My Samsung Galaxy S3 won't charge past 1%. What should I do?

[AC Question]

This started yesterday. At first the battery would charge, but would drain completely just after a couple hours. I put it back on the charger once I got home today, but now it won't charge past 1%. Does this mean that I have to replace the battery? It just seems strange because I do not use this phone for more than calling people or checking maps/emails, I don't even play games on it because games always crash on the phone. Is this a problem with the battery, or could it be a problem with the phone? please help.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! It's more likely to be the battery. Batteries can fail or be defective. Since the S3 is pretty old, I assume you've had yours for a while. Do you typically let it drain all the way to zero (or close to it) before charging up? That's not great for the battery, since deep discharges reduce the overall lifespan.

Try a new battery, or test out someone else's battery.

 

[needhelpnow1234]

Thank you for the reply!
No I do not let it drain completely before charging. The battery would be left with about 50% or so until I came home from work. Today, however, the phone seems to have been able to charge, and at the moment it does not seem to be draining as badly as the day before. I think perhaps I'll see how the phone holds up for the rest of the week and if it's still not working properly then I'll search for a replacement battery.