Help GS4 charging issue

[jcfan4u]

whenever i try to charge my phone it will not charge....and when its UNPLUGGED it sometimes will say connected as usb device even when NOT plugged in....its very frustrating cause now my phone will not charge

 

[Adara]

Is this recent? Like really recent?

My phone stopped recognizing when it was plugged in to the charger with the 4.3 update.

My circumstances:
- It is not the charger. It fails to recognize other chargers, too.
- It sometimes knows that it is plugged in -- about one time in six.
- It only seems to happen with a charger -- which is to say, it still recognizes being docked in the car dock.
- I'm suspecting that it may have something to do with the phone itself just not recognizing that it is plugged in. Which is to say, I'll plug it in, and it won't indicate it is plugged in, but when I unplug it, I get the "unplugging" sound. Also, while it was plugged in (and not recognizing it), I restarted the phone, and when I restarted it, it then recognized that it was plugged in and charging.

I'm wondering if this isn't some little quirk of 4.3, as the fact that my phone started doing that right after the update is a quite a coincidence.

(And I know the first thing you're going to say is Factory Data Reset, but I'll be really ticked if I do a FDR and it doesn't work, 'cause, boy, I hate losing all my app data.)

 

[jcfan4u]

yes it started somewhere around 5 hours ago and it just says charger not compatible and now it dosnt even detect a charger

 

[Adara]

Are you using the original Samsung charger?

(I ask because it appears that I wasn't. I was using a motorola charger which I'd thought was my Samsung charger, and with which I never had problems before.) It seems that my phone no longer recognizes the motorola chargers, but happily charges on the Samsung charger. (And, apparently, an Asus charger, for some reason.)

I add that, against my better judgment (but because of all the problems I've had since 4.3) I did a FDR. Result: no change; it still won't recognize the Motorola chargers, although now I am super-grumpy as I'm going to spend the rest of the night trying to put my phone back to how it was.

 

[Goodspike]

If you are using the Samsung charger, are you using the cord that came with it? Most USB cables are smaller gauge wire, which results in voltage drop.

 

[Adara]

For me, Samsung charger with non-Samsung USB actually charges the phone (I'm not concerned with speed, right now -- it's a yes/no thing). The ASUS charger and cable (which, if memory serves, came with the Nexus 7) also work.

Neither motorola charger will charge the phone anymore -- although when I unplug the charger, the phone makes the unplugging noise, so it knew it was connected to something. Also, they WILL charge the phone if I restart the phone while they are plugged in, which seems odd.

I would assume it's something to do with the charger, except I have two motorola chargers, and the behavior happened with both of them, and right after the 4.3 update.

 

[BigRedGonzo]

This is just FYI. It is not intended to be an "In Your Face" reply.

I am stock, upgraded to 4.3 and have done an FDR because of the Security Thingy that has been going around.

I have a pile of micro USB chargers on my desk at work that are for various devices that I have or have had. There is literally a dozen of them lying here. It doesn't matter which I choose (although I always use the Moto charger), the phone charges fine with all of them. I even have a charger for a pack of Blu E-Cigs (I work for the company that makes them) and the phone charges with it also. The only difference that I see is charge time. The phone always says that it is connected and always charges.

All that, I guess to say, my phone seems really flexible about the charger I use.

 

[Adara]

Mine totally used to be. It'd charge with anything. I guess it's gone temperamental on me. (Wouldn't be the first time. I'm used to quirky phones. I'm just a bit annoyed as I have all those moto chargers, and only the one Samsung.)

 

[jcfan4u]

honestly ive just gotten tired of the problems with this phone ive had it replaced 2 times and its never been my fault

 

[Goodspike]

I discovered last night that my phone wasn't charging in the car when connected to a 2A cig lighter device, but if I took the same cable and connected it to the car's built in USB port, it would charge.

The wife was having trouble in her car with the same 2A device, which I thought was just not charging fast enough but might have been not charging at all. I told her to take the white USB cable from the Samsung charger, and my phone will charge with that setup (as well as from her car's built in USB port using that cable).

Finally, I tried two old car adaptors and both worked.

So anyway, my phone is also having some charging issues, but they seem to be easy to fix.

 

[Asphaltcowboy]

I've got the car charger that Verizon sold me with the built in light at the end where it plugs into the phone at. It worked great, charged really fast. Did the update, now it doesn't recognize it unless in shut the phone off.

 

[Goodspike]

I discovered last night that my phone wasn't charging in the car when connected to a 2A cig lighter device, but if I took the same cable and connected it to the car's built in USB port, it would charge.

This changed today. I had to switch to the white cable that came with the Samsung 110 volt charger and then it worked with both the cig adapter device and the built in USB port.

 

[Goodspike]

Continuing with my results, both my wife and I are having good results in the car with our 2A third party cig adapters IF we use the white USB cable that comes with the Samsung 110 volt charger.

Connecting one of the USB cables that we were using in the car to the Samsung 110 volt charger works and one of them doesn't work. As someone mentioned here, and I've repeated, the gauge of the USB cable does affect voltage over relatively short distances. My guess is that the S4 is now for some reason more picky about voltage. There may be a reason for that, although even if there is, it's annoying.

 

[Adara]

Mine is still unpredictable. This morning, by mistake, I plugged it in my old Motorola charger and it's charging fine. Weird.

 

[Goodspike]

Mine is still unpredictable. This morning, by mistake, I plugged it in my old Motorola charger and it's charging fine. Weird.

I have chargers and cable combinations that sometimes work and sometimes don't work. I'm not sure I have one that has never worked. The only thing that has always worked though is anything with that white USB cable that comes with the Samsung 110 volt charger.

 

[Adara]

The only thing that has always worked though is anything with that white USB cable that comes with the Samsung 110 volt charger.

I'm not sure what, exactly, this adds to the discussion -- but, as my Samsung white USB cable wasn't long enough, I'm using it with an Amazon Basics USB extender cable (between the Samsung cable and the Samsung charger) and this, too, has been absolutely solid.

 

[Harry2]

I'm not sure what, exactly, this adds to the discussion -- but, as my Samsung white USB cable wasn't long enough, I'm using it with an Amazon Basics USB extender cable (between the Samsung cable and the Samsung charger) and this, too, has been absolutely solid.

This might the cause of your problem, long cable + additionally connectors increase the electrical resistance and let drop voltage on the cable, that decreases the voltage level on your phone ... less voltage, less amperage.

The Motorola charger has also USB voltage output, but the voltage level might be just a little bit higher.

 

[Goodspike]

I'm not sure what, exactly, this adds to the discussion -- but, as my Samsung white USB cable wasn't long enough, I'm using it with an Amazon Basics USB extender cable (between the Samsung cable and the Samsung charger) and this, too, has been absolutely solid.

Information on cables that work is good--being more specific would be better. A link to the item purchased.

This might the cause of your problem, long cable + additionally connectors increase the electrical resistance and let drop voltage on the cable, that decreases the voltage level on your phone ... less voltage, less amperage.

I think you may have misread the post. They were saying that cable worked, despite being longer. Probably a heavier gauged cable.

 

[Harry2]

... I think you may have misread the post. They were saying that cable worked, despite being longer. Probably a heavier gauged cable.

You're right I mixed up Adara's first with their second post.

 

[Goodspike]

BTW, I should add that with the white Samsung USB cable connected to the 2A cig. adapter the phone charges a lot faster now, even with the screen on. So clearly there was some issue with the cable before, even though it technically worked.

 

[Adara]

Information on cables that work is good--being more specific would be better. A link to the item purchased.

Good point. What works is white Samsung charger and white Samsung charger cable with this here cable in between them.

(I have two Motorola chargers -- one of them never works with the GS4; the other sometimes works. I've tried to read the specs on them to figure out the difference between the one that sometimes works and the one that never works, but that's some really tiny type.)

 

[Adara]

Stupid Question: Why would 4.3 affect what cables/chargers can be used? I mean, isn't this a hardware issue?

 

[Goodspike]

Stupid Question: Why would 4.3 affect what cables/chargers can be used? I mean, isn't this a hardware issue?

My guess is software controls when charging gets turned off to avoid overcharging, so software does affect charging.

It could also be that Samsung was seeing some issues caused by third party chargers, and so changed the software to avoid those issues.

 

[bltserv]

I just loaded 4.3. Using sprint supplied charger. Folks it's nothing to do with cables. Turn your phone off. Plug it into charge. Multiple times Works perfect. Boot with it plugged in. Works fine.

Issue is 4.3. It won't pick it up on the fly. It's an OS issue.

 

[MYKEL61]

I agree with bltserv...I did that just not thinking... now every charger I have works fine. Car, off brand as well as Samsung. I just thought I was luckly until I read blt's post.. and realized that is how I did my first charge after the upgrade so it must have corrected itself from the getgo.