Phone Won't Charge or Charges Slowly? Fix It
A phone that refuses to charge usually has a simple cause: a worn cable, a blocked port, or a charger that cannot keep up. Work through these checks in order, and you will find the culprit before you spend money on a repair.
Follow these steps
- Try a different cable and charger. Swap in a cable and charger you know work with another phone. If the phone starts charging, the original cable or charger was the problem. Cables wear out inside long before they look broken, so this is the most common fix.
- Clean the charging port gently. Lint and dust build up in the port and stop the plug from seating fully. With the phone off, use a wooden or plastic toothpick, or a soft brush, to gently lift lint out of the port. Blow out loose dust. Be gentle, and never use a metal pin, which can damage the contacts.
- Check that the plug sits fully in the port. After cleaning, the cable should click in firmly and sit straight, not wobble or stick out. If it still wobbles, the port itself may be worn or damaged, and that is a repair job, not a cleaning job.
- Check the charger wattage. A charger meant for a small accessory may charge a phone very slowly, or not at all while you use it. Use a charger rated for phones, ideally the one that came with your phone or a reputable equivalent. If charging is slow only while you use the phone, the charger may simply be too weak.
- If you use wireless charging, align the phone and remove the case. Wireless charging only works when the phone sits centred on the pad. Reposition it until charging starts, and take off thick or metal-backed cases, which can block the charge. If it charges by cable but not wirelessly, the pad or the case is the problem.
- Restart the phone and try again. A software glitch can occasionally stop charging from registering. Restart the phone, then plug it in again. If it still will not charge with a known-good cable, charger, and clean port, the battery or charging hardware needs professional checking.
What NOT to do
- Do not force a cable into a blocked or damaged port. You can bend the contacts and turn a cleaning job into a repair.
- Do not clean the port with a metal pin, needle, or compressed air at close range. Metal can short the contacts.
- Do not keep using a frayed, swollen, or overheating cable. Replace it.
- Do not assume the phone is broken before trying another cable and charger. That swap rules out the most common cause for free.
If a new cable, a clean port, and a suitable charger still do not help, the fault is most likely the battery or the charging hardware inside the phone. At that point a repair shop can test it properly, and you will have already ruled out everything you can fix at home.