A slow charging phone can be a burden. Leaving it on charge for a few hours only to come back to it with less than half of its battery life is frustrating by anyone’s standards.
There can be a couple of reasons why your phone may be charging slower than it usually would. We can usually narrow it down to the phone itself, the cable that you’re using or how you’re charging it – typically via a wall charger or plugging it into your laptop.
Here, we’re going to run through what you have to check if you want to fix a slow charging phone.
6 reasons why your phone is charging slowly
If you’re having problems with a slow charging phone, then there will be different advice depending on what your exact scenario is. If it’s charging at a slower rate than what you’d consider normal, then this is at least a good thing – your phone’s battery is taking charge.
You’ll want to ensure that you’re not using it whilst it’s charging though, as this could mean you’re charging and draining the battery simultaneously, which means that it’ll probably charge slower.
It’s also a good idea for you to switch into Airplane mode when you’re trying to work out what the problem is. This helps us to exclude an issue with your phone accessing the internet or data usage contributing to your poor charging experience. When you’ve done this, check out the steps below.
Try and find the original charger
In some cases, your phone may be charging up slower than you expect if you’re using a cable or plug that didn’t come with the phone.
Typically, many Android phones actually come with a Qualcomm charger. This enables them to fast charge, which usually means you can charge up to 50% in 30 mins, and 100% within little more than an hour or so.
Not all chargers will be able to fast charge your device. And similarly, your phone won’t charge as fast if it’s plugged into your computer or laptop either. So, it’s important that if you want to charge as fast as possible, use the original charger that cam with your phone.
An issue with your cable
More often than not, if your phone is charging slowly, then it’s not actually the fault of your phone. The most common culprit is actually the cable, which can cause a whole host of problems.
Cables are generally the most volatile part of a charging setup. They often suffer the most from general wear and tear, and with constant use, the wires inside can often split.
This is more likely if you’re not using your original charger that came with your phone. But, if you can, the first thing you should try is using a new cable with your phone instead.
Use a wall charger
Your phone is typically going to charge slower or faster depending on the source of electricity it’s plugged into.
The best way for you to charge your phone up as its optimum rate is to use a wall charger, preferable its original charger too. As mentioned previously, your phone will charge slower when connected to anything that isn’t your mains electricity – your laptop, your computer or even a power bank.
We also have to consider the voltage of the charger you’re using as well. If it’s not as powerful as your original, it will likely charge your phone up much slower.
Clear your ports
The ports of your phone are important, as unless you’re using a wireless charging pad, they’re how you connect your phone to other devices.
Any sort of obstruction in the charging port on your phone may be causing an issue with your phone charging. This could be a small piece of paper, fluff or debris from being in your pocket.
Either way, making sure that the port you’re connecting to is clear is definitely worth checking if you can’t figure out another reason why your phone is charging slowly.
The phone or battery is old
The majority of people upgrade their phone way before they actually need to. But, not everyone decides to do this, and if you’re like me, you’ll use your phone until its death.
But after a certain amount of time and daily usage, a phone can start to wear out. The battery of a phone isn’t designed to last forever, and after being charged thousands of times, the battery will gradually get worn down.
Obviously, this won’t apply to you if you’re having this problem with a relatively new phone. But if it’s more than 5 years old, you can start to expect a decrease in battery life, and even charging capabilities too.
Potential malware or software issues
Though it’s very unlikely that your phone has been hacked, it is still a possibility.
And if you have been hacked, then one of the things that you’ll probably see on your phone is a dramatic decrease in battery performance. This can include your phone charging much slower than it may have done in the past.
This is because the person who has access to your phone is likely running a whole host of programs in the background. And more programs running will undoubtedly have an effect on your phone’s battery life.
Conclusion
Most of the time, the phone battery itself isn’t actually at fault – it’s something that you’re connecting to it that’s causing the problem. This could be the cable or charger itself, or it could be some kind of obstruction that’s stopping your phone connecting to the power source properly.
Using the phone’s original charger is definitely a good idea if you want to be able to charge your phone as fast as you can. But, ensuring its in good condition is also vital.
