Phone is not charging

[Android Central Question]

First, I've looked up the symptoms online, and it seems that my problem is a bit less common. I suspect it's a damaged charging port, or worse, charging circuit, but I'd like to definitely root out all other possibility before throwing it in and goes to a repair shop.

Description of symptoms:
- Went ka-put while using, not sure at how many % (~40% perhaps), but definitely not at low battery.
- Will detect a charger. Displays lighting symbol, then shut off. Does not charge. I've tried rebooting after leaving it for a bit - 0%.

Here's a list of diagnostic I've done and root out:

- Bad adapter/cable/outlet: I've tried a different adapter/cable that's confirmed to be working - does not charge. I've tried different Samsung phone with current charger - charges properly.

- Dust inside port: There was plenty, and I cleaned them out with a toothpick and some alcohol. Does not fix issue.

Phone info:
- Purchased 23 months ago from a Fido vendor.
- Near-pristine condition.
- No software/hardware modification/repair to date. Phone is not updated to latest version, and I have not installed the OS update for quite some time now.

 

[Rukbat]

If it's a microUSB port, and wiggling the connector makes it charge once in a while, it's a loose port. (Repair shops will still usually just replace the board the port is on. Component-level replacement is a lost art.)

Otherwise it could be a bad port or a bad charging circuit, but it's the port about 98% of the time, either from becoming unsoldered from the board or from breaking inside the port (microUSB or Type C)..

 

[Mooncatt]

Shutting off at around 40% is almost a sure sign the battery itself is going bad. When that happened and you plugged it in, how long was leaving it to charge "a bit?" If it was only 5 minutes, that may not have been enough to recover enough charge to allow it to power on. Try leaving it on for an hour, maybe two, then see if it shows any signs of life.