Tuesday, October 11, 2016
How to fix a phone that won’t charge
How to fix a phone that won’t charge
Its a problem many of us have experienced at some point – at the end of a long day your phone is on the brink of dying. You get home, plug it in and… nothing happens. That can be frustrating enough, but trying to diagnose the issue can be even more so.
There are a few problems that could be occurring – your device could be refusing to charge altogether, or it could simply be charging really slowly; sometimes so slowly that its actually using power faster than its gaining it. If youre experiencing any of these problems, weve come up with a few ways to diagnose your battery woes and to help you fix the problem.
See also: Should I leave my phone plugged in overnight? Download Ampere
Ampere is a really great tool for checking if your phone is charging and how much its charging. It essentially identifies how much current is being drawn in from your device when it charges. Because of this, not only is the app great for seeing if your phone is charging at all, but also for seeing which charging method is the best.
If the number in the app shows up green, the device is charging, but if its an orange minus number, then your device is using power. Try using the app after youve completed each of the steps below and seeing what changes occur.
Try a different power source
Its totally possible that your phone or charger isnt actually the problem at all, but rather the power outlet youre trying to charge from. If youre trying to charge from the wall, try another socket or charging straight from your computer. If youre charging from a USB port on your computer, switch to another port or try using a wall adapter. If your device starts charging when you change power sources, youve found the problem and you may need to look into hiring an electrician or getting your computer fixed.
Check the charging cable
There are two components you should check before you start restarting devices and trying to fix USB sockets – the wall adapter and the charging cable. The charging cable is by far the most common charging problem, which makes sense – they endure a lot of unwrapping and rewrapping, flexing, and people trying to plug them in at weird angles. All of these things can damage the cable.
Chances are you have a few charging cables lying around, so try switching out the cable for another to see if that helps. If you dont have another cable to test out, you may want to borrow one before moving on to a more drastic step.
- Best portable battery packs
- Best USB Type-C cables
Check the wall adapter
The other component to check before you start messing around with your phone is the wall adapter. This is particularly true if youre using an adapter where the cable can be removed. Its certainly possible that the USB port on the adapter could have broken.
Like with the cable, the easiest way to check if the adapter is at fault is to simply try charging with a new adapter. However, if you dont have access to another adapter you can also try plugging in to your computer. If it charges with the same phone and cable, chances are the adapter is at fault (although you might want to try multiple electrical outlets too!).
Turn your phone off
If youre playing a graphic-intensive game while trying to charge your phone, its possible that your phone is using power faster than gaining it, making it seem like its not actually charging. If you turn your phone off while its charging (or at least turn the screen off), theres little chance that you could be using power too quickly. Even simply switching over to airplane mode could seriously speed up your charging time.
Check the USB socket
Once the cable and adapter have been ruled out as issues, its time to move on to the more technical stuff. Often the issue is the small metal connector in the USB port, which may be slightly bent in a way that means it doesnt make proper contact with the charging cable.
To fix this, switch your phone off, and remove the battery if you can. Then take a pencil or something similar in size and straighten the small tab inside the USB port on your phone. Make sure youre not too rough with this process – you could end up doing more damage than good. Then, put your battery back in, power on your device, and try charging again.
Another possible issue could be something inside the USB port, like pocket lint. Getting a can of compressed air and blasting whatever is in the USB port out of there should fix the issue if that is indeed the issue.
Related: Nexus 7 not charging? How to replace the USB port and headphone jack Replace the battery
If youve gotten to a point where your battery is dying, it might be time to think of buying a new phone. If thats not an option, then replacing the battery may help.
Sometimes faulty batteries are easy to diagnose as theyll leak battery fluid or start to bulge a little. Without a removable battery, however, seeing if the battery is the issue can be a little more difficult. Sometimes the back cover of the phone can start to deform with the battery, so if you notice that happening you should probably stop using your phone until you get get it to a repair shop.
See also: Best Android phones with a removable battery Update or roll back your OS
Changes to the software running on your device can have a bigger effect on the battery life than you might think. While newer versions of Android are generally optimized to save on battery life, phones that are a little older sometimes cant deal with the new software and how it handles battery life.
If you find that the charging issue started around the same time as a software update, you may need to roll back to an older version of Android — although keep in mind that installing the latest operating system always keeps your device more secure. There are plenty of guides out there to help you roll back on your version of Android, and you may need some technical know-how.
Alternatively, if youre running an older version of Android, its worth upgrading to see if that helps with the charging issues.
Have you tried any of these methods? Do you have any other suggestions that might help? If so, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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