Why does my Samsung Galaxy S4 only charge when its plugged into the computer?

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Well a few nights ago my phone died and a warning popped up and said "Downloading.. Do not turn off target!!" I looked up what this ment because it seemed suspicious and I found someone with this problem it seemed and that person was saying to take out the battery for 5 minutes and put it back in. I did that and it wouldn't turn back on and it just kept vibrating and vibrating and the charging sign came up but it wasn't changing I tried holding the power home and volume down button and when the setting came up I hit cancel and then it finally turned on but then shut right back off. So i took it to Samsung the next day and they said they don't know and try a new battery... I got home and plugged it into the laptop and it started to charge and I could turn it on. But it still wasn't charging. It said 0% battery. And I let it sit for about an hour or two and it is only at 16%. (I bought this phone used) and I heard that it does this if it is something about it being rooted? But I don't believe it has been rooted? I got a root checker and it said it is not but I went onto my settings and went to trusted credentials and I saw some things about root that were checked off... And then I went to about phone. Then to legal information and then open source licences. On that there was also some stuff about fake packages... And /root/init and /root/file_contexts... And I don't know what any of that means or if it means anything if I can get some help with how to fix charging my phone the normal way with the original charger that would be great.
 
Welcome.

Before we go any further, did you actually fit a new battery?

Posted via the Android Central App
 
No. Not yet. Should I? Sorry if it sends for the third time. This is my first time using this.

Welcome as a new member. :)

If the phone were mine, I'd be inclined to try a new battery....and one of good quality. I can't be sure that that will fix your problems, but it's the best suggestion I have to make. I'll try to grab another opinion or two from some friends.
 
Well a few nights ago my phone died and a warning popped up and said "Downloading.. Do not turn off target!!" I looked up what this ment because it seemed suspicious and I found someone with this problem it seemed and that person was saying to take out the battery for 5 minutes and put it back in. I did that and it wouldn't turn back on and it just kept vibrating and vibrating and the charging sign came up but it wasn't changing I tried holding the power home and volume down button and when the setting came up I hit cancel and then it finally turned on but then shut right back off. So i took it to Samsung the next day and they said they don't know and try a new battery... I got home and plugged it into the laptop and it started to charge and I could turn it on. But it still wasn't charging. It said 0% battery. And I let it sit for about an hour or two and it is only at 16%. (I bought this phone used) and I heard that it does this if it is something about it being rooted? But I don't believe it has been rooted? I got a root checker and it said it is not but I went onto my settings and went to trusted credentials and I saw some things about root that were checked off... And then I went to about phone. Then to legal information and then open source licences. On that there was also some stuff about fake packages... And /root/init and /root/file_contexts... And I don't know what any of that means or if it means anything if I can get some help with how to fix charging my phone the normal way with the original charger that would be great.

It may be a battery issue but as problem described i think the phone when it says downloading do not turn off msg, this msg is mostly shown when the handset is in download mode. Or the phone is updating OTA.

Switch the battery and if the problem persists try a hard reset or check if your handset was updated so it should b a bug. Try to downgrade your FW.

Posted via the Android Central App
 
Welcome as a new member. :)

If the phone were mine, I'd be inclined to try a new battery....and one of good quality. I can't be sure that that will fix your problems, but it's the best suggestion I have to make. I'll try to grab another opinion or two from some friends.


Thanks for the advice. I will definitely try that. Please let me know if you find anything more. I'll make sure to update and share my results when I get a new battery. And should I the same battery made by Samsung or is there another brand that is recommend?
 
It may be a battery issue but as problem described i think the phone when it says downloading do not turn off msg, this msg is mostly shown when the handset is in download mode. Or the phone is updating OTA.

Switch the battery and if the problem persists try a hard reset or check if your handset was updated so it should b a bug. Try to downgrade your FW.

Posted via the Android Central App

I'm new to samsung. I don't know what the FW is or how to downgrade it. And the last thing I want to do is completely reset my phone to factory. I will try a new battery first and if that doesn't work I'll try to downgrade my FW. Could you explain how to do that? And also, how do I check of my phone was updated? And what would be the reason my phone would go into download mode when it dies? Thanks.
 
Thanks for the advice. I will definitely try that. Please let me know if you find anything more. I'll make sure to update and share my results when I get a new battery. And should I the same battery made by Samsung or is there another brand that is recommend?

Try to get either a Samsung battery, or one of reputable make. There are plenty of poor-quality ones out there and your best chance of getting a high-quality battery is to choose one from a retailer with good customer ratings.
 
I'm new to samsung. I don't know what the FW is or how to downgrade it. And the last thing I want to do is completely reset my phone to factory. I will try a new battery first and if that doesn't work I'll try to downgrade my FW. Could you explain how to do that? And also, how do I check of my phone was updated? And what would be the reason my phone would go into download mode when it dies? Thanks.

First of All....welcome to samsung my friend. And now the FW. It stands for the FirmWare of the Android. Do you remember which official FW was installed when u purchased the handset. If yes then check the current Android version on ur phone.

Settings*>*About Device*>*Android Version.

And if u dont knw which vrsn was installed earlier so i also dont knw how to check it..:P And u asked ur phone goes in download mode when dies :) it is surely bcoz it is gone under updation while in switched off condition. And when u removed the battery the error in the process occured. And the phone started creating issues. Thats why it id highly warned that " Downloading...DO NOT TURN THE TARGET OFF" :)..

For downgrading the FW we need the official FW file and Have to install it manually using Odin (We will discuss it later if needed)

And to do a hard reset you should navigate to Settings*>*Accounts > Backup & Reset > Factory data reset. Read the info on your cell phone screen and hit Reset device. Note: Your mobile will be fully formated to factory. Please make backup of ur contacts, msgs etc...

Posted via the Android Central App
 
First of All....welcome to samsung my friend. And now the FW. It stands for the FirmWare of the Android. Do you remember which official FW was installed when u purchased the handset. If yes then check the current Android version on ur phone.

Settings*>*About Device*>*Android Version.

And if u dont knw which vrsn was installed earlier so i also dont knw how to check it..:P And u asked ur phone goes in download mode when dies :) it is surely bcoz it is gone under updation while in switched off condition. And when u removed the battery the error in the process occured. And the phone started creating issues. Thats why it id highly warned that " Downloading...DO NOT TURN THE TARGET OFF" :)..

For downgrading the FW we need the official FW file and Have to install it manually using Odin (We will discuss it later if needed)

And to do a hard reset you should navigate to Settings*>*Accounts > Backup & Reset > Factory data reset. Read the info on your cell phone screen and hit Reset device. Note: Your mobile will be fully formated to factory. Please make backup of ur contacts, msgs etc...

Posted via the Android Central App

What would downgrading the FW do to my phone?
 
What would downgrading the FW do to my phone?

It will erase your phone data and change the current version of android to a lower version of ur choice. e.g. If you have v5.0.1 currently and want to switch to v4.4.2. That process is called downgeading the FW.

Posted via the Android Central App
 
It will erase your phone data and change the current version of android to a lower version of ur choice. e.g. If you have v5.0.1 currently and want to switch to v4.4.2. That process is called downgeading the FW.

Posted via the Android Central App

Right now I have v4.4.2. So if I erase my phone data will that be kind of like a factory reset? Or will I still have my information on my phone like photos and apps?
 
Right now I have v4.4.2. So if I erase my phone data will that be kind of like a factory reset? Or will I still have my information on my phone like photos and apps?

Doing a factory reset will fully format your device including ur apps and data also.

Posted via the Android Central App
 
Doing a factory reset will fully format your device including ur apps and data also.

Posted via the Android Central App

I'm sorry. I'm a little confused. What's the difference between erasing my phone data and a factory reset? I don't want to loose my photos and apps...
 
I'm sorry. I'm a little confused. What's the difference between erasing my phone data and a factory reset? I don't want to loose my photos and apps...
So you can take the backup of your data. Factory reset and erasing are both the same option..

For application backup use App Backup Restore. And ur photos you can create backup on pc...
 
So you can take the backup of your data. Factory reset and erasing are both the same option..

For application backup use App Backup Restore. And ur photos you can create backup on pc...

Thank you, I just ordered a new battery to see how that will work. Let's hope that it does.
 
Welcome as a new member. :)

If the phone were mine, I'd be inclined to try a new battery....and one of good quality. I can't be sure that that will fix your problems, but it's the best suggestion I have to make. I'll try to grab another opinion or two from some friends.

I just got my battery and it is still only charging from the computer and not the ac adapter. And it is not the adapter or cord as it still works with my other Samsung device. This is very disappointing :/ if you have any other info or suggestions please let me know.
 

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