I used to shock and amaze people when I’d pull out half a cottonballs worth of pocket lint and get their phones working again.
YSK before you buy a replacement for your cellphone that has stopped charging, buy the $10 cleaning kits and spend the time deep cleaning the phone's charging port.
Submitted 6 months ago by 11111one11111@lemmy.world to youshouldknow@lemmy.world
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/e053d8ad-e784-4749-9f87-d986846cd561.jpeg
Comments
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 6 months ago
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
As I told another person with similar reply, the purchase was for the adhesive plugs to prevent this from happening in the future as i prepped to buy a new phine but the plugs happened to come with a jankey cleaning kit and turned my frown upside down. The plugs are as much of the take away as the cleaning the port.
CaptainBlinky@lemmy.myserv.one 6 months ago
at the very least get a toothpick and get the lint out.
SpicyTaint@lemmy.world 6 months ago
What the fuck are you people doing that causes the phone to not charge anymore? Rolling around in the mud naked with the phone clamped between your ass cheeks?
I have never had an issue with charging my phone at any point in the last 20+ years. I even have my phone upside down in my pocket so the charging port is facing up.
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I mean I feel like your response says more to the polarity of lifestyles between the two of us than anything. Your go to top of the head way of getting dirt in a phone’s port was rolling in the mud? Lol
How about sawdust from sanding 1,200 feet of cedar. Or literal piles of dirt amd leaves covering stored acorns when im brushing off the seat of my tree stand for the 1st time in the past 9-10 months. Or flipping a breaker in my basement that was built in 1890 and basically a hole in the ground. Thats all happ3ned in the past week and a half or so. Extrapolate that over 1 to 3 years and you have yourself a good collection of dust particles getting compacted down with each time it gets plugged in.
shalafi@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I’m stomping around the backwoods of NW Florida, occasionally crawling under bushes, no issues. Pixels suck at getting wet though, never again.
jh34@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I work in a kitchen. There is a lot of flour dust. Phone goes in my pocket port up. After a year the build up is enough to warrant a cleaning due to issues.
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 6 months ago
Lol, a year!
That’s kind of telling about what it takes to cause a problem.
Im the same, port up so I can pull it out one handed and use it.
bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
I even have my phone upside down in my pocket so the charging port is facing up.
This is probably the difference, people who put their phone in with the port facing down in their pocket have lots of opportunity to pickup lint as the phone is going into the pocket on the way down, and then also as you’re moving, any lint collected in the bottom of your pocket can enter the port. Unless you have super baggy pants, debris won’t be randomly entering your pocket from the top and getting into the charging port if you have the phone upside down with the charging port facing up.
abbadon420@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Ir take your phone to your regular phone store and let them clean it for you for free.
saltnotsugar@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Also, replacing the battery is pretty cheap compared to buying a new phone.
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
My phone is a Galaxy Z-Fold5, not new but not old enough for me to replace since the Fold7 just shipped.
Was hell bent sure the issue causing my phone to begin not accepting charging cables* was something Samsung was doing with their software updates. (*It charged fine with contactless chargers if youre ok with it taking 10-14 hours to charge)
It was too much of a coincidence that the phone charged 100% fine with any and all cables. Download a software update (not android update, this was samsung delivered update) phone doesnt charge with a cable after that for 2-3 weeks. Im T1Diabetic who uses wifi connected glucose monitor, so it fuckin drains battery juice 24/7 with very little setting controls to mitigate it. So I spent 2-3 weeks battling with it to charge on charging pads.
Didn’t change a thing with what I was doing and BAM another Samsung update, weirdly close to the last update and fuck me running if the phone didnt start charging very very tenderly with charging cables again.
Eventually figured fuck it, if its hard to do the phone is broke if its easy enough to do then maybe it will help and bought a pack of adhesive rubber type C port plugs from Amazon that came with a super cheap cleaning kit. It wasnt anything special. It came with the picture pointed and spaded q-tips, a flexible wire brush, then I used my own zip tie that I shaped, a sim card tool and a cloth for cleaning glasses. AND WENT TO FUCKING TOWN.
Everytime you plug in your charger to your phone, any dust that is in there is getting buttfucked into the back of the phone’s charging port like its a muzzleloaded gunpowder. Lol a bit hyperbplic but you get the point.
Finished cleaning the port. Plugged it in. First fuckin try, no fighting it, now switching chargers, no “charging but not fast charging” bullshit. No more voids in guessing my blood sugar. No more watching tv holding charger into phone. AND $1,000+ THAT IS STILL IN MY FUCKING ACCOUNT.
I gotta assume this is the #1 driver for phones needing to be replaced ever since the screens stopped shattering everytime you sneezed. The adhesive rubber plug is amazing. It is hardly noticeable and stays in the charging port even with my opening and closing of screens. It never pops out.
Honestly the smartest $10 I think I may have ever spent.
TLDR: Phone not charging? Buy $10 type C cleaning kit from amazon, watch 5min video on tips for cleaning, clean charging port for night and day results. Not difficult, very hard to fuck up your phone unless you jackhammer the port cleaning it. Saves you the cost of a new phone.
And obviously this isnt a fix all for all charging issues.
Toldry@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Could you please link the kit you bought?
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Triumph@fedia.io 6 months ago
Get a magnetic charge cord. There’ll be a tiny dongle that you plug in once, then the complementary cable has a magnet end that snaps to.
They’re cheap and easy, though not all of them are interchangeable with each other, so figure out how many device you want to use and in how many places, and buy everything at once.
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Hollllllly fuck why is this the first time im hearing about this. It makes soooo much sense.
dan@upvote.au 6 months ago
I always use wireless charging, and have a silicone plug in my phone’s USB port to stop dirt getting in there. Very similar to these: a.co/d/aFWuSI3
In the rare case that I need to plug something into it, the port is completely clean.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 6 months ago
The last few phones I’ve had to replace, the little bit of PCB that connects to the USB-C charger snapped off. A cleaning kit won’t help that. 😔
Theoriginalthon@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Just get a bit of plastic packaging or something similar. Cut thin long rectangle. Then cut a small chunk out near the tip to form a small hook. Scrape along the bottom of the port in all directions. Pull out fluff, then repeat until no more fluff comes out. Then go again as you won’t have got it all out even if it looks like it
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
So the amazon purchase was for the silicon plugs on a flap that adheres to your phone so it’s always plugged. As preparation to buy a new phone. It just happened to come with this lanky little cleaning kit. But the plugs are just as big of a takeaway as the cleaning.
Dare I say a classic 1-2-punch with corrective maintenence followed by pr3ventative maintenence!
aramis87@fedia.io 6 months ago
You could also set up wireless charging and put the phone down for a bit.
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
So you missed the part where I explained I need it for my constant glucose monitor which perpetually drains my phone battery creating the whole battle of the port?
Or you saying im not being a risky enough diabetic leaving my phone out of Bluetooth range for the 8 or more hours it takes to charge a zfold5 on a wireless charging pad? Cuz say the word and ill go hypo-g right the fuck meow, son. /s hahaha
aramis87@fedia.io 6 months ago
You posted this as a "You Should Know" clean your port before getting a new phone. Just because you have a need for constant charging, does not mean that wireless charging is an invalid option for the audience you're taking to.
Rooster326@programming.dev 6 months ago
For whoever isn’t aware, you can just add wireless charging to a device. It’s a paper thin cord and a pad that goes under whatever case you have. You won’t even notice it’s there under your case. They work well.
logicbomb@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I had a phone that I put the charging cable in backwards, and the port was completely broken. Bought a wireless charger and never had any problems.
(Whoever decided to standardize phone chargers on that connector should be put into prison.)
lemmyng@piefed.ca 6 months ago
Or magnetic USB-C adapters. Keeps the gunk out of the charging port while still retaining functionality (including fast charging). There's also charge-only adapters, which are handy for travel when you don't trust the port the phone is connected to.
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 6 months ago
This is the answer.
I’ve used them for close to 10 years. Started because one phone had a touchy port. Glued the adapter in the right position and never had a problem.
corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
The last time I plugged my phone in to charge was … Well, never with this one.
It has a 3.5mm and a Qi charging and sharing rig. I wish I could have this phone forever.
slothrop@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
Heathen!!!
NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
Yeah… be incredibly careful about shoving something with metal bristles into your charging port.
Maybe once a year I get a bit of gunk in my port (hey-oh!). Samsung (presumably all usb c androids?) are generally really good about losing their shit and yelling at you to remove the cable immediately and clean your port.
So when I get home? I just get one of my flossers (for teeth) that tend to have a cheap plastic toothpick attached to it. Works perfect, no liquids, and very minimal risk of damaging the port.
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
All bristles were nylon-ish material. All plastic no metal. The brushes were held by thin metal wire but so thin it was like throwing a hotdogs down a hallway.
Septimaeus@infosec.pub 6 months ago
I’ve always used wooden toothpicks because
- Common
- Made from cheap soft wood: more likely to deform or destruct against metal than most plastics
- Cut with the grain: especially soft to anything raking against the sides (like delicate pins)
- The uneven “splintery” sides happen to be pretty good at snagging tiny fibers of lint to pull them out as one big ball, requiring fewer swipes
More techniques:
- clean with port facing straight down to get gravity assist
- blow across the opening of the port: mild negative pressure + agitation inside cavity vs blowing directly into port (which is generally warned against explicitly)
- focus on “pinning” lint up against each of the two corners and holding gentle pressure during extraction: these corners of the port have no exposed pins, and happen to be where lint tends to accumulate anyway
salacious_coaster@infosec.pub 6 months ago
An old toothbrush and isopropyl alcohol works fine.
Dumhuvud@programming.dev 6 months ago
This but I prefer using a dedicated brush. Call me paranoid but what if an old toothbrush has bits of food stuck in it, wouldn’t want that to get into the phone.
paper_moon@lemmy.world 6 months ago
People don’t try cleaning their charging port before buying a new device? Thats crazy. I really have a hard time believing people don’t try cleaning before buying a new device.
11111one11111@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Cheese and rice theres a lot of responses jumping to accusations of people too lazy but I’ve never heard someone too lazy to clean a phone port for $1000 savings.
100% of the people im surrounded by in my family/friends would be to afraid of breaking it beyond trade in value towards the new phone. My case was extreme but since the screens got better id have to guess charging issues is up there for one of the biggest reasons people trade their phones in.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
They just need an excuse to buy a new phone.
PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Sounds like you haven’t met very many people.
ozymandias@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
i found out weed smokers regularly use a glass pipe until it’s clogged and then just throw it away….
also, if you go dumpster diving around the first of the month you can find trash bags full of useful things that people abandon and landlords throw out.paper_moon@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Lol this one is truly unbelievable to me. Its glass! Soak it in soapy water or vinegar for gods sake…
tpihkal@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I mean, it’s one phone, paper_moon. What could it cost? $1000?
fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Some people are just absurdly lazy.
Also what kind of kit does op have? A sim card ejector, a metal brush, a q tip thing, half a zip tie, and some adhesive things? Any thin plastic shim will work perfectly, and sometimes even a stiff plastic bristle brush works well.
anomnom@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
I wouldn’t put anything conductive in there.
Wood toothpicks worked great on lightning ports, usbc is a little trickier and more fragile so I use a plastic spudger from an old screen replacement kit.
slazer2au@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Not all are lazy, some just don’t know.
My in-laws didn’t clean the dust out of their PC for almost a decade because when they purchased it, no one told them to clean the filter on the front.
BroBot9000@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I’d believe it, especially with all the propaganda from big corporations and the fomo they push with new technology. Looking at Apple and their fucking yearly phone cycles.
Don’t forget to consume more! Buy two just in case! Consume! CONSUME!!!
Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Most people buy a new cell phone long before the charger stops working.
I’m weird. I’ve had my cell phone since 2020. But MOST people buy one every 2-3 years. Just because the newest latest and greatest just came out.
My 5 year old phone still has no issue charging. And when the battery starts dying, MY battery is user replaceable.
acockworkorange@mander.xyz 6 months ago
Don’t believe this person, they’ve clearly lost their mind.
ohellidk@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
I’ve used electrical contact cleaner while the phone is off, usually works