Why won't my phone charge when it's on but not when it's off?

Eureus

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My phone will charge when it's on, but not when it's off.

I believe it may be because my phone got wet, but when my phone is on, and I plug it in to charge, it charges fine. When it's off, however, all it does is vibrate once every few seconds. Why is it doing this? Is it charging, just being annoying while it's doing it?
 

B. Diddy

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Re: My phone will charge when it's on, but not when it's off.

Welcome to Android Central! So just to be clear--if the phone has been powered off and plugged into a wall outlet, and then you power it back on after several hours, the battery hasn't charged at all?

What kind of phone do you have? Is the battery removable? If so, have you tried a different battery? How about a different USB cable/plug?
 

Eureus

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Re: My phone will charge when it's on, but not when it's off.

I have a samsung Galaxy S3 (SPH-L710). I've tried several cables and means of charging, and all yield the same result. A vibration every few seconds. I've found out that it does charge while off, but why does it keep vibrating?
 

Eureus

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Re: My phone will charge when it's on, but not when it's off.

I have a samsung Galaxy S3 (SPH-L710). I've tried several cables and means of charging, and all yield the same result. A vibration every few seconds. I've found out that it does charge while off, but why does it keep vibrating?
 

B. Diddy

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Re: My phone will charge when it's on, but not when it's off.

It makes me wonder if the charging port has a loose connection--maybe it keeps disconnecting and connecting again. So when the phone is powered off and plugged in, the constant reconnection to the power makes it vibrate once.

When the phone is powered on and plugged to a power source, watch the charging indicator closely--does the lightning bolt disappear and then reappear frequently?
 

Eureus

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Re: My phone will charge when it's on, but not when it's off.

No, but the connection is very delicate. Move the cable too much, and it stops charging.