• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

micro USB charger not working

acp

Android Expert
Nov 13, 2009
988
71
I'm trying to use a kindle fire charger for the Nexus 4, but it won't charge the phone, is this standard with micro USB that some chargers work and some don't?

I was excited that I had all these extra chargers, but now I'm not off to a good start.
 
I'm trying to use a kindle fire charger for the Nexus 4, but it won't charge the phone, is this standard with micro USB that some chargers work and some don't?

I was excited that I had all these extra chargers, but now I'm not off to a good start.

It's possible the Kindle Fire charger is proprietary and not actually microUSB. I know the Nook Color has this problem; its charger is slightly longer than a standard microUSB, so it won't work in other devices and the Nook won't charge with a standard microUSB.

Try other chargers, though. As long as it's a standard microUSB, it should charge the N4 just fine.
 
Upvote 0
My experience:
Original charger 1.5 A
3 ft cable - shows AC charge, fast charge
6 ft cable - can' make up it's mind, it's either AC charge or USB charge. Sometimes is switches between them during the charging cycle. Very weird!
10 ft cables - shows USB charge, slow charge
Motorola charger 0.8A
Shows USB charge, slow charge regardless of the cable length.
Generic no-name dualport 1A charger
3&6 ft cables - AC charge
10 ft cables - USB charge
 
Upvote 0
FWIW another thing to look at with using wall chargers other than the one that came with the device is the voltage. If it's a different voltage than what you have with stock wall charger it could shorten the life of your battery. I know this thread is about MicroUSB but I thought I'd throw that out there.

All USB chargers have the same output voltage of 5 V. The difference between chargers is the supplied current and that's measured in A (amps).
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones