S3 Mini battery fully drained and now it won't charge - help :-(

[muppy7]

My S3 Mini drained to 0% and now it is refusing to charge both with the charger and the USB to computer. I've left it for several hours but nothing.
Every now and again the little "loading" symbol appears for a few seconds. Even less frequently the battery charging symbol pops up. Does this mean the battery is not completely useless?!
I live in the middle of nowhere in Thailand so would rather not have to venture out to buy a new battery!!
Thanks!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! If you truly drain a modern lithium battery to zero, it's irreversibly dead. Most phones will shut down at around 5% or so as a precaution, but maybe yours didn't. You could try leaving it plugged in for a full day without trying to turn the phone on, and see if the battery recharges--but if it doesn't, then it's time to buy a new battery.

 

[muppy7]

It has just started to charge after being plugged in for over 6 hours! Thanks for your help!

 

[B. Diddy]

Cool. Let it charge for a good 12-18 hours. And in the future, be careful about not letting the battery get that low!

 

[muppy7]

Lesson learnt!