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Fix or replace · Phone won't charge

Phone won't charge

People replace phones over this constantly, and it's usually the cheapest fix in the building. The charger chain has four links, and you can test the first two yourself in five minutes.

Verdict

Probably fix it

— the charging chain is cable, port, battery, and charging circuit, in that order. The first two are free or nearly free to rule out at home. Only the last two involve the bench, and both beat buying a new phone by a mile.

The chain, cheapest first

  1. The cable and brick. Cables die quietly and constantly. Try a different known-good cable and charger before blaming the phone — this alone fixes a huge share of "dead" phones.
  2. Lint compacted in the port. Pocket lint packs into the charging port like concrete until the plug can't seat. It looks like it's charging; it isn't. Do NOT dig with metal — a plastic toothpick and a good light, gently. If you're not comfortable, that's a bench minute, not a repair.
  3. The battery. Swollen or worn-out batteries stop accepting charge properly. Battery swaps are routine bench work, quoted up front.
  4. The charging port or circuit. Damaged or corroded port — the real repair. Quoted before we start (the cost guide lists typical charging-port ranges), and still a fraction of a new phone.
One thing to stop doing right now: don't keep ramming the cable in harder, wiggling it, or wedging the phone at an angle to force contact. That's how a $0 lint problem becomes a torn-off port. If the plug only charges at a magic angle, the answer is the bench, not more pressure.

What it costs to find out

Diagnose is $49, credited toward any repair you approve — and for a phone, the diagnosis is usually quick: we check the port, test charge behavior, and tell you which link in the chain failed with the price next to it.

Phone insurance decision hanging over this? Read smartphone repair vs insurance claim before you file — the deductible math surprises people. And if the battery dies fast but charges fine, that's the same bench, different part.

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