer.
Following advice from chatgpt.com claiming the S7 was compatible with micro-USB to HDMI adapters.
Following “blind navigation” advice from chatgpt.com.
Believing that if it’s not on Reddit, it probably can’t be done.
Believing statements from chatgpt.com like “the Samsung S7 didn’t have keyboard shortcuts like the one you’re asking for.”
Not realizing how overwhelmingly present and invasive Google is in Android settings (basically, everything leads to Google).
Assuming the entire screen was still touch-responsive.
Using a non-backlit keyboard via the micro-USB port, which gave no indication if it disconnected from the smartphone.
Thinking there were no meaningful differences between information sources (US vs EU) and between Android versions.
And finally, the most concerning one—which may hint at what I ultimately did: believing big tech makes things easy for people with sensory disabilities, especially those with visual impairments.
What did work:
Extrapolating methods from other manufacturers like OnePlus.
Watching many YouTube videos.
Being humble and accepting that some strategies don’t work, no matter how many hours you spend on them.
Having a TV with screen sharing.
TL;DR:
Press volume up and down to activate TalkBack.
Press Windows + Q to open the top options menu.
Navigate to SmartView.
Double-tap the available device description while my LG TV was in screen-sharing listening mode.
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Adieu, mon cher collègue électronique.
The End.
