Phone Won\'t Charge

Quick fixes (try in order)

1. Try a different cable. Cables fail more than anything else.
2. Try a different power brick. Wall plug fails next-most.
3. Try a different wall outlet. Especially if other things plugged in stopped working.
4. Clean the charging port. Lint and dust accumulate. Power off phone first. Use a wooden toothpick (NOT metal) — gently scrape out lint.
5. Restart phone. Hold power button + volume → slide to power off → wait 30 sec → turn on.
6. Try wireless charging (if supported). If wireless works, the port is bad.
7. Charge with computer USB. If THAT works, your wall brick is bad.

If it charges slowly

• Old cable — replace with new.
• Underpowered brick — most modern phones need 18W+ for fast charge.
• USB-C to USB-A cable in old USB-A wall brick = slow.
• Phone is too hot — let it cool before charging.
• Battery very low (under 5%) — first 10% charges slowly to protect battery.

Buy quality cables

• Apple Lightning / USB-C cables — buy from Apple Store / Best Buy.
• "MFi Certified" labels = Apple-approved.
• Anker, Belkin, Mophie — reliable third-party brands.
• Avoid no-name $5 cables from gas stations — die in 2-4 weeks.
• Better cables ($15-20) last 1-2 years vs cheap ones (1-3 months).

When the battery is dying (not charging issue)

• Phone shuts off above 20% randomly.
• Drops from 100% to 50% in an hour.
• Old phone (3+ years).
• Settings → Battery → Battery Health (iPhone) — under 80%? Replace battery.
• Battery replacement: Apple $69-119, local shop $50-90.