Mobile phone charging slowly
The rechargeable battery is not always to blame when your phone charges slowly. Find and eliminate possible sources of error with our tips.
9 min read | Nov 17, 2021
At a glance: Mobile phone charging slowly
- First check whether the charging cable and power supply unit are in good order. Remove any dirt from the USB port
- Find out whether the power supply unit is supplying too low a charging current
- Identify power-hungry apps
- Do not use the mobile phone to watch films or play games while charging it
- Close all open apps before charging. Even better: Switch mobile phone into flight mode
FAQs
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Should you charge a mobile phone quickly or slowly?
Fast charging does not harm the mobile phone as the charging process slows down after around 80% to prevent the rechargeable battery from being damaged. If you charge the mobile phone slowly and often leave it attached to the charger with a 100% charge, this reduces its charging capacity more significantly. The best way to save the battery is to charge the mobile phone up to 80 per cent and reconnect it when it is at least at 20 per cent. We take a detailed look at this topic in our article The correct way to charge your phone.
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Can I charge and use my mobile phone at the same time?
Yes, but if you are charging your mobile phone and using it at the same time, such as by watching films or using game apps, your mobile phone will charge more slowly. In contrast, making phone calls or sending text messages has little effect on charging speed.
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Why does my mobile phone charge so slowly?
Your mobile phone doesn’t just charge slowly when its rechargeable battery is getting old. The cause can also be a faulty charging cable or a power supply unit that supplies too little charging current. Also check whether you can end apps that are using excessive power.
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How can my phone charge more quickly?
Your mobile phone charges more quickly if you connect it to a power supply unit at a plug socket instead of charging it at a computer USB port that supplies much less electricity. Use the mobile phone as little as possible during charging (watching films and playing games use a particularly large amount of electricity). It helps most to switch the mobile phone into flight mode or turn it off during charging. You’ll find many more tips in our article “Fast charging of mobile phones”.
Hardware – check your devices
If your mobile phone is charging slowly, both faulty or unsuitable charging accessories and also a soiled charging socket can be the cause. Begin with these three, easy-to-check sources of error if you find that your mobile phone is charging slowly:
Charging cable or power supply unit faulty?
Check whether the charging cable and charger are in good order by first connecting the charging cable to another charger. If the rechargeable battery now charges more quickly, your power supply unit is presumably faulty or equipped with too few watts of charging power. Also perform the test with another cable: If the charging speed increases, your first charging cable is damaged. It may have been bent somewhere. This test also enables you to see whether the mobile phone charging socket has a loose contact, which constantly interrupts the charging process. This will also make your smartphone charge more slowly.
“Incorrect” accessories – the thing about charging current
Your mobile phone might be charging slowly because the connected power supply unit is not providing an adequate charging current. You can find out how many amps are needed to charge your smartphone in the manufacturer’s information. Check the amps information on the power supply unit under ‘output’. Newer mobile phones also support fast charging technology and need up to 5 amps of charging current. If your charger is only supplying 1 amp, the mobile phone charges very slowly.
If you charge your mobile phone at the USB port of a computer, the rechargeable battery will even be supplied with just 500-900 milliamps: Your mobile phone charges very slowly. The mobile phone is definitely charged more quickly with a charger connected to a plug socket. Incidentally, any worries that the rechargeable battery might be overcharged with too powerful a charger are unfounded: Every mobile phone has a programmed safety function that ensures the battery only takes in as much electricity as the programming allows.
Chargers for the optimum charge from Hama
Clean the USB port
A soiled USB port can also make a mobile phone charge slowly. Particularly if you carry your mobile phone in your trouser pocket or bag without a phone case, dust and fluff from clothing can easily make their way into the contacts in the charging socket. First, use a torch to look into the opening to check whether there is any dirt inside. Important: Switch the mobile phone off and then carefully clean the contacts with a toothbrush, for example, or blow it clean. We advise against using sharp objects such as toothpicks as these can damage the contacts.
Mobile phone charging slowly: Software cause
Even during charging, some apps are constantly being refreshed in the background and needlessly consume a lot of power. The consequence: The mobile phone charges slowly. Social media apps that are constantly tracking browser activities or apps that use location services are particularly among the culprits. Constant background app refresh can be switched off on Samsung mobiles and iPhones, among others, before charging (see Samsung charging slowly and iPhone charging slowly).
You can see which apps are consuming a lot of power in your mobile phone’s settings. If your Samsung phone charges slowly, it’s worth taking a look at the power consumption of individual apps under “Battery”. If you see some power-hungry apps that you no longer or hardly ever need, you should uninstall them. You should also do the same if your iPhone is charging slowly. In this case, the function can be found in the settings under “Battery”.
The way you use your phone can also make your mobile phone charge slowly. If you are charging your mobile phone and using it at the same time, such as by watching films or using game apps, the charging speed will be slower.
One power-saving ritual that you can adopt before charging the smartphone is to close all of the open applications that have accumulated over the day.
Mobile phone won’t charge at all – what should you do?
Even if your mobile phone doesn’t just charge slowly but won’t charge at all anymore, the rechargeable battery is not necessarily old or broken. If you’re having this problem, check whether the charging cable and power supply unit are in good order and remove any dirt from the USB port. Does the plug socket provide any power at all? Sometimes it helps to restart the mobile phone.
If you have completely drained the phone battery and so the battery has switched itself off, the rechargeable battery needs a few minutes to “wake up” once it is connected to a charger. And you need a little patience.
The following indications tell you that the phone battery is actually broken:
- The rechargeable battery no longer charges fully.
- The rechargeable battery is completely drained and cannot be recharged, even overnight.
- The phone battery drains unusually quickly or suddenly drops from 50%.
- The rechargeable battery bulges and/or becomes unusually hot.
If you’re experiencing these problems, you should have the manufacturer or a repair service check whether the rechargeable battery can be repaired or needs to be replaced. It’s a matter of urgency, especially if the rechargeable battery has swollen up, as this can cause irreparable damage to the mobile phone and, at worst, even an explosion.
