Doesn't charge while being used

[danniee]

Hi,

I am totally new to Android and Samsung S4. Have been using iPhone before. Very happy with the phone but I am trying to learn some stuff. For example, when using the phone, playing games or streaming a movie while the phone is charging, it won't charge. Not even if I only browse around. It will stay on 74% or whatever. But when I close it (lock) it starts to rise %. With iPhone it would charge without problem while being active with the phone. I hope it's only a setting because it would be pretty bad if it cant charge while the kids are watching a movie :/

 

[Golfdriver97]

Hi,

I am totally new to Android and Samsung S4. Have been using iPhone before. Very happy with the phone but I am trying to learn some stuff. For example, when using the phone, playing games or streaming a movie while the phone is charging, it won't charge. Not even if I only browse around. It will stay on 74% or whatever. But when I close it (lock) it starts to rise %. With iPhone it would charge without problem while being active with the phone. I hope it's only a setting because it would be pretty bad if it cant charge while the kids are watching a movie :/

Try messing around in Settings, like turning Auto brightness off etc, or any other battery killing setting. Auto brightness is kinda cool, but it is about as big of a battery killer as leaving your bluetooth on. After that, if you don't see any kind of improvement, contact Samsung, you may have a faulty charger or cable.

Now, with my S3, I can charge and watch a movie, but the charge rate slows to a crawl. I am using power for the screen, processor, and internet, on top of whatever else Android needs to do in that time. Same thing happens with high processed games, ones with a lot of moving video, and lots of things happening on the screen. Otherwise so long as the things I am doing are low power uses, I am fine.

This may seem unrelated, but how long does it take for you under average use before your phone hits, say, 30% remaining?

 

[danniee]

Thank you for the reply. Hard to say how long it takes until it drops to 30%, only had it for a day. It drains rather quickly but on the other hand I have been using it constantly since yesterday and compared to iPhone I would say the battery is ok. Someone told me it could be because my battery is still very new and that it might take a few charges until it will work as effective as it should. Could that be true?

 

[danniee]

Can anyone who actually has the S4 confirm or deny this issue?

 

[cmcfarland]

Are you using the 2 amp charger that came with phone?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Android Central Forums

 

[danniee]

Yes I am. Tried a 1 amp charger too. No difference. As soon as I lock and close the screen it charges perfectly but if I unlock it it just sits forever on the same %.

 

[danniee]

Someone said it might just be a bug and that it is still loading even tho the % doesn't move, but I'm not sure about that. I guess it wouldnt be too hard for any one of you who has the phone to try and see?

 

[edwardwychan]

Hi Danniee,

You are not alone!!! I'm having the same issue as well and been spending the last week trying to find a solution to our problem; no luck.

I'm also new to the Android world (switched from iPhone) and still getting use to all of the new features. I thought/hoping it might be a setting issue...

Someone please help.

 

[Meshe78]

I had this same issue so I tried my husbands S3 charger and it worked a ton better so I had him take my charger back to the store for a replacement and it works 100% faster.

 

[Dreamliner330]

This one's pretty simple fellas. If the battery has more of a draw on it than the charger will push, then the battery will not charge.

This usually happens with smaller chargers, a bit odd to happen with a 2 Amp charger though.

 

[edwardwychan]

I totally agree with Dremliner330 so I did a test.
I kept my phone on while it was "charging", not playing any games or movies, because i wanted to see if that would work. Sadly, it did not.
I started the test at 50% and after 15 -20 mins, it was still at 50%. I even switched chargers (wall unit and laptop) - both resulted were the same.

 

[Brandi Nunya]

My phone does the samething, only difference, I'm using a ZTE. I know I'm in the wrong forum, I was just looking around and found the same problem. Maybe I can get some help, too.