DIY Fixes for Phones that Won’t Charge
Photo by osseous / CC BY 2.0 / Cropped from original
One of the most common questions we get from users of our Battery Time app is "Why won’t my phone charge?” This must be one of the most frustrating issues a smartphone owner can experience. Unfortunately, a battery-saver app can’t do much to help, because most often this is a physical problem.
But just because your battery isn’t charging doesn’t mean you need to get a whole new phone. There are plenty of do-it-yourself techniques you can try that might fix the problem. AndroidPIT has a number of solutions that don’t need a ton of know-how.
If you often carry your phone in your pocket or a bag that tends to accumulate lint, the problem could be as simple as crud (that’s the technical term) in your USB port. Hit it with a little compressed air before plugging in your charger and your phone might just charge normally again. Make sure the contacts on your charger are clean, too.
If cleaning the USB port didn’t work, it’s worth checking whether your charger might be faulty. Charging cables don’t last forever, especially if they’re carried around in bags, tangled and tugged on, and subjected to other abuse. Also consider where you’re plugging the charger in; a wall outlet will always give your phone a more powerful charge than a computer’s USB port.
Your battery itself may just not be able to take or hold a charge anymore. If you have a removable battery, it could be a relatively quick fix to swap in a replacement battery and see if that does the trick. Unfortunately, if your smartphone doesn’t let you do this then you may need to get your battery replaced by the manufacturer, or if your phone is pretty old it may be worth considering a new model.
For other fixes you can try at home, check out the article from AndroidPIT. And if your battery is charging but you want your battery life to last longer, give Battery Time a try.
