My phone has stopped charging. What should I check first?

The cable and the adapter, before anything else. Cables are flexed thousands of times and fail far more often than ports do. Try a different cable and a different adapter, and if another phone charges fine on the same cable, the cable is not your problem.

How do I safely clean a charging port?

Power the phone off and use a wooden toothpick. Never use metal, and never use compressed air, which drives debris further in. Pocket lint compacts into a solid plug at the bottom of the port and stops the connector seating fully.

Is it the charging port or the battery?

If the phone charges intermittently, wiggles in and out of charging, or only charges at a certain angle, that points at the port or its flex cable. If it charges normally but drains unusually fast or shuts down at 30%, that is a battery symptom instead.

Can I replace a charging port myself?

It is an internal repair: the phone has to be opened, and on most modern handsets that means heat, adhesive and ribbon connectors. Unless you have done it before, having a repair shop fit a part you supply is usually the sensible split.

Phone not charging? Work through these four things first

6 August 2026 · PhoneTech

Short answer

Usually it is the cable, not the phone. Try a different cable and charger, then clean the port with a wooden toothpick. Only if it still charges at an angle, or on and off, does the port board need replacing.

Go in this order. Many phones are fixed by step 1 or 2, for free.

Step 1
Try a different cable AND a different charger.
Cables bend thousands of times and break far more often than ports do.
You should see: Another phone charges fine on your cable? Then the cable is OK: go on.
Step 2
Turn the phone off. Clean the port with a wooden toothpick.
Never metal. Never compressed air: it pushes the dirt further in.
You should see: A plug of pocket lint comes out. Many “dead ports” are fixed here, for free.
Step 3
Charges fine, but dies fast or shuts down at 30%?
That is the battery, not the port. See the battery guide below.
Step 4
Charges only at an angle, or on and off? The port board is worn.
The port sits on a small board that also carries the microphone. It is made to be replaced.
Step 5
Buy the charging board for your model. A shop fits it.
The phone has to be opened: heat, glue and ribbon cables. Let a shop do it unless you have before.

Think it is the battery? Read the signs of a worn battery. Need the port? Find charging boards and flex cables for your model.

Did it work?

Common questions

My phone has stopped charging. What should I check first?: The cable and the adapter, before anything else. Cables are flexed thousands of times and fail far more often than ports do. Try a different cable and a different adapter, and if another phone charges fine on the same cable, the cable is not your problem.
How do I safely clean a charging port?: Power the phone off and use a wooden toothpick. Never use metal, and never use compressed air, which drives debris further in. Pocket lint compacts into a solid plug at the bottom of the port and stops the connector seating fully.
Is it the charging port or the battery?: If the phone charges intermittently, wiggles in and out of charging, or only charges at a certain angle, that points at the port or its flex cable. If it charges normally but drains unusually fast or shuts down at 30%, that is a battery symptom instead.
Can I replace a charging port myself?: It is an internal repair: the phone has to be opened, and on most modern handsets that means heat, adhesive and ribbon connectors. Unless you have done it before, having a repair shop fit a part you supply is usually the sensible split.