9 Reasons why your smartphone battery is charging slowly

smartphone battery is charging slowly

Struggling to charge your smartphone but the battery is charging very slowly? This can be very frustrating when you have plugged in your phone for hours but your battery is still not charged. There can be many reasons why the smartphone battery is charging slowly, but in this guide, we will discuss the nine most common culprits. 

Old mobile phones were pretty basic. A small monochromatic display with some navigation keys and a dialer pad that doubles down as the keyboard were the best features of such phones. All you could do with those mobiles were make calls, send messages, and play 2D games like Snake.

As a result, the battery lasted for days when fully charged. However, as mobile phones became more and more complicated and powerful, their power requirement increases manifold. Modern Android smartphones can do almost everything that a computer is capable of. A stunning HD display, fast internet access, graphic-heavy games, and so on has become analogous with mobile phones, and they have truly lived up to their title of “Smartphone.”

However, the more complex and sophisticated your device is, the more is its power requirement. To satisfy the customer needs, mobile manufacturers had to build mobile phones with a 5000 mAh (milliamp hour) and even 10000 mAh battery in some cases. Compared to old mobile handsets, this is a significant leap.

Although portable chargers have also been upgraded and features like fast charging or dash charging have become the new normal, it still takes a good deal of time to recharge your device completely. In fact, after some time (say a year or two), the battery starts draining faster than it used to and taking a long time to recharge. As a result, you constantly find yourself plugging your phone to the charger every now and then and waiting for it to get charged so that you can resume your work.

In this article, we are going to investigate the cause of this problem and understand why your Smartphone isn’t charging as fast as it used to. We will also provide you with a bunch of solutions that will fix the problem of your smartphone battery charging slowly. So, without any further ado, let’s get cracking.

9 Reasons why your smartphone battery is charging slowly

1. The USB cable is damaged/worn out

If your device takes too long to get charged, then the first item in the list of culprits is your USB cable. Out of all the mobile components and accessories that come in the box, the USB cable is the one that is most susceptible or prone to wear and tear. This is because, over the course of the time, the USB cable is treated with the least care. It is dropped, stepped upon, twisted, suddenly pulled, left outdoors, and so on. It is quite common for USB cables to get damaged after a year or so. 

Mobile manufacturers intentionally make the USB cable less robust and treat it like an expendable. This is because, in a situation where your USB cable is stuck in your mobile’s port, you would rather have the USB cable break and get damaged than the more expensive mobile port. The moral of the story is that USB cables are meant to be replaced after some time. So, if your smartphone battery isn’t charging, try using a different USB cable, preferably a new one, and see if that solves the problem. If you are still facing the same problem, then proceed to the next cause and solution.

Also Read: How to Identify different USB Ports on your Computer

2. Make sure that the Power Source is Strong enough

Ideally, it would help if you plug your charger into a wall socket and then connect your device to it. However, we tend to use other methods to charge our mobiles like connecting our mobiles to a PC or a laptop. Although the mobile shows its battery status as charging, in reality, the power output from a computer or PC is pretty low. Most chargers usually have a 2 A(ampere) rating, but in a computer, the output is only about 0.9 A for USB 3.0 and a dismal 0.5 mA for USB 2.0. As a result, it takes ages to charge your phone using a computer as a power source.

A similar problem is faced while using wireless charging. A lot of high-end Android smartphones offer wireless charging, but it isn’t as great as it sounds. Wireless chargers are slow when compared to conventional wired chargers. It might look very cool and high-tech, but it isn’t very efficient. So, we would advise you to stick to the good old  wired fast charger connected to a wall socket at the end of the day.

If you are still facing a problem while connected to a wall socket, then it is possible that there is something wrong with that particular socket. Sometimes due to old wiring or lose connection, the wall socket does not supply the required amount of voltage or current. Try connecting to a different socket and see if that makes any difference; otherwise, let’s proceed to the next solution.

3. The Power Adapter isn’t working properly

A damaged power adapter or charger can also be the reason behind your smartphone battery, not charging. It is, after all, an electronic gadget and has a tangible life-span. Apart from that, short circuits, voltage fluctuations, and other electrical anomalies can cause your adapter to get damaged. It is designed in a way that, in case of any power fluctuations, it will be the one to absorb all the shock and save your phone from getting damaged.

Also, make sure that you are using the original charger that came in the box. You might still be able to charge your phone using someone else’s charger, but that isn’t a good idea. The reason behind that is every charger has a different ampere and voltage rating, and using a charger having different power ratings can damage your battery. Thus, the two important takeaways from this section are always to use your original charger, and if that isn’t working correctly, then replace it with a new original charger (preferably purchased from an authorized service center).

4. The Battery Needs to the Replaced

Android smartphones come with a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. It consists of two electrodes and an electrolyte. When the battery is charged, electrons present in the electrolyte flow towards the outer negative terminal. This flow of electrons generates current that provides power to your device. This is a reversible chemical reaction, which means the electrons flow in the opposite direction when the battery is being charged. 

Now, over prolonged use, the efficiency of the chemical reaction decreases, and fewer electrons are generated in the electrolyte. As a result, the battery drains faster and takes a longer time to get recharged. When you find yourself charging your device too frequently, it could indicate a deteriorating battery condition. The problem can be easily solved by purchasing a new battery and replacing the old one. We would recommend you to take your phone down to an authorized service center for this purpose as most of the modern Android smartphones come with an undetachable battery.

Also Read: 7 Best Battery Saver Apps for Android with Ratings

5. Excessive Usage

Another common reason behind battery draining quickly or taking too long to get charged is excessive usage. You can’t complain about poor battery backup if you are constantly using your phone. A lot of people spend hours social media apps like Facebook and Instagram, which consume a lot of power due to the constant need to download stuff and refresh the feed.

Apart from that, playing games for hours could rapidly drain your battery. A lot of people have the habit of using their phone while it is charging. You can’t expect your battery to charge quickly if you are constantly using some power-intensive apps like YouTube or Facebook. Avoid using your phone while charging and also try to cut down your mobile usage in general. This will not only improve battery life but also increase the life-span of your Smartphone.

6. Clear Background Apps

When you are done using a particular app, you close it by pressing the back button or the home button. However, the app continues to run in the background, consuming RAM while also draining the battery. This negatively affects the performance of your device, and you experience lags. The problem is more prominent if the device is a little old. The easiest way to get rid of background apps is by removing them from the recent apps section. Tap on the Recent apps button and tap on the “Clear all” button or a trash can icon.

Alternatively, you can download and install a good cleaner and booster app from the Play Store and use it to clear background apps. We would recommend you download Super Clean, which not shuts down background apps but also clears junk files, boosts your RAM, detects and eliminate trash files, and even has an antivirus to protect your device from malware.

Also Read: Fix Google Play Services Battery Drain

7. Physical Obstruction in the USB port

The next possible explanation behind your phone charging slowly is that there is some physical Obstruction in the mobile’s USB port that is preventing the charger from making proper contact. It is not uncommon to have dust particles or even micro-fibers of lint getting stuck inside the charging port. As a result, when the charger is connected, it doesn’t make proper contact with the charging pins. This leads to a slow transfer of power to the phone, and thus it takes much longer to get charged completely. The presence of dust or dirt can not only slow down the charging of your Android smartphone but also adversely affect your device in general. 

Therefore, it is very important to keep your port clean at all times. To make sure, shine a bright flashlight at the port and use a magnifying glass if necessary, to inspect the interiors. Now take a thin pin or any other narrow pointy object and remove any unwanted particles that you find there. However, be careful to be gentle and do not damage any component or pin in the port. Objects like a plastic toothpick or a fine brush are ideal for cleaning the port and removing any source of physical Obstruction.

8. The USB port is damaged 

If you are still facing the same problem even after trying all the solutions mentioned above, then there is a good chance that your mobile’s USB port is damaged. It has several pins that make contact with similar pins present on the USB cable. The charge is transferred to your Smartphone’s battery through these pins.

Over the course of time and after numerous times of plugging in and plugging out, it is possible that one or multiple pins have ultimately broken or disfigured. Damaged pins mean improper contact and thus the slow charging of your Android phone. It is really unfortunate as there is nothing else that you can do about it apart from seeking professional help. 

We would suggest you take your phone to an authorized service center and get it checked. They will give you an estimate of how much it will cost you to repair or replace the port. Most Android smartphones have a one-year warranty, and if your device is still under warranty period, it will be fixed for free. Apart from that, your insurance (if you have any) can also help pay the bills. 

9. Your Smartphone is a little too old

If the problem is not related to any accessory like the charger or cable and your charging port also seems fair, then the problem is your phone in general. Android smartphones typically are relevant for three years at max. After that, a number of issues start to show up like mobile getting slow, lags, out of memory, and of course, rapid battery drain and slow charging. If you have been using your device for quite some while now, then it is probably time for an upgrade. We are sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but sadly, it is time to bid farewell to your old handset.

 With time, the apps keep getting bigger and require more processing power. Your battery works beyond its standard limits, and that leads to loss of power retention capacity. Therefore, it is always wise to upgrade your Smartphone after a couple of years or so. 

Almost all modern smartphones use USB 3.0, which enables them to charge faster. When compared to your old handset, the grass looks green on the other side. So, go ahead and get yourself the new uber-cool Smartphone that you had your eyes on for a long time. You deserve it.

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Well, that’s a wrap. We hope that you found this article helpful. We know how frustrating it is to wait for your mobile to get recharged. It feels like forever, and therefore, you need to make sure that it is charging as fast as possible. Faulty or poor-quality accessories can not only make your phone charge slowly but also damage the hardware. Always follow good charging practices like the ones described in this article and use original products only. Feel free to contact customer support and, if possible, head down to the nearest authorized service center if you feel that there is a problem with the device’s hardware.