Phone charging cables repeatedly get unusable, stop charging after random periods of time.

[Stefunnique]

Hello
I have a Motorola G5S. Ever since I got it, I had a problem with charging cables, this is any cable I use. At first I thought the cable that came with the phone was faulty since after about 12 months, it stopped charging the phone. So then I changed to a new cable. However, each cable I use thereafter becomes unable to charge my (or any other Android) phone at seemingly increasingly short durations, ie the 2nd one might last just a few months, then a few weeks and lately, just a few days. I tried a new cable that was charging a different android just fine, and it worked for me, so I continued to use it. But yesterday it stopped working again.

The above is true whether the charging pins on the cable are sticking out like they should, or depressed into the plug (and therefore loose).

Any ideas?

 

[mustang7757]

Hi, welcome to AC!

Have you tried to clean the phones charging port with a can of compressed air?

 

[gomezz]

How are you storing the cable in between charges?

Are the cables from a reputable maker or any cheapo you come across?

 

[Mooncatt]

The above is true whether the charging pins on the cable are sticking out like they should, or depressed into the plug (and therefore loose).

The pins should not be sticking out period, otherwise they are at risk of being damaged or short circuited.

That aside, USB cables are almost a consumable item because they can wear out over time, especially the really cheap ones. Micro-USB seemed especially bad in my experience, but USB-C cables seem to be lasting much longer. How you treat them also has a big impact on their lifespan, such as the amount of plugging/unplugging, bending, or hard pulling of the cable.

As for which cables I use, I've had great luck with the Volutz brand of cables from Amazon.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Are you habitually kinking the cable anywhere? This can happen easily if you often put the phone in a poorly designed car mount or desk stand. Kinking a cable can wear out the interior wiring relatively easily.

Also, are the cables getting wet or damp at all?

I'm not sure what you mean by the comment about the charging pins sticking out or being depressed into the plug. Are you talking about the prongs on the wall plug? If so, are you making sure to plug into a power strip with a surge protector, or just an unprotected wall outlet?

 

[Stefunnique]

Welcome to Android Central! Are you habitually kinking the cable anywhere? This can happen easily if you often put the phone in a poorly designed car mount or desk stand. Kinking a cable can wear out the interior wiring relatively easily.

Also, are the cables getting wet or damp at all?

I'm not sure what you mean by the comment about the charging pins sticking out or being depressed into the plug. Are you talking about the prongs on the wall plug? If so, are you making sure to plug into a power strip with a surge protector, or just an unprotected wall outlet?

I am not sure what they are called, but if you have a look at this video, perhaps it will make it clearer what I mean by the pins/prongs? not sticking out anymore (the micro usb tip is flat so it's loose in the phone since there is nothing to grab onto).

I am not habitually kinking the cable or anything like that, the issue is with the pins, so I assume maybe the port in my phone is crooked, so deforms the micro USB tip but I cannot tell.

 

[Stefunnique]

They are any random cables I come across, could be reputable manufacturers or "cheapo" ones, but it makes no difference. The one that came with my phone originally didn't last very long either. Currently using one that came with my generic branded bluetooth earphones and it works fine at the moment, (been using it for less than a week though). To store them, I just put them on a flat surface like a table, or on the floor in their natural curved shape or leave it in the charging adapter.

 

[Stefunnique]

Hey I haven't tried this, thanks for the suggestion. Is this a safe method? Would it damage the port somehow?

 

[mustang7757]

Hey I haven't tried this, thanks for the suggestion. Is this a safe method? Would it damage the port somehow?

Safe mode just to see if any 3rd party app or application causing this issue

 

[B. Diddy]

I am not sure what they are called, but if you have a look at this video, perhaps it will make it clearer what I mean by the pins/prongs? not sticking out anymore (the micro usb tip is flat so it's loose in the phone since there is nothing to grab onto).

I am not habitually kinking the cable or anything like that, the issue is with the pins, so I assume maybe the port in my phone is crooked, so deforms the micro USB tip but I cannot tell.

Oh I see, you mean those little retention hooks. If those are no longer keeping the microUSB plug secure in the port, then I can see how it might easily fall out or become loose. I'm not sure what might be damaging that. When you pull the plug out from the phone, are you pulling straight out, or maybe angling it in some way that might be putting more stress on those hooks?

 

[Stefunnique]

Oh my god I could have called them hooks, silly me.
No I, usually pull them out from the micro usb tip part. Very occasionally if it is charging on my table, and my phone falls, the cable is jerked out from the phone.

Although, when a cable is almost about to stop working, I find it works again if I wrap it around my phone starting by wrapping it over the screen of the phone then back under it. Does not work if I wrap it the other way so I suspect it also has something to do with the neck of the cable.

 

[B. Diddy]

The fact that those hooks keep failing would suggest either low quality cables or some problem with the USB port that is damaging the hooks. Try using USB cables from well-known brands like Belkin or Volutz (as Mooncatt suggested above). If the hooks keep failing, then I'd say there's a problem with the port. That would probably require a repair shop's attention.

 

[Mooncatt]

Micro-USB had always been a poor design for phones in my book. Back when phones had a dedicated charging plug, those cables would last forever. When micro-USB came out, I was replacing them about every 6 months. USB C has been much more durable, but that would mean upgrading your phone.

I went two ways. I first started buying cheap cables in bulk. They went out quick, but not really expensive in the long run. Then I found those Volutz cables and they lasted for about a year. That said, my problem was the cables themselves breaking inside the sleeves, not the plug or retention hooks. So my advise is just do whatever is economical for you unless you are ready to upgrade the phone anyway, then consider a modern one with a USB C connection.

 

[gomezz]

If yours is a use case where it is not possible to handle and store USB cables carefully and need to repeatedly twist or move them awkwardly especially near the socket then one solution is to rely on wireless charging.

 

[Laura Knotek]

If yours is a use case where it is not possible to handle and store USB cables carefully and need to repeatedly twist or move them awkwardly especially near the socket then one solution is to rely on wireless charging.

The Motorola G5S does not support wireless charging.

 

[Stefunnique]

Just wanted to update people: My new cable which I started using only 12 days ago, is now not working as well. Definitely not the cable's fault, the little hooks still stick out well, it seems the phone itself has a crooked charging port or some other issue where it ruins every cable I use.
As for how I am using it: The charger plug that came with the phone is about 5cm tall. I plug it into a power board so it sticks upright out of the board. Then the cable has to stick out of the charger plug, but I put the phone flat on the ground, which means the cable has to be naturally bent down from the top of the charger cable (which is about 10cm from ground level including the thickness of the powerboard and the charging cable part), to the ground level. Surely this it not enough bend to cause it to stop working? It is making me crazy if the cables apparently wear out every 2 weeks!

 

[gomezz]

Any pets or small children around?

 

[B. Diddy]

Look closely at the contact pin inside the phone's microUSB port. Does it look off center? If it's deviated enough, it could potentially not be inserting into the central opening of the cable's plug -- instead, it might be going further off to one side (which would obviously mean it's not actually getting plugged in properly). This has happened to me before.