How to troubleshoot Google Nexus Not Charging
While we’d like to fix every issue we receive from our readers, there are problems that are already beyond our grasp especially hardware-related ones. It’s because we won’t suggest methods that can potentially damage the phone if done by average users or procedures that may void the warranty. Now that I’ve said that, here’s what you need to do to try and fix the problem with your Nexus 5:
Step 1: Rule out the possibility that it’s just a frozen device
When your phone freezes, it might not respond to whatever you do with it. More often, freezes like this are caused by a system crash that may leave the device unresponsive. While we’re not 100% sure it’s the problem with your phone, we need to rule this possibility out first.
Since the Nexus 5 doesn’t have a removable battery, we could not do the battery pull procedure but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t soft reset your phone. To do this, just press and hold the Power key for 30 seconds. Assuming the phone has enough battery left and provided this problem is caused by a system crash, your Nexus should reboot normally and after that, you can try charging it again to see if it responds.
Step 2: Connect your phone to a computer and see if it responds
I understand that your phone isn’t charging when you connect it to its original charger. It’s possible the problem is with the charger itself or the cable you use. By connecting it to a computer, you can immediately tell if the problem is with those accessories. For instance, if the phone charges when connected to a computer, then it must be a charger that has some issues. In which case, try to see if something is blocking or corroding the port on your charger. If you can find some kind of debris or lint, try cleaning it out or give it a blast of compressed air. Also try to find out if one of the pins got bent and try to straighten it out with a pair of tweezers if possible.
On the other hand, if the phone doesn’t get detected by your computer, try to see immediately if it’s charging or not because if not, then it might be a cable issue. Try using a different one to see if that resolves it.
After you’ve verified that this problem is caused by either the charger or cable, the best thing to do is buy a new charger kit.
Step 3: Try rebooting your Nexus 5 in safe mode and charge
If your phone still has enough battery, try rebooting it in safe mode and see if it would charge while in that state. There is always a chance that the problem is caused by downloaded apps so we also need to rule this possibility out. Here’s how you boot your phone in safe mode:
- Press the Power button on your device.
- Touch & hold the Power off option in the dialog box.
- Touch OK in the following dialog to start safe mode.
While in this mode, plug the phone in to see if it charges. If it does, then find the apps that cause the problem and uninstall them, otherwise, continue your troubleshooting.
Here’s how you uninstall apps from your Nexus 5:
- From any Home screen, tap All Apps.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- If necessary, swipe right to the Downloaded screen.
- Tap the desired application.
- Tap Uninstall and then tap OK.
Step 4: Try to wipe the cache partition and then charge again
For a problem that occurred on its own without apparent reason, there’s a possibility it’s caused by corrupt caches. So, if you still have enough juice, then I suggest you boot your phone into the recovery mode and try to wipe the cache partition:
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Power button at the same time until the phone turns on.
- Press the Volume Down button twice to highlight “Recovery mode.”
- Press the Power button to start recovery mode.
- An Android robot with a red exclamation mark will display.
- While holding down the Power button, press and release the Volume Up button, then release the Power button.
- Use the volume buttons to scroll to “wipe cache partition,” then press the Power button to select it. Note: This may take 10 minutes or more to complete.
- Press the Power button to select reboot system now.
Step 5: Try to reset the phone to see if that makes a difference
Assuming all the other procedures above didn’t work and there’s still enough battery to backup your files and data, then I suggest you try to reset the phone and see if it charges after that. This is an optional procedure, though, but I suggest you’d do this before sending the phone for repair:
- Back up data on the internal memory.
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume down button, then press and hold the Power button at the same time until the phone turns on. Release both keys when it does.
- Press the Volume down button twice to highlight ‘Recovery mode.’
- Press the Power button to start recovery mode. An Android robot with a red exclamation mark will display.
- While holding down the Power button, press and release the Volume up button. The ‘Android system recovery’ menu will display. Release Power when it does.
- Use the volume buttons to scroll to ‘Wipe data/factory reset,’ then press the Power button to select it.
- Scroll down to “Yes – erase all user data,” then press the Power button to select it.
- Once the reset is complete, press the Power button to select Reboot system now.
Step 6: Send the phone in for checkup/repair
If all else fails, then you need a technician’s help to have the problem figured out because as far as troubleshooting is concerned, you’ve done your part. But at this point, it’s safe to assume the problem is with the hardware; may it be the battery or other components inside. Have the phone checked, diagnosed, repaired or even replaced.
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