Take a tooth floss pick and dig all the pocket crud out of it, both the top and bottom side. try a fresh cable, if that fails try some deoxit on the port
Do this. It worked for me.
Yep, cleaning the port works most of the time. Lint and crap get caught in there and prevents the cord from plugging in all the way
Huge thanks to people in this thread. USB-C stopped charging reliably on my phone a few months back, tried clearing the port with compressed air but no joy, so I started using wireless charging. Spent 5mins today picking out a surprising amount of lint with a narrow toothpick and it works like new!
it is frankly impressive how much debris a port can hold!
I had that exact same experience a few months ago.
I did the same thing! I thought I was boned, turned out I just had a pocket lint problem. It really was amazing how much shit I pulled out of there. Charges just fine now.
Might consider how you’re storing it, too - I used to keep my phone upside-down in my pocket (so the charging port was pointing up), because that angled it so it would be upright when I pulled it out. That also let all the gunk fall in and stay in - seems like it takes a lot longer before this happens now that I pocket it with the port facing down!
All these legitimately helpful fucking comments and no one’s pointing out that you can easily fix the problem by placing the smartphone in microwave and nuke it for a minute on high* to get your phone up to 80% charge.
*^Charging times dependent on microwave power output and your zodiac sign. Lower wattages may result in tastier special brownies. If unsure, please consult your primary care phrenologist.^
Every time I’ve had that happen, it’s been the cable going bad, not the port.
Or the port is just full of pocket lint
The cable is designed to break before the port.
I had one phone where it was the port, but I’m pretty sure it was water damage. It took one too many falls into puddles while fumbling with kids, carrying stuff and opening doors all at once
In my case it was actually the port, well not really the port, but a lot of pocket dust had gotten into the port. I spend some time with a toothpick to clean everything out and it was fixed. When you think you got it all there is probably more.
i literally just finished a usb-c charging port repair on a relative’s phone.
The plastic “tongue” inside the port was gone, and the metal pins normally embedded in it were standing in empty air.
You can break it if you really want to :)
Caused by gunk in the charge port. It naturally accrues over time. Local repair stores will have the specialized tools to fix it.
Edit: people who are saying toothpicks havent actually done the job properly before, I’m willing to bet. Toothpicks don’t fit properly in a USB-C port, and can barely get inside a lightning port. Not to mention that if it breaks, you’re fucked and have to go to a repair shop anyway.
Toothpicks are not exactly specialised tools
I use a sewing machine needle, works great, just don’t go crazy and break shit.
Something nonconductive seems the safest choice, so you can’t accidentally short anything.
Plastic dental flosser with a pick. Cut the tip flat. Easier to reach the edges and less likely to damage the port.
I’ve done a little bit of okay cleaning with a toothpick, then much better cleaning from the repair shop.
Me too, alcohol and toothpick
I wouldn’t recommend using that toothpick while drunk, my dude.
Lol
Can confirm rubbing alcohol can improve your experience with failing phone charge port. I got to the point with one where it wouldn’t charge unless I applied a minuscule amount of alcohol around the metal prong in the phone with a shaved down toothpick before plugging it in. This tip is mentioned exclusively for those trying to extend the life of an end-stage phone and I take no responsibility for any fires or harm to the phone.
That said, there were never any problems when I did it and it extended the phone’s life maybe 8 months, and after a few months it didn’t even need the alcohol. Maybe it improves conductivity or used the charger head to over time clean the phone port. This was a micro-USB charger because I like using 8 year old, $60 phones.
Toothpicks work great. They are wood or plastic so they won’t conduct electricity.
Can confirm. Clean these out all the time. about 75%-80% of the time this is the cause of this exact issue.
Get a wooden toothpick and snap it in two (unevenly is better). Then use a pointy bit to clear out all the dirt, dust and grime from your phones port. I had the same problem a few weeks ago with my phone, after a good 20 minutes of careful scraping my phone is fine now. Best of luck.
But be careful: do not press hard on the toothstick. It will splinter and then you will have a real problem getting the port clean. Source: my phone port :(
Sewing needle, use the eye side to dig around, I cut wood and ends up with chips in the port all the time, it’s not a problem
Bricked my first iPod back in the day using a sewing needle to fish lint out of the headphone jack. I must have nicked or bridged something inside because it started behaving so oddly as to be unusable before finally refusing to turn on at all.
Honestly I just use a metal sewing pin or something. Hasn’t caused any problems for me! Just gotta be gentle and not jam it.
Use the eye side instead of the pointy side
Can also remove dirt from the speaker recesses this way
If you’ve got a 3d printer there are various picks you can print to help too. This ones popular https://www.printables.com/model/1199608-usb-port-cleaner-remove-dust-dirt-2min-print/related
I recommend also taking a knife and peel it a bit so it is basically flat.
I tried this and had limited success. Then I just got a wireless charger and it’s fine now.
I have nothing constructive to contribute other than I feel smug and superior because I have a fairphone, so I can change mine if that ever happens.
*Smiles* You’re so smart.
Shock him.
Yup, same. And that smug sense of superiority that comes with it.
I’ll be excited to whip out a Phillips head screwdriver on the day my USB c port acts up to swap it :D
Imagine the superiority you’d feel by using a sewing needle to just pull the shit out of there and not even have to disassemble your phone
Aw damn, that’s not an option with fairphones
I’ve done it and it’s super easy to replace!
Came here to say “laugh in fairphone”
USB C? See if it isn’t full of garbage accumulated inside. I had to use a needle to scratch it out. Shit was so dense it was pretty difficult to clean. Eventually (~20 min of intensive scratching), I managed to clean it and I got rid of the problem.
Until I found the problem, I ended up buying bs. Another charger and an inductive charger.
I worked as a carpenter until a few years ago. My charging port would constantly get filled with sawdust, plasterdust and whatever other dust happened to be around that day. I ended up buying an induction charger and it has been the absolutely best purchase I’ve ever made.
I tried solving the problem with those small cover things you can put in the port, but they would constantly fall out.
Consider one of those protective cases that has the flap that covers the charging port. Yeah, a minor annoyance when you want to plug the charger in, but it keeps the port crud free. I’ve used variations of that style for years and it keeps the phone in good shape even when it’s collecting rust- or sawdust in the shop.
I was happy when usb c came out because it looked like it had to be a significant improvement over micro usb, in terms of longevity and reliability.
It’s looking like it’s only a slight improvement though, which sucks.
I have yet to have a USB c port be ripped out of a device, I have had this happen to two USB micro b devices (ultra cheap). (USB c cords die relatively frequently though)
Remember when the little chip that held the pins in the middle would get obliterated?
I’ve never had any issues with micro usb, yet no usb c on a phone survived for more than 2 years. It’s ridiculous.
I only used Apple for a very short time, but their connector seemed pretty neat. Small and with satisfying haptics. Too bad they are so shitty about patents and standards.
Idk what cables and devices youve been buying but ive seen an insane difference in durability going to micro to c.
For a start, none of my usb c cables have lost their gripping strength, one of which ive been using daily for over 6 years.
None of my usb c devices have had the central pin blade thing fall off or fatige to the point of not making a connection,
The one down side ive seen to usb c is that when i accidentally rolled my chsir over a connector, it did crush the oval inwards but i pried that open again and stuck it in my desk mic and its been working fine since.
Time to fish out the impacted lint from the charge hole with a pin! You’d be surprised how much lint can get jammed up in there.
This. I was sure I had mine completely clean 3 times and was pretty resigned to wireless charging only before a hardened sliver of detritus dropped out. Back to working like new.
Makes me seriously consider something like a Magnetic USBC connector
That’s the beauty of the Fairphone https://shop.fairphone.com/shop/fairphone-4-usb-c-port-25
Ugggg I was so close to pulling to trigger for one on my last phone death. But I was doing all this comparison and pricing, and at the end of it all, realized they arent sold in my shithole country and had like a extra 200 hundy shipping price. So im still android and the ogle. But next time… pretty sure itll be fairphone.
By the way, any users of the Mint mobile service who have a fairphone who see this comment, please respond to me. Im still only like 90 percent sure I use one with that plan.
As long as the parts are available.
Haven’t needed them myself, but I’ve heard stories where they couldn’t get a replacement part because it was sold out for a long time. Which kind of defeats the purpose.
Still, it is such a robust phone.
Digging around the forums it’s really easy to find replacements! FP3 replacement parts are still widely available, and you can find FP2 parts by doing a bit of digging. Remember to contact your local Fairphone Angel too!
Now if only the hardware wasn’t subpar and the OS unusable…
How is the OS unusable when you can always install a custom rom?
Fairphone even encourages it.
Didn’t know that but I’ve not rooted in quite some years because Google actively opposes it and not everything works as well. But good point. I do however stand by my hardware point. Wish they made a premium Fairphone.
For me it works perfectly fine. I don’t need a super computer in my pocket
All the better for you then. :)
And had an audio jack
If there is a problem with capacitance then this won’t help, but if it might just be dirty then power it down and clean the charging port with a can of 99.99% compressed alcohol electronics cleaner, then use a can of air duster, repeat a couple of times. Afterwards, press the case firmly to ensure it’s still held together. Leave to dry completely before trying again.
If you want a sketchy but simple solution you can use the back of a sewing needle to poke the stuff out of the port. Be careful tho, you can very easily break the port.
Toothpick. Wood only. Never do this with metal.
I found wooden kebab skewers were better. Longer and stronger, can be shaved to the best point needed for each task.
Toothpick too thick, either sharpen it or use some plastic from somewhere.
Mind sharing what toothpicks? Because in here the ends of them are exceptionally thin.
Never thought of this, will do this in the future tho. Thanks!
Toothpicks would probably be too thick.
This is the way
If it makes you feel better, my phone just did the thing where it installed an update and now everything is running noticably worse.
Enforced obsoletion. Android is really good about those updates.
Yea, I bought one of the induction chargers cause this happened to me about a year ago. My phone still works so i see no reason to buy a new one and quite frankly i just don’t want to. Gonna ride this bad boy out until it dies.
Have you tried cleaning the port out, mostly it’s crap built up in the port.
Got myself a Fairphone 5 just a few weeks ago. With this, switching the charging port is a 20€ + 10min time investment.
i dont have a fairphone-amount of cash lying around, but I’m seriously wondering if it doesnt end up to be cheaper in the long run for those who do.
how long does it get security updates?
Personally I’ve started buying generation or two behind high-mid range phones as refurbished. I get a highish end phone for about what I used to pay for a lower end phone. There are better materials which go into higher end devices (I learned this when I worked for a phone manufacturer. Kinda shocking but also makes perfect sense at the same time)
It’s the Sam Vimes theory of socioeconomic unfairness, often called simply the boots theory.
The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
– Men at Armsi already know that one, big pratchett fan, lol. But keep sharing it, this is good stuff. Makes the internet better to have it around.
https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/9979180437393-Fairphone-s-Operating-System
They promise 8 years (possibly 10), so at least until late 2031.
Im pretty sure it will end up being cheaper for me on the long run, especially compared to an iPhone. Im kind of amazed that its not more expensive considering they probably spend like twice as much for the components (or rather for the conditions they are produced under), while still being more or less competitive. But I guess its possible if you dont go for 200% profit margin.
