Fairphone 4 sometimes does not charge

Hello there,

It happened twice and I’m not yet sure, if it is a problem with the cable, with the Fairphone itself or that I just made an error. So the setup is the following:
I normally charge my Fairphone 4 over night. and thus just plug it in in the evening. As I enabled sleepmode if charging I see that this activates and do not think further. But on the other morning I see, that my phone did not charge.
From that information I conclude the following:

  1. Android(stock OS) thinks it is charging, and reports at the corresponding icons
  2. On the battery itself is not charging
  3. Android does update the charge level, so that it goes downward (as expected by not charging)

What I know, is that the charging cable itself is a bit broken(the USB-C connector is bent) and I can think, that there may arises sometimes a problem.

Therefore I’m asking you, if somebody got the same problem here.

I occasionally experienced that the FP4 was charging, but when I checked back after a while, charging had stopped (at just 10-15 points more than before, but still only at like 65 or 70%).

My suspicion is that my old iPod 2005 charger isn’t up to the task, it gets quite warm/hot from charging the FP4. So in my case, there might be a security mechanism at work preventing overheating.

With regard to your case, I’d also think hardware might be the culprit.

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That could also be my case because it is either six or nine years old. And it also can get quite warm/hot.

I have the same issue and pretty sure it isn’t because of the hardware! Plugging the charger in and out fixes it sometimes

We briefly discussed options to deliberately throttle/slow down charging using software recently, but I don’t know how difficult it is to install. See @hirnsushi’s reply here:

In theory, this should allow to test if it’s about the charger (while I’m not an expert, I think the cable is a lesser likely suspect).

Plugging in and out ?/

Have you tried other cables? It sounds like a poor connection due possibly to
a) distorted contacts in the phone or the cable, they have to match up. That a cable works elsewhere is no sign it is contact compatible with any specific device.
b) contacts could be a bit tarnished which benefits from plugging and unplugging as it can score through the resistive layer.
c) You could have debris, most likely in the port.

I think this could be a possibility. I will have to take a deeper look into it. It could also be, that the charger just gets old over those many years. (It’s a 5W charger)

But what comes to my mind is, that if that is the case, I must consider throwing away the charger, since it may break (Just remembering that if the charger cannot support 5W reliable over the time, it may become a fire hazard if it further breaks. )

A five watt charger? I’m surprised it works at all. What was it designed for? OK that was mean of me :slight_smile:

Although 5W is fine if all else is perfectly functional, with any resistance, debris, poor contacts lack of sufficient charge is more noticeable.

Regarding the safety. It still may be worth using the charger elsewhere to see if it is functioning consistently.

:smiley: Either an iPhone 7 or an iPhone 4. (I got both, but I do not know which is which and the other is currently not available. )

I’ll hook it to a measurement device I have and observe it. (Voltage and Amps)

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So just a small update: Since my Cable broke two days ago, I’m assuming it was the cable… I’ll see if this issue will arise again with another cable… (I’m hoping not)

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After my FP(3) has fallen (for a very short moment) into the bathtube and after subsequent detailed drying without replacing parts, I have also registered failures during charging. Different options of the used charger and plug’s orientation drove me nuts. In the end, tasker helped to show me the current power level (amperage) during charging and thus shed light on the situation.

If the new cable does not fix your issue, come back to me if you’d like to know more about the related Tasker task.

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