Samsung Galaxy S4 - Not Charging - Grey Battery

[kevinr77]

Does anyone know if the charging port on these phones is responsible for relaying the charging status to the phone?

My phone will no longer recognize that a charger is connected. (Wall or USB) It started right about the time my phone cooked itself on the dashboard of my truck. It was plugged in and charging in the sun with the screen on (GPS) for about 4 hours.

When the phone is off I plug in the charger I get a grey battery followed by a short vibration, then it shuts off for a few seconds and starts that pattern again. If I turn on the phone and then plug in the charger it always says 'not-charging' when looking at the battery status, plus the battery icon stays just a battery.. no charging symbol. The funny thing is the battery WILL charge up to about 53% overnight if I leave it plugged in and left on. I can also charge the battery up to 100% if I remove the battery and charge it in a stand alone battery charger (dual docking station).

I have tried multiple wall chargers and usb cables hooked up to both the wall and my PC. I have done a hard factory reset (twice) by pressing vol-up + home + power and following the recovery prompts. Nothing has changed it's operation. I'm wondering if I cooked a resistor somewhere that tells the mainboard that it's charging. The replacement usb port comes with a small circuit board and a ribbon. I'm wondering if this board is responsible for sending the 'charging' signal, or if the mainboard is just fried.

Any help is appreciated


Samsung Galaxy S4 SGH-I337M
Android Version 4.2.2
Baseband Version I337MVLUAMDJ
Kernel Version 3.4.0-517283
Build number JDQ39.I337MVLUAMDJ

 

[pkdkickboxer]

Hi, I faced the same issue, my phone battery drained fully and when i tried to charge it, it did not charge and it showing the gray battery icon. my phone is only 3 months old...i did hard reset too and tried so many chargers but still it wont charge..

 

[kevinr77]

Glad to know I'm not alone!

I've ordered the USB port. Will report back if this fixes the issue

 

[pkdkickboxer]

I did not bring mine to the service center, i just kept it plug and it started to charge although there is no lightning symbol on the battery. It is charging as usual.

 

[PiznunkFunkilunk]

I just started having the same problem earlier today. Also, when I check the battery status it appears to me that the phone isn't resetting the "up-time" clock, even though I've been rebooting and pulling the battery regularly all day. On boot up, it also momentarily flashes a "USB connector connected" message on the notification bar, even though nothing is connected. It's almost like the USB port is stuck in an error state.

I have not had any sort of event (like leaving it in the sun) that I think could have triggered this. It was after a night of normal usage, not dropping below 40% charge. Plugged it in before bed, and woke up to it fully charged. Used it for several hours, then when I plugged it back in to top it off and... nothing.

 

[TeckTeach]

My phone started doing this two days ago. I let it drain all the way and gave be grey battery. It will only charge if phone is turned off and vibrates every 5 seconds.... Need major help with this..

 

[Albert Fiorini]

I'm having the same issue. I have not done anything to the phone. I get the gray battery and the not connected to the USB Port signal when i unplug.

 

[kevinr77]

SOLVED

The fix to this is to order and replace the USB charging port + ribbon/circuitry as shown in the picture above.

I ordered the port + a new battery from eTradeSupply and got it really quick (like 4 days from Hong Kong to Canada). I tried the new battery first just to be sure, and it didn't make a difference. I then opened up the phone (9 screws) and replaced the ribbon / USB. (there's lots of online videos). It worked right away. Total cost was $50 delivered for both the battery and the port. ($12 - port, $14 - Battery, the rest shipping).

Hope this helps!!!

 

[pkdkickboxer]

today i was surprise that after a week of continuous charging with the Grey Battery and intermittent vibration, the phone charging symbol came back. i did not bring it back to the dealer although it is only 3 months old and under warranty. Now my phone is back to the normal charging and discharging......hope this info helps.

 

[fatialofa]

im having the same problem just tonight and my phones dead..:-\.what did you end up doing?

 

[fatialofa]

My phone started doing this two days ago. I let it drain all the way and gave be grey battery. It will only charge if phone is turned off and vibrates every 5 seconds.... Need major help with this..

I'm having this exact prob what did you end up doing?

 

[Lex N]

Hello s4 users...this is my experience. I am too experiencing the same 'not' charging icon (the green battery) when I plug my s4 into the computer or the usb charger. And when I did, my phone would show the 'grey battery' symbol for a few seconds, the screen would go blank, then give me a strong, short vibration. At first, I reflected my past days of use...phone calls, text messaging, FB, apps usage, charging and repeat. Then I noticed the day before, my phone was set on the table and would get very warm, and I will add I was not using it for along time, not playing games, taking pix or videos, youtube, music player, email or etc..and my phone was still very warm. I quickly grabbed my phone, checked any notifications, FB, youtube, music, videos, apps etc...none of those were active. So I assumed nothing of it and placed it back on the table. That same night I plugged my phone, everything was great. The day (8/18/13) of the 'grey battery' I was doing a long road trip and my phone "not in use or not in the sun" was still very warm. My battery was more than half way empty, I was confused . At the end of trip, I plugged my phone to be charged and the 'grey battery' and 'vibration' would start (8/18/13 7:30pm). After checking with my usb cord, checking my settings and notifications numerous times and getting a little bit angry. I left my phone still plugged in and walked away in frustration, grabbed my tablet and started researching this defect. After 2 hours of reading blogs etc. I stumbled upon a youtube video with a same defect, and it made since. I go back to my phone and from a distance I still noticed the 'grey battery' and 'vibration'. I unplugged my phone and had 50% recharged! what?! I said. I noticed some disappointing things, There is no long the LED light glowing for notifications, or charging and not even the 'charging green lightening bolt battery' icon, plus side my contacts, email, music, password, buttons etc are running fine!. Basically, my phone is charging now (11:51pm). The effects of this annoying 'grey battery', listed previously, on my phone seems to be the usb connection circuit or usb port. Which makes sense...no LED light for notifications or charging, or the 'charging green lightening bolt battery' right?! And that youtube video I mentioned earlier showed thoroughly how to replace it. If anyone has question, or concerns about my experience, feel free. I am not a Samsung representative, computer expert, or good with electronics...just an average joe. I will be researching more on this defect...right...now.

 

[dollfacewithdimples]

Settings > Display > Daydream

 

[dollfacewithdimples]

Settings > Display > Daydream then click on daydream then select dream time > When docked

 

[jspp73]

Hi everyone. I'm having the similar problems with my S4 (GT-I9505). A few days ago, when I connected my S4 to my PC, the pc had difficulty detecting the device. The battery charging icon also flashed intermittently. After an hour or so, the PC wouldn't detect the S4 at all and i don't get any changes in notifications in either the PC or the S4 when i connect the two. I did notice that the battery percentage increases slowly when connected to the PC even though the battery indicator says - Not charging. Same thing when i plugged the S4 to the stock charger - phone says it is not charging but battery percentage increases at a very very slow rate. I have tried the toothpick method and reset my S4, still the same. I'm hoping that you guys can help before I bring my unit to a service center (which i really don't want to do, even though my unit is still under warranty, as it may be several days before I get the unit back and I don't have a spare handset. Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Nicolas KHOURI]

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately I am facing the exact same issue and have tried all the tricks previously mentioned.

Did anyone find a solution to this problem?
Are we talking about a hardware problem or more a software one ?

Any help would be much appreciated.
thanks !

 

[kevinr77]

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately I am facing the exact same issue and have tried all the tricks previously mentioned.

Did anyone find a solution to this problem?
Are we talking about a hardware problem or more a software one ?

Any help would be much appreciated.
thanks !

Yes.. The solution is as I listed above. REPLACE THE USB PORT / RIBBON. That's it. I replaced mine (Over a month ago now!) and it has been working great ever since. It charges normally, the LED works, and everything is back to normal.

The problem is this $15 usb port / ribbon. 9 screws, lots of online how-to's.

Good luck!

 

[hussain191]

friend's today i talk friend i switch off i dont know wht happen not working (galaxy s4 ) i need u re help immidialtly

 

[g0rnex]

SOLVED

By cleaning usb port with simple contact cleaner.

had exactly the same problem as you guys.
Charging slow when off and repeatedly screen on off..;
Charging even slow when on
not being recognised when plugged in to pc

 

[CbsNick1]

Where did you order the ribbon? eTradeSupply only ships to businesses.