Our phones run on batteries that need constant recharging. However, there might be times when we run into issues with our phones where plugging in the charging cable does not do anything. This can be worrisome because it can mean that you might need to inconvenience yourself by having to send the phone in for a repair, which can sometimes be costly, depending on the problem at hand.
Thankfully, before you rush out to the nearest repair store, there are several ways you can go about troubleshooting the problem from the comfort of your own home before deciding if you need to have a professional take a look at it.
Troubleshooting A Phone That Won’t Charge
- If you’re charging from a wall outlet, make sure that there are no issues with the outlet itself. Try plugging in alternate devices or plugs to ensure that the outlet is working.
- If you’re charging your phone from your computer via its USB port, make sure that the port itself is working by plugging in other USB-based devices.
- It could also be that the USB port that you’re plugged into is not delivering enough power to charge your device, so try switching to a different USB port or try plugging in a different device to see if it will charge.
- If there is no issue with the power source, you might have a faulty adapter. If you have other USB power adapters lying around, try switching to a different adapter to see if it works.
- If that does not work, the problem could be with the charging cable itself. For iPhone users, try looking for a different Lightning cable, while Android owners can try a different micro USB or USB-C cable to see if that might solve their problem.
- In some instances, using unofficial accessories could lead to issues with charging. For example, the Lightning cable in the iPhone requires a special microchip that has to be licensed, so there are times when using an unlicensed accessory could result in your phone displaying an error message that says the accessory is not supported.
- Clean the charging port by blowing into it or using something small like a toothpick to try and dislodge any debris. As our phones are left in our bags and pockets a lot of the time, things like dust, debris, lint, and so on can get lodged in the charging port. This could prevent the charging cable from making proper contact, which in turn prevents the phone from charging.
If all of the steps above do not solve your problem, then there is a good chance that the problem might lie with your phone, whether it be a hardware problem or a software problem. If that is the case, then the steps below might be worth checking out.
- The easiest way to solve a lot of problems that are related to your phone is to simply reboot it by turning it off and on again.
- There are times when software could be the problem behind the charging issue, so either update your software to the latest version or if your phone stopped charging after the update, try and see if you can roll it back to the previous version of your phone’s software.
- If you have been using your phone for several years, there is a good chance that its battery might have degraded to the point where it is no longer accepting charges. For iPhone users, you can check out our guide here to see the health of your phone’s battery. For Android users, you can download either Ampere or AccuBattery which are free apps that can show you the status of your battery’s health.
- Water damage could also be another reason why your phone will not charge. More phones these days come with water-resistance, but there are times when it might not be enough to prevent damage that could affect charging. In this case, there is no way of knowing until you send your device in for a repair.
If none of these steps seem to work and solve the problem with your phone charging, then you might want to consider sending it in for a repair. As to how much these repairs cost, it will vary. For example, if your device is under warranty it could be free. However, some manufacturers might charge for repairs if the damage that causes the phone to stop charging is self-inflicted, even if it is under warranty, so your mileage may vary.
It’s also usually advised that you send your phone to an official or authorized service center. This is because the parts they use are genuine and confirmed to work, and if you’re under warranty, it will not void it. The downside is that it can be more expensive compared to third-party repair shops, so that’s worth taking into consideration if cost is a factor for you.