Phone Not Charging

A phone not charging when plugged in is usually let down by something outside the phone: a worn cable, a weak charger or a charging port packed with pocket lint. The phone can also pause charging on purpose, at 80% to protect the battery, when it is too warm, or when it detects moisture in the port. Start by trying a different cable and wall charger, then look into the port with a torch. The charging speed test confirms the fix. On Android it times each 1% step to show how fast the battery fills, and on an iPhone it gives you a simple timer, so you can tell a phone that charges slowly from one that is not charging at all.

Quick checks

• Swap the cable first, then the charger. Cables wear out long before phones do, especially near the plug. Apple's first advice is to check both for damage and not to use damaged accessories.
• Use a wall socket. A computer's USB port or a cheap power strip may not supply enough. Push the charger firmly into the socket and the cable firmly into both ends.
• Restart the phone. Then plug it in again.
• Take the case off. A thick case can stop the plug going all the way in.
• Give it 30 minutes. A fully flat phone may show only a battery icon at first. Apple suggests charging for half an hour before deciding anything.

Clean lint out of the charging port

Pocket lint packs into the bottom of the port a little more with every plug in. The plug then stops short of its contacts: it feels loose, no longer clicks in, or charges only when held at an angle. Shine a torch into the port and look for a gray felt layer at the back.

1. Switch the phone off.
2. Blow into the port gently. Samsung recommends this, and it moves loose dust.
3. If a layer is packed in, the makers' safest advice is to have a phone shop or service center clean it. Samsung tells owners not to put any object into the port.
4. If you do it yourself, use only a wooden toothpick or a plastic tool, never metal, and lift the lint out from the back wall without pressing on the contacts.

A clean port that still feels loose has worn contacts, which is a port repair.

Charging stops at 80% or another limit

When charging stops at the same level every time, a setting is usually doing it on purpose to slow battery wear.

• iPhone 15 and later: open Settings, Battery, Charging and set the Charge Limit anywhere from 80% to 100% in 5% steps. Optimized Battery Charging is only available with the limit at 100%.
• iPhone 14 and earlier: open Settings, Battery, Battery Health & Charging. With Optimized Battery Charging on, the iPhone waits at 80% when it expects a long charge, such as overnight. To fill up now, touch and hold the notification on the Lock Screen and tap Charge Now.
• Samsung Galaxy: open Settings, Battery, Battery protection. Basic stops at 100% and starts again at 95%. Maximum stops at a limit you choose, from 80% to 95% on One UI 7 and later, and at 80% on One UI 6.1. Sleep time protection, called Adaptive on One UI 6.1, holds at 80% overnight and finishes before you wake.
• Google Pixel: open Settings, Battery, Battery health, Charging optimization. Adaptive Charging finishes just before you usually unplug, and Limit to 80% stops at 80% on Pixel 6a and later. Pixels also limit charging to about 70 to 80% on their own after days on the charger or when charging hot. Tap Charge to full under Battery to override it.

Heat on its own also stops charging early. Apple notes that an iPhone may stop charging at 80% if the battery gets too warm, so move the phone and charger somewhere cooler and take off the case.

Moisture detected or a liquid warning

Phones with water resistance check the port for moisture and refuse to charge through a wet connector. An iPhone shows Liquid Detected or Charging Not Available. A Samsung Galaxy shows a moisture detected warning.

1. Unplug the cable from the phone and the charger.
2. Tap the phone gently against your hand with the port facing down.
3. Leave it in a dry place with moving air, or in front of a fan. Try again after at least 30 minutes. Apple says it can take up to 24 hours to dry fully.
4. Do not use a hair dryer or other heat, compressed air, cotton swabs or a bag of rice. Apple warns against all four.

An iPhone offers an emergency override to charge anyway, which risks corroding the port, so use it only if you must. Wireless charging still works once the back of the phone is dry. If the warning appears with a dry phone and every cable, the port needs a service. Water in the speaker is a separate problem: the water eject sound clears a muffled speaker, but it does nothing for the charging port.

Check the charger and cable

Even when a phone charges, a weak setup can leave it barely gaining.

• Charger power. An old 5 W cube or a laptop's USB-A port supplies 2.5 to 5 W, which a busy phone can use up entirely. A USB-C charger rated at 20 W or more charges current iPhones and most Android phones quickly.
• Matching standards. Samsung's Super Fast Charging needs a USB-C charger with PPS, and brands such as OnePlus and Xiaomi reach their top speeds only with their own charger and cable. Other chargers still work, more slowly.
• Phone says charging but the level does not rise. The phone is spending power as fast as it arrives. Close games and navigation, turn the screen off and test again with a stronger charger.
• Power banks with an automatic switch-off can turn themselves off when the phone draws little power near full.

Compare chargers and cables with the charging speed test online: save a run for each and keep the fastest.

Phone not charging on a wireless charger

1. Take off the case, and anything in it: cards, a metal plate for a car mount or a magnetic ring.
2. Center the phone on the pad. A phone slightly off the coil charges slowly or not at all. MagSafe and Qi2 chargers line it up with magnets.
3. Power the pad with the adapter its maker recommends. Many pads charge slowly, or flash a warning light, on a weak adapter.
4. Let a hot phone cool down. Phones pause wireless charging when they get warm, and pads blink when they detect a metal object between the coils.

Restart, update and rule out apps

• Force restart an iPhone (iPhone 8 and later): press and release volume up, press and release volume down, then hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
• Android: hold the power button, or power and volume down on many Samsung phones, and choose Restart.
• Install the latest system update, which often includes charging fixes.
• On Android, start in safe mode, which loads no downloaded apps. If the phone charges normally there, an app is keeping it busy or interfering.
• Stuck at 1% for an hour on a known good charger points to a failing battery or charging circuit, not a setting.

Check the battery health

• iPhone: open Settings, Battery, Battery Health, or Battery Health & Charging on iPhone 14 and earlier. Maximum Capacity compares the battery with when it was new. Apple designs iPhone 14 and earlier batteries to keep 80% of their capacity at 500 full cycles, and iPhone 15 models at 1,000 cycles.
• Google Pixel 8a and later: open Settings, Battery, Battery health. A status of Reduced means the capacity is below 80%, and Google suggests a replacement.
• Samsung Galaxy: the Samsung Members app checks the battery under its diagnostics.

A battery that makes the screen lift, the back bulge or the phone get hot when idle is swelling. Stop charging it and take it for a replacement straight away.

When it is a hardware fault

If the phone will not charge with three cables and two chargers you know work, the port is clean and dry, and no limit is set, the fault is inside the phone: a worn charging port, a failed charging chip or a dead battery. A port that works only at an angle is a frequent sign of a worn port, and a port or battery replacement costs far less than a new phone. Apple's own advice for a phone that still will not power on or charge is to book a service.

Check your warranty first. Liquid damage is not covered by most standard phone warranties, so mention it honestly if the phone got wet. If your phone also charges on a computer but the computer does not see it, the cable may be charge only: see usb not recognized. Touch screens that act up only while charging, tapping by themselves, usually have a poor quality charger at fault, which the ghost touch android guide explains.

Phone charging questions