Phone Won't Charge? Try These Six Things Before You Panic

Few things sink your heart quite like plugging in a dead phone and watching absolutely nothing happen. Before you start writing its eulogy, here's some reassurance: nine times out of ten, a phone that won't charge isn't a goner. Usually it's something cheap and daft, a tired cable or a pocketful of fluff, rather than the phone itself. Here's the order we'd check things in, fastest and cheapest first, and the point where it's worth a trip to the bench.

1. Try a different cable and plug

Charging cables die from the inside, usually right by the connector where they get bent a thousand times. The outside can look perfect while the wires within have given up. So before anything else, beg or borrow a cable you know works, and a different plug while you're at it. This on its own revives a genuinely surprising number of "broken" phones. Try the plug in a proper wall socket too, rather than a laptop or a car USB, because some of those only trickle out a little power and can't keep up with a flat battery.

2. Clean out the charging port

This is the one almost everyone misses, and it's the most satisfying fix of the lot. Your phone lives in a pocket or a bag, and that little port slowly packs itself with lint until the cable physically can't seat all the way in. If your cable feels like it doesn't click home properly, or only charges when you hold it at an angle, this is very often why. With the phone switched off, take a wooden or plastic toothpick (never anything metal) and gently hook the fluff out. People are amazed how much comes out, sometimes a wad of pocket felt the size of a small caterpillar. We'll happily do this for you for free at the counter, and honestly, half the time that is the entire repair.

3. Force a restart

Every so often it isn't the hardware at all. The software has thrown a wobbly and frozen, which can stop the phone charging or even showing the battery icon. A forced restart clears it. On most recent iPhones that's a quick press of volume up, then volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Most Androids will reboot if you hold power and volume-down together for ten seconds or so. Costs nothing, takes a moment, and occasionally works like magic.

4. Make sure it isn't just too hot

In weather like we've been having, a phone that's overheated will deliberately pause charging to look after itself, then quietly carry on once it's cooled down. If it's been sat in a hot car or out in the sun, move it somewhere cool and give it ten minutes before you fear the worst. We went into all of this in our piece on why phones overheat and how to cool them down safely.

5. Check for water and corrosion

Have a look inside the port with a torch. If you can see green or white crusty gunk, that's corrosion, and it usually means liquid has got in at some point, even if you don't remember a soaking. That's a different sort of job, and the sooner it's looked at the better, because corrosion only spreads. Our water damage first-aid guide covers what to do, and just as importantly what not to.

When it's the charging port

If you've tried a known-good cable and plug, cleaned the port out, and it still only charges when you hold the cable just so or push it in and pray, the port itself is probably worn or damaged. It's one of the most common repairs we do, simply because that port gets a plugging-in every single day of its life. Replacing it is usually a quick turnaround and a fraction of the price of a new phone. Whether it's an iPhone or a Samsung or other Android, bring it in and we'll test it and give you a free quote.

When it's actually the battery

Sometimes the charging is fine and the battery is the real villain. If it charges up alright but then drops like a stone, dies at 30%, or the back of the phone feels like it's starting to bulge, you're looking at a worn-out or swelling battery rather than a port problem. A swollen battery in particular is one to deal with promptly. We can check the battery's health in a couple of minutes and tell you exactly where it stands, and there's more on the warning signs in our battery care guide.

A handy clue: does wireless charging still work?

If your phone does wireless charging, it's worth a quick test. If it charges happily on a wireless pad but not on a cable, that points the finger squarely at the cable or the port, rather than the battery or the phone's brain. If nothing charges it at all, by any method, then it's more likely the battery or something deeper inside. Little clues like that save us time on the diagnosis, which saves you money.

When to bring it in

If you've worked through the cheap and easy stuff and your phone still won't take a charge, that's where we come in. Most charging-port and battery jobs are sorted quickly, often the same day, and we'll always give you an honest free quote first and tell you plainly if a repair isn't worth it. You'll find us at 5 The Fairings, in the middle of Tenterden, opposite the Waitrose car park. Pop in during shop hours or book a slot online, and if you're travelling from further out, the areas we serve page has the drive times.