How to fix a phone that doesn't charge properly

 No phone battery will last forever and they all eventually slow down. However, they are supposed to work for at least a few years without needing to be replaced by a younger model.

Why a phone doesn't charge

The problem occurs in various degrees. Either your phone won't charge at all when it is plugged in, or it will only charge very slowly (sometimes barely faster than it is discharging). It’s a very common complaint, so here are a few solutions.

1.                       Do-It-Yourself USB port fix

The quickest, easiest, and often most successful solution, is to do a little DIY repair on your actual hardware. The problem is often that the metallic surfaces inside the USB port and the microUSB charger are not making good contact, either through a manufacturing defect or because of the continual plugging and unplugging of the charging cable.

All you need to do is shut down your device, remove the battery if possible and use something small, such as a toothpick, to 'lever up' the little tab inside the USB port on your smartphone or tablet. Do so very carefully and gently, then reinsert your battery and plug it in again. Nine times out of 10 this is all that is required.

2.                       Restarting the Phone via Soft Reset

A restart could be the best option if your phone doesn’t appear to charge when it is turned on.

The system may have crashed, leaving the phone unresponsive when charging. This is a simple solution, but it could resolve any issues with little to no stress. A soft reset usually consists of holding the Power and Volume keys for up to ten seconds to power down the handset.

Once powered down, plug in the phone to see if it charges.

3.                       Remove lint, candy and dust

Do you keep your phone in the pocket of your jeans? If so, lint could be the culprit: we've lost track of the number of times the reason for unreliable USB charging turned out to be lint from the pocket of our Levis.

We've seen phones with charging ports choked with chocolate after they were chucked in a handbag alongside a packet of sweets. A can of compressed air can blow out the offending irritants and get your USB connection back to normal.

4.                        Charge with a Mains Adaptor

If you often use a laptop, console or something similar to charge your phone, switching to a mains adaptor can give a noticeable boost to your devices charging speed.

This is because different chargers have different power outputs, and that influences how quickly your phone can get its juice.

Power Bars can be useful for a quick charge, despite the worrying news that an EE branded bar was recently recalled because it caught on fire, injuring the owner in the process.

5.                       Switch cables

The flimsiest part of a charger is the cable, not the adapter that plugs into the wall socket. Apple users are particularly vulnerable here because Apple's proprietary (and expensive) Lightning cables appear to have a life expectancy of around 15 minutes. But all cables have a tough life, and endless flexing and curling can take its toll. Substituting a random USB cable for the one that came with your phone is another shortcut to an unenjoyable charging experience.

The easiest way to diagnose a faulty cable is to try a different one and see if that works properly with your device. If it does, you know the original cable was at fault. If it doesn't, that's another potential villain we've ruled out.

6.                       Close Background Apps

Closing any unnecessary applications running on your phone should help to boost your charging speed, as well as general battery life.

Some applications (like dating apps and social media) can use a significant amount of battery power while running in the background. If you can bear to be without Facebook and Instagram, you can close background apps by opening the Recent Applications button located at the bottom right of your screen, and swiping right to close the app.

Alternatively, go to:

·   Settings

·   tap Apps or Applications

·   and check the Running tab

This will let you see which apps are in use. Tap a specific app and tap Stop to end the process.

7.                       Calibrate the Battery

Calibrating the battery capacity could be a useful solution if you want a better gauge of how long your device will last uncharged. To do so:

·   Wait for your device to run out of charge.

·   Switch the device on again and wait for it to turn off to completely drain the battery.

·   Plug the device into a charger and without switching it on, wait for it to get to 100% charge.

·   Unplug the charger and turn your device on. If the battery is lower than 100%, continue to charge until it’s full.

·   Unplug the charger once more and restart the device.

·   If it isn’t 100% charged, plug in the charger again and repeat this process until your device gets close to maximum charge without being plugged in.

·   Once completed, let the battery drain until the device switches off.

·   Charge the device to 100% one final time.

·   You should now have a calibrated battery for your Android device.

A fully calibrated phone battery will give you a more accurate reading of your remaining battery life in the future. It could even keep it going a little longer if the Android OS was incorrectly identifying the battery life of your device, causing it to shut off with a small amount of power remaining.

8.                       Update or roll back

Software updates and new Android versions can wreak havoc with your battery life, especially when upgrading an old device to current software. Newer devices are often optimized to take advantage of the latest software, whereas a two-year-old device can struggle when it gets updated.

If this happens to you and you can't troubleshoot the problem, consider rolling the device back to an earlier Android version, though be warned that this carries security risks. The latest software versions are always recommended to keep your device protected, and while the risk of keeping your smartphone on an older version is often negligible, it’s worth noting.

Similarly, sometimes device battery life can be significantly improved by an update, so if you think you might be way behind on your Android software version, head to Settings > About phone to check for an update.

9.                        Switch it off

Using battery-intensive apps/features while you are charging your device will affect how quickly it gains battery life. If you are charging while Skyping somebody at 100 percent brightness, the device will naturally take longer to charge than it would with its screen, Wi-Fi and 4G turned off.

Switch the device to airplane mode, or off completely, when you are charging if you want to see the fastest energy injection. Think of it making your device take a power nap.

             

            10.                Replace the Battery

If all else fails, replacing the battery might be the best option if you want to keep using your phone.

Of course, many phones (such as the Samsung Galaxy A5) don’t allow you to remove the battery because of the way the phone is built, but it can still be sent off to be replaced if it’s insured or under warranty.

If the battery can be removed, a replacement can usually be ordered online. However, 3rd-party batteries can also be faulty, like the one that caused this Samsung Galaxy S4 to set its owner’s pillow on fire while she slept.

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