Help Charging issue

[hanginghelmet]

I have a virgin mobile HTC Wildfire S. The phone is not charging properly. I power off the phone, connect the cable and the light turns orange like it is charging. When I wake up in the morning the light is still orange and when I turn it back on the battery level is still the same as when I turn it off. If I remove the battery and put it back in and then power it back up the level does go up but does not show it fully charged. If I charge it while turned on and plugged into my laptop it shows it charging but never completes the charge. Is this a problem with the phone, the charger or the charging cable? Thanks in advance for your help!!

 

[El Presidente]

Mine plays similar games, but normally removing the battery and reinserting will give me the correct charge.

When you first got the handset, did you charge it properly? (for 8 hours, then let it die completely).

 

[hanginghelmet]

yes I did. Do you think I should return the phone to Radio Shack and get a new phone?

 

[El Presidente]

Do a few full charge/discharge cycles (don't turn off whilst charging either), see if that makes a difference.

 

[hanginghelmet]

thanks for the responses El Presidente. I think I am just going to take it back to radio Shack and get a new phone. I'm worried now that this will continue to be an issue.

 

[El Presidente]

Fair enough, it's probably the best course of action.

 

[phoneluvr]

I'm having the same exact issue! I've taken probably 5 or 6 phones back in the last week because they will not charge. It's driving me nuts lol So you think if I charge it for 8 hours, then take the battery out and put it back in so that it will say I have a full charge, then let it die completely, it will start working and charging properly?

 

[hanginghelmet]

I don't think you have to pull the battery after charging for 8 hours. I just took my phone back to Radio Shack and got a new one. El Presidente can you give me the proper procedure for charging the phone for the first time just so I'm sure I'm doing it right? Thanks!!

 

[phoneluvr]

Pulling the battery out is the only way to get it to say that it's green :S Don't know what else to do.

 

[hanginghelmet]

so are you saying you have to do that after everytime you charge the phone??? if thats the case this phone is going back. I have the phone in a Otterbox case which has 2 layers of protection. So if I have to take those off everytime forget it!!!

 

[phoneluvr]

That's what I have to do right now :S You're not supposed to have to do that though. I don't know why there aren't other people in these forums or anywhere else experiencing this. This is my 6th phone in the last week, and they all have the same problem. We can't be the only ones lol.

 

[El Presidente]

I don't think you have to pull the battery after charging for 8 hours. I just took my phone back to Radio Shack and got a new one. El Presidente can you give me the proper procedure for charging the phone for the first time just so I'm sure I'm doing it right? Thanks!!

As soon as you get the phone, charge it for 8 hours/overnight. Then let it die completely and charge fully again. After that initial cycle, charge as you like. It doesn't need to be flat before you charge and modern Lithium based batteries benefit from being charged before they are flat. If possible, I try to charge when mine reaches circa 40%.

 

[hanginghelmet]

Just one more question about the initial charge. After I turn the phone on and start using it can I power it off at night when Im not using it or should I just leave it turned on until the battery goes dead? Just making sure...thanks!!

 

[El Presidente]

Nope, don't turn it off. It needs to be switched on throughout the entire initial charge/discharge process.

Make sense?

 

[hanginghelmet]

I'm with ya El Presidente!!!!! Thanks for all your help!!!

 

[El Presidente]

No probs!

 

[terryfied]

Is charging the phone through USB any different from charging through the mains adapter?

 

[agentc13]

Is charging the phone through USB any different from charging through the mains adapter?

It charges slower when connected to a computer than it does a wall charger.

 

[terryfied]

It charges slower when connected to a computer that it does a wall charger.

Thanks.

 

[hanginghelmet]

Ok this really has me frustrated!!! I took the phone back and exchanged it for the same phone. I did as El Presidente said. I charged it for 8 hours and powered it on and then used it until it went completely dead. I plugged it into the charger, the light turned orage, I woke up this morning and it is still orange!!! I powered it on and went into settiings, about phone, battery, and it showed it was charging and it showed my battery level at only 2 hours!!!! What the heck gives with this phone??? Is it a lemon??? I can't believe it. Any other thoughts or ideas on this? Should I take it back AGAIN?

 

[barrygreybeard]

The manual quotes "The battery is partially charged when shipped. Before you turn on and start using HTC Wildfire S, it is recommended that you charge the battery. Some batteries perform best after several full charge/discharge cycles."

After about 10 days I noticed battery life had improved. I purchased a genuine HTC battery as a spare and did the same, it similarly improved in performance over the first week or so. Maybe it needs time?

 

[hanginghelmet]

I had the first phone for over 2 weeks and the issue did not improve. i really dont know what to do here. get a 3rd phone or try an entirely different model. I really like the performance of the phone except for this charging issue

 

[barrygreybeard]

I had the first phone for over 2 weeks and the issue did not improve. i really dont know what to do here. get a 3rd phone or try an entirely different model. I really like the performance of the phone except for this charging issue

It is certainly baffling and evidence seems to point to a hardware problem. Maybe a bad batch of phones? Or is it just a bad batch of batteries? I read elsewhere on the forum some with problems with the headphone socket, again a bad batch? I read in the computer press that last quarter HTC shipped 5.7 million phones in the US alone and there are worldwide 550,000 new android devices activated every day (according to Google) so there must be quite a few bad units out there with retailers. Luck maybe? I hope you find one you're happy with, my Wildfire S is my first smartphone and all round I'm pleased with it for the price. So far anyway, its 4 weeks old, we shall see....

Barry

 

[El Presidente]

Are you keeping the same battery between phones? Is there any constant with all the phones you've had.

 

[hanginghelmet]

Im not sure what you mean. I returned the first phone and the battery and exchanged it for a new one