This happened to my old Nintendo Switch :'(
sharp pair of tweezers or a needle or a toothpicks should be able to help. tons of instructions on how to do it in this thread, but I will add my 2 cents as a phone tech and say that if it’s a lightening port, you want to keep your tool as vertically in the middle of the port as possible while scraping horizontally. for USBC, keep your tool as close to the walls as possible while avoiding the center “tab”. this is so you don’t scrape the contacts. if you do that, you will need a port replacement (usually 80-100$ on most devices). once you scrape as much as you can out. you can use an old toothbrush or whatever works to brush the port clean with some isopropyl to clean any dirt on the contacts, which will come off easily now that it’s not being supported but the other debris you cleaned out with the tool.
even if it were broken, this would be such an easy fix if phone companies wouldn’t make it impossible to repair their phones. its freaking infuriating.
Huge thanks to people in this thread. USB-C stopped charging reliably on my phone a few months back, tried clearing the port with compressed air but no joy, so I started using wireless charging. Spent 5mins today picking out a surprising amount of lint with a narrow toothpick and it works like new!
it is frankly impressive how much debris a port can hold!
I had that exact same experience a few months ago.
Look into magnetic charging adapters. I’m just putting them on my wife’s devices out of the box now.
Yes, started using them a few years ago. It’s a game changer.
Possibility 1 the port is full of crap, clean the port with a thin stiff piece of plastic.
Possibility 2 the port is broken, treat your equipment better.
Possibility 3 the cable is bad, replace the cable and treat your equipment better.
Charging ports wear out if used often, which is why I usually charge wirelessly and keep a lint cap on my port.
If it makes you feel better, my phone just did the thing where it installed an update and now everything is running noticably worse.
Enforced obsoletion. Android is really good about those updates.
USB C? See if it isn’t full of garbage accumulated inside. I had to use a needle to scratch it out. Shit was so dense it was pretty difficult to clean. Eventually (~20 min of intensive scratching), I managed to clean it and I got rid of the problem.
Until I found the problem, I ended up buying bs. Another charger and an inductive charger.
I worked as a carpenter until a few years ago. My charging port would constantly get filled with sawdust, plasterdust and whatever other dust happened to be around that day. I ended up buying an induction charger and it has been the absolutely best purchase I’ve ever made.
I tried solving the problem with those small cover things you can put in the port, but they would constantly fall out.
Consider one of those protective cases that has the flap that covers the charging port. Yeah, a minor annoyance when you want to plug the charger in, but it keeps the port crud free. I’ve used variations of that style for years and it keeps the phone in good shape even when it’s collecting rust- or sawdust in the shop.
Time to fish out the impacted lint from the charge hole with a pin! You’d be surprised how much lint can get jammed up in there.
Makes me seriously consider something like a Magnetic USBC connector
This. I was sure I had mine completely clean 3 times and was pretty resigned to wireless charging only before a hardened sliver of detritus dropped out. Back to working like new.
Got myself a Fairphone 5 just a few weeks ago. With this, switching the charging port is a 20€ + 10min time investment.
i dont have a fairphone-amount of cash lying around, but I’m seriously wondering if it doesnt end up to be cheaper in the long run for those who do.
how long does it get security updates?
https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/9979180437393-Fairphone-s-Operating-System
They promise 8 years (possibly 10), so at least until late 2031.
Im pretty sure it will end up being cheaper for me on the long run, especially compared to an iPhone. Im kind of amazed that its not more expensive considering they probably spend like twice as much for the components (or rather for the conditions they are produced under), while still being more or less competitive. But I guess its possible if you dont go for 200% profit margin.
I have nothing constructive to contribute other than I feel smug and superior because I have a fairphone, so I can change mine if that ever happens.
I’ve done it and it’s super easy to replace!
*Smiles* You’re so smart.
Shock him.
Yup, same. And that smug sense of superiority that comes with it.
I’ll be excited to whip out a Phillips head screwdriver on the day my USB c port acts up to swap it :D
Imagine the superiority you’d feel by using a sewing needle to just pull the shit out of there and not even have to disassemble your phone
Aw damn, that’s not an option with fairphones
Came here to say “laugh in fairphone”
Get a wooden toothpick and snap it in two (unevenly is better). Then use a pointy bit to clear out all the dirt, dust and grime from your phones port. I had the same problem a few weeks ago with my phone, after a good 20 minutes of careful scraping my phone is fine now. Best of luck.
Honestly I just use a metal sewing pin or something. Hasn’t caused any problems for me! Just gotta be gentle and not jam it.
Use the eye side instead of the pointy side
Can also remove dirt from the speaker recesses this way
But be careful: do not press hard on the toothstick. It will splinter and then you will have a real problem getting the port clean. Source: my phone port :(
Sewing needle, use the eye side to dig around, I cut wood and ends up with chips in the port all the time, it’s not a problem
Bricked my first iPod back in the day using a sewing needle to fish lint out of the headphone jack. I must have nicked or bridged something inside because it started behaving so oddly as to be unusable before finally refusing to turn on at all.
If you’ve got a 3d printer there are various picks you can print to help too. This ones popular https://www.printables.com/model/1199608-usb-port-cleaner-remove-dust-dirt-2min-print/related
I recommend also taking a knife and peel it a bit so it is basically flat.
I tried this and had limited success. Then I just got a wireless charger and it’s fine now.
Time to clean the lint out of the charging port
The charging port is the bellybutton of the device
Years ago when fixing phones most of the charging problems was just that. Most of the ear speaker issues were from makeup getting caked up in the mesh screen. And most of the motherboard issues came from people dropping them in the toilet/lake/ocean.
I have a friend who dropped his phone into a porta potty at a festival and then fished it out. Apparently he was drunk enough that he forgot about doing it and woke up in the morning wondering why his phone stank.
There is no point to this story
A teenage boy is getting ready to take his girlfriend to the prom. First he goes to rent a tux, but there’s a long tux line at the shop and it takes forever.
Next, he has to get some flowers, so he heads over to the florist and there’s a huge flower line there. He waits forever but eventually gets the flowers.
Then he heads out to rent a limo. Unfortunately, there’s a large limo line at the rental office, but he’s patient and gets the job done.
Finally, the day of the prom comes. The two are dancing happily and his girlfriend is having a great time. When the song is over, she asks him to get her some punch, so he heads over to the punch table and there’s no punchline.
It’s always this unless you can think of a time you specifically damaged the port. And you’ll be surprised how much shit comes out with the tip of a plastic toothpick; how it was somehow actually managing to still charge in the first place lol.
I honestly enjoy it when this happens. It’s so satisfying getting to pull obscenely large wads of lint out of the port
Also a decent idea to snag a magnetic charging adapter to avoid this in the future
Got one that plugs into my phone and a few of the other end for cords around my house and car, totally worth the 15 bucks I spent
My dad had Parkinson’s at the end of his life (and a general lack of coordination his whole life). Those magnetic charging adapters were a lifesaver for him. He just needed to get the cord close enough to the charging port on his phone and it would snap together. No coordination required.
It was also nice when he would forget to disconnect the cord. As soon as he walked away, the cable would pop off. No more broken cables from being yanked out of the phone or the wall.
I have these for all my chargeable things. Bought like 4 packs with multiple port types, so I have tons of extra cables in case some die. They are great for game controllers, phones, tablets, rechargeable keyboards, and all sorts of other shit. All you need is multiple ends, and you can use the same cables for everything. It’s glorious if you have a mix of port types.
what if cleaning doesn’t solve it?
Get a wireless charger if your phone supports it. It will likely be slower, but still work.
You’d be surprised how caked a charge port can be, you know you’ve cleaned it correctly when the plug goes in all the way and doesn’t stick out a bit.
When it still doesn’t connect correctly and/or you feel play in de cable/chargeport, it might just need replacing.
Then repeat step 1.
Note: cleaning didn’t work for my kids phone, took it to the store, they cleaned it out and it works since 1 year now.
How do you clean the port?
Take a toothpicks and carefully break it in two halves. Ideally you are left with something about half as wide as the original pick. You want thin and sturdy pieces to get into the port. Now carefully scrape the lint and dirt out of the port. The dirt tends to compact on the bottom, so you have to scrape a bit to get it all out. I would recommend to do it in direct sunlight to better see the interior of the port. Torchlights usually are either to bright on the spot or to dim.
Works like a charm.
Mine started the same thing a few weeks ago. I tried cleaning out the charging port but after a while of scrapinc I gave up since nothing was coming out and I couldn’t see any more lint in there. The problem persists. I am confident that no one in the world has it as difficult as me right now.
i am also convinced that no one in the world has it as difficult as you. sending condolences.
