Charging your phone should be one of the easier things to do with your phone. Plug a cable in, and like magic, power is flowing. Until one day, it doesn't.
Before you freak out, I want to give you a few things you can try at home to attempt to resolve the issue.
1. Turn It Off & On Again
There are so many issues that can occur from temporary technical glitches and connection errors. A simple restart will kill all the apps running in the background that could be impacting internal communication.
2. Safe Mode
This is for the Android users. Turning safe mode on restricts any third party apps from working and only allows original software. Sometimes third party apps can have bugs that negatively impact the health of your phone.
Once you turn safe mode on, restart your phone. If charging while in safe mode works, you've essentially confirmed that it's a third party app causing the issues. Reflect on the apps you've recently downloaded and try and delete a few and see if the problem disappears.
3. Cable & Socket
The solution can also be as simple as replacing a cable, socket and adapter. To test this out you'll need to mix and match all your charging equipment.
For example:
- Plug the charging cable into your computer
- Try a new cable
- Check for wire exposure on the cable
4. Check Your Software
There are instances in which your phone is indeed charging, but the icon is not updating. You can install a third party app such as Ampere that show how much current your phone is discharging or charging at any one time.
While we're talking about software, you should also look for an update to the system. It's possible that there is a bug, and it's already fixed.
5. Cleaning The Port
Dust and other particles can accumulate rapidly in the charging port and interrupt your phone's connection to a power source.
To start, use a flash to inspect the port and see what the build up is like. You'll need a tool such as a tooth pick, cotton swab or SIM ejector tool. It's important to not push the debris further in or use too much force, this can cause damage to the connectors.
This is a great step. In fact, this is one of the first things we do when we have phones come in with charging issues.
6. Does Your Phone Have Water Damage?
If you recall that the last time your phone could charge was before you wet it, there's a good chance water is the reason.
If there is water damage we highly recommend bringing it into one of our stores or sending it in. Corrosion is a huge problem. Often times there's only a limited life in these situations, we need to get all your data off the phone.
7.Does Your Phone Stop Charging At 80%?
This could simply mean your charge-port is dirty. But for Apple users, it could just be a flick of the settings.
iPhone uses on-device machine learning to predict your daily charging routine so that when 'Optimised Battery Charging' activates, it predicts your phone will be connected to a charger for an extended period of time. This algorithm isn't perfect, so try turning this feature off, and then charging it like you normally would.
8. The Battery Health
While not as common as an issue when it comes to charging problems, the battery component is pretty vital. You can go into your settings and see your battery health. If it's under 70% or so, that could be causing some charging issues, or, at the very least, your phone is not lasting even a day.
9. Service Centre
At the end of the day, if none of those tests did you justice, it might be time to see an expert. Having repaired over 20,000 devices, you can be assured that we know what we're doing.
Simply book a repair through our website or contact us for a free quote.
We hope to hear from you.
Tom, Kixup Repairs