A situation where your phone won’t charge properly or worse, not charge at all can be a real pain. While most of us run to the service centers at the first sight of the problem, it should be the last option as the solution could actually be a lot simpler than you think. The issue could be that the phone is charging very slowly or it might not be charging at all. A phone not charging issue does not automatically mean that your battery is spoiled.

  1. Micro USB port Phone charging is affected when the insides of the micro USB port and the charger do not connect or come in contact properly. Continuous inserting and removal of the charger into the port can lead to minor hardware defects that might lead to improper contact.
  2. Your charging port is dirty Another common problem is any kind of obstruction present in all the common types of ports – micro USB, Lightning or the USB-C port. This could be as small as a piece of lint from your jeans pocket or the inside of your purse, or just some dirt or dust accumulated in the port over a period of time. This can create a physical barrier against proper contact between the charger and the USB port. A simple blow of air to your USB port can get rid of the problem.
  3. Faulty cables Faulty charging cables can cause charging issues. While the main adapter of the charger is fairly hardy and can stand the test of time, the same cannot be said of the charging cables. Using another cable should give you an idea of whether the problem lies with your charging cable. If the phone charges with the other cable then you have your villain. If it doesn’t, then this is one less thing for you to worry about.
  4. Your power source This might seem rather silly, but often we overlook the most obvious cause of our problems. Your power source could be the issue here. Often while a power supply works for other things it might not be the right fit for your mobile charger.
  5. Stop using the phone while it’s charging If you are in the habit of using the phone while it is charging, it may give the impression of slow charging. That is because the app you are using is consuming a good percentage of the charge and thus the battery charges slowly. While most of the apps you use should not have this effect, playing videos or games, or even using regular apps on a cellular network might cause your phone’s battery to charge at a slow rate.
  6. Stop the apps running in the background Apps that you are not actively using but are running in the background can cause your phone to charge slowly. With newer phones having better hardware and improved operating systems, this is more likely to be a factor for older phones. It is easy to check if your phone has this problem. If none of these things work then it might be time to buy a new phone if by any chance you’ve ruined your battery.