How to Fix a Phone That Won’t Charge
There’s nothing more frustrating than plugging your phone in only to find it doesn’t want to charge. Of course, you wouldn’t be the first person to go into panic mode immediately; phones are expensive, after all! But, try not to feel frustrated, as a phone refusing to charge is actually a pretty common problem, and there are several things you should do before you rush to buy a new phone.
Try these simple steps first to get to the bottom of why your phone isn’t charging. Fingers crossed, the solution you’re looking for is in here. Even if it’s not and your phone really is kaput, you can sell broken phones to us at Mazuma Mobile, so there’s always a silver lining!
Test the charging cable
This is the scenario we’re all hoping for when a phone won’t charge – that the problem is actually with the charging cable, not the phone, as cables are far cheaper to replace. So first, check the charger is plugged in, switched on and secure in your phone (we know it sounds obvious but trust us, you could save yourself a whole lot of bother if it turns out you forgot to turn the charger on!).
If you don’t have any joy, try swapping out the cable for a different one if you have another to hand. Charging cables are fragile and don’t last forever, particularly if you carry them around with you a lot. You should also test a different adapter (the plug part) if you’re plugging into a traditional socket rather than a USB slot to rule out that as the culprit.
If you have another working phone to hand that accepts the same type of charger, plug that in too to see if it charges. If it does, you know your phone is the problem.
Clean the charging port
We carry our phones around with us all the time, in pockets, bags, and even in our hands. It’s not hard for dust, dirt and crumbs to find their way into the charging port, which can block the connection with the charger.
Resist the urge to blow on the port with your mouth, as your breath contains moisture, and you certainly don’t want that inside your phone. Turn your device off before you attempt to clean the charging port, which can be gently scrubbed with a dry cotton bud or toothpick to loosen and remove dirt and gunk. Be very, very gentle and don’t poke anything too far into the port.
Reset your phone
No joy? Try rebooting your phone. Sometimes it’s a technical hiccup or glitch causing the charging issue. Restarting your phone will force all background services to close and refresh your phone’s core components, which can sometimes fix the problem.
You can also try restarting your phone in safe mode to help determine if it’s an app preventing the device from charging. Safe mode prevents all third-party apps from running, so if your phone charges in safe mode but not when you power it up normally, you can be sure that a third-party service you’ve installed is causing the issue. If this is the case, think about any apps you’ve recently downloaded and uninstall them, then try resetting your phone normally and check to see if it’s fixed the problem.
Software issues
A lot is happening behind the scenes in your phone’s software to help it charge; it’s not all about the physical charger and port. If none of the hardware-based solutions are doing the trick, it could be an issue with your operating system.
The best way to prevent software disruption is to update your device regularly. Many of those updates happen automatically, usually at night whilst you are asleep, but if you’re the kind of person who declines software updates, this could be your issue. Bring your phone up to date and see if it helps.
If you’re willing to, you can also try factory resetting your device to see if that helps. Proceed with caution, though, as this will wipe your phone of all its data, so don’t do it unless you’re absolutely sure there’s no one other option, and all your data is backed up.
Check for damage
Has your phone suffered a fall? Does the connection inside the port look damaged? Has it accidentally taken a tumble into the bathtub? Physical damage to your device could be the cause of your charging woes.
In these cases, it’s best to take the device to a professional, and definitely don’t try to charge it if you think there could be water inside the device. If your phone was on its way out anyway, perhaps this is a sign that it’s time for a new one.
If that’s the case, why not head over to our Sell My Phone page and see how much you could get when you trade in your phone. We don’t mind buying phones that refuse to charge; in fact, there aren’t many types of broken phones we don’t accept! We can even talk you through getting files off a broken phone before you send it to us.