Is Your Phone Not Charging? Here’s What You Can Do!
Technology has come a long, long way since the age of the Nokia 3210 and the infamous game of Snake. Now we have smartphones that can talk to us, give us weather updates and even double up as a Sat-Nav. The downside is that despite this advancement in technology, the scientists haven’t quite figured out how to cheaply make a battery that lasts forever so the chances are you might run into a problem or two with yours.
Unlike the Nokia 3210 (which you could throw at a wall and charge twice a month), smartphones today require charging almost daily, and that’s for a brand new one. Now if your battery appears to be dead or doesn’t seem to be charging anymore, don’t panic. There are several solutions you can try…
A little USB port fix…
This is probably the easiest thing you can do to try and fix your device. After so much plugging and unplugging of the charger, the chances are a bit of wear and tear are going to happen. In this instance, it’s that the metallic surfaces that you’ll find inside your USB port of your device and the microUSB part of your charger aren’t really connecting that well. They want to be friends and get along but they just can’t get the right contact. If your device is brand new (or pretty much) then this could be an issue with the manufacturing. So to fix…
- Turn off your device.
- If possible, remove your battery.
- Grab a small item, such as a tooth pick.
- Very delicately try to ‘lever up’ the tap inside the USB port of your Android device.
- Reinsert your battery and turn on your device.
- Try to charge it.
Usually, this will have solved the problem. If it didn’t then don’t fret. The time to be scared is not upon us yet. Keep reading.
The ‘Old Lint in Your Pocket’ trick
Now for this magic trick, all you need to do is put your smartphone in your pocket on a regular basis. Little bits of fluffy or lint can become lodged inside of your charging port and this will lead to that annoying issue of a battery not charging. But rather than throw it away and buy yourself that upgrade you’re desperately after, hold back on the money spending and try to blow the blockage away. (A can of compressed air works wonders at this kind of job).
Switcheroo (Or try a different cable)
So you’ve had your device a while, probably as long as your charger (although you might be using the charger from your ‘old’ smartphone still. The actual cable part of chargers are most prone to becoming damaged. Constant wrapping around and tidying up to get out them out of the way can eventually damage the wires inside and cause a problem. In such a situation, you should try either a different charger or if you’re using a USB charger, then find a different cable. The Ultimate ‘Switcheroo’ is when you become a spy, sneak into your siblings’ room and swap your faulty one with theirs, then giggle occasionally as you listen to their disgruntled moans.
The cable might not be the problem, so if you’ve swapped the cable and still you’re having no luck, try changing the charger altogether. The plug part of your charger might be faulty or might have decided to pass on into the electric graveyard so try a different one and hopefully you’re device will charge.
Old age creeps up on us all
This fix won’t apply to you if your device is still within the first 6 months of or so of its life, however, 18 months+ and you can safely consider your battery as heading for retirement. After a couple of years, the battery itself becomes weaker and weaker and eventually stops being able to store charge at all. Let the old boy enter retirement gracefully and get yourself a new battery. Make sure you get the right battery for your device though else you could have some problems.
Charge Appropriately
If you’re on a laptop, computer or Mac then you’ll probably have a USB port somewhere, you’ve probably used it to plug in a USB stick full of photos or data. Well if you try and charge your smartphone or tablet with one of these ports then you’ll be waiting a long, long time. The power that your laptop will give off is almost nothing compared to the mains so try to avoid using anything but the charger you were originally supplied with. Yes if you’re out in the town and end up at your friend’s house then you could use their charger, but avoid the low power outputs, they’ll take forever and could affect the lifespan of your device.
There you have it. Knowledge has been shared, laughs have gone around and right now you’re feeling rather joyful at having a charging battery again. If you know any good tips then please let us know in the comments.
