How to fix Google Pixel 2 that won’t charge [Troubleshooting Guide]

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are among the latest entrants to Android smartphone market this year. These new Google devices are deemed to be incredible and possibly the best Android phones there is by far. But just like any other smartphones out there, these new handsets can likewise succumb into various types of problems transpiring in other Android phones. One of the most prevalent issues that are expected to manifest is on power, particularly with charging. Read on to find out what can possibly cause your Pixel 2 device to stop or refuse charging and what must be done as remedy.

What triggers your Google Pixel 2 phone to not charge, charge slowly, or stop charging?

When a smartphone won’t charge, it doesn’t always mean that the battery is to blame. While it can be among the factors to consider, you cannot just put the blame straight to a bad battery especially in new devices like Google Pixel 2. Often times, the software is to blame. Why and how can the software prevent the phone from charging you asked? The answer is simple. Your phone is a handy computer that works as a system. Everything in your device is programmed to work with each of the hardware components. For instance, a camera app is needed to use the phone camera to take photos or record videos. In this case, the camera app (software) is the program that is specifically designed to work with the camera (hardware). If something goes wrong with the camera app, then most likely the phone’s camera won’t work as intended or it could be the other way around. The same concept is applied to your phone’s charging functions. Your phone also has a specific program responsible for charging. The only difference it has with the rest of the apps is that a user’s intervention won’t be needed for it to work. For as long as it detects that the phone is connected to the charger and charging port, the program is triggered. And that is when it decides whether to allow your device to charge or not. If something goes wrong with that program responsible for carrying out charging functions, then that’s when you get to experience charging issues on the device like slow charging, incomplete charging or not charging at all. The same thing can happen if other apps on the phone are misbehaving. Some apps can affect certain functions like charging. A faulty update including major Android system updates also appeared to be among the possible culprits. And the worst possible cause is hardware damage, which is often the case when the phone got wet or dropped then no longer charges afterwards.

Unless a faulty hardware is to blame, you still can do something in attempting to fix the problem on your end and get your device to charge as intended.

Potential solutions and workarounds to deal with charging problems on Google Pixel 2

Considering that the underlying cause is on the software rather than physical or liquid damage on the device, you’ve got higher chance of fixing your device and get it to charge again. The following workarounds will help you isolate the problem, determine the trigger, and finally fix your Pixel 2 that is not charging. Be sure to test your device after performing each method so that you’ll know if the problem is already fixed. Proceed to the next applicable method, if necessary.

First things to do and check before troubleshooting

• Examine charging equipment. Check and ensure that the charging cable, charging adapter, charging port and the power source in use are working. Sometimes the main issue is triggered by any of the charging equipment in use. To rule this out from the possible causes, verify and ensure that everything is working beforehand. You may try to use a different charging cable, charging adapter, charging port, or power source that’s compatible with your device. Doing so will help you determine whether or not the problem is isolated to the cable, adapter, port or power source.
• Do not use phone while charging. As much as possible, avoid using your phone while charging. Aside from safety measure, doing so will also allow your device to charge up faster as there will be no interruptions. Using the phone while charging is one of the reasons as to why your device is charging very slow or couldn’t be fully charged.

After verifying that all charging paraphernalia are working yet still your Pixel 2 doesn’t charge, consider trying these subsequent workarounds.

Reboot your Google Pixel 2 (if applicable)

If your device still has little amount of power left, then try to restart your phone. Doing so will eliminate the possibility of a faulty app or software glitch is preventing your device from charging.

1. Turning the device off then back on (soft reset) won’t affect data on your device. For starters, here’s how a soft reset is carried out on Google Pixel 2:
2. Press and hold the Power button on the right edge.
3. Tap the option to Power off.
4. Or you can just press and hold the Power button for about 10 seconds until it reboots.

Calibrate the battery (if applicable)

If you haven’t already and it can possibly be done, try to calibrate the battery on your phone.

Battery calibration can help ensure battery performance and that your device shows the correct battery level. The process involves draining the battery thus should only be done occasionally. Note that the battery’s lifespan can be adversely affected by constant draining or completely discharging of the battery. If you wish to give it a shot and that you can, then here’s how it’s done:

1. Drain your battery completely by using it until it powers off.
2. Turn it on again and then let it turn off on its own.
3. When powered off, plug it into a charger and let it charge until the charging indicator says that it has already reached 100 percent.
4. Disconnect the phone from the charger then turn it on.
5. In the case where the phone doesn’t say it’s 100 percent charged, plug it into the charger again and let it charge for a little longer until it reaches 100 percent.
6. If the battery is fully charged (100 percent), unplug the charger and restart your phone.
7. Now use your phone again as you normally do until it completely runs out of power and turns off on its own.
8. Connect it to the charger and let it charge until it reaches 100 percent without any interruption.
9. Turn on your phone.

The battery is now fully calibrated. Try to connect it to a charger and see if it’s already charging as intended. You can try other power source like a laptop computer, car charger, or power bank.

Other options to consider

• Troubleshoot apps. Aside from the prior methods, there are also other workarounds you may consider trying but only if you can. If you still have a little amount of remaining power on your Google Pixel 2, then you can try to troubleshoot apps first. If you can, try to close all apps running in the background. Any of these apps might be the trigger or prevents your device from charging. If the problem starts after installing a new app, then probably that new app is to blame. Running the phone in Safe Mode can help you in determining whether or not a third-party app is to blame. If possible, boot your Google Pixel 2 into Safe Mode and then try charging it while in safe mode.
• Master reset. Although I won’t recommend doing so considering that your device is already running low on power, a master reset or factory reset is also another option to consider when dealing with software-related issues in mobile devices. As mentioned earlier, often times the phone doesn’t charge due to software issues instead of bad battery. Performing a factory reset can be your last resort in dealing with software issues as it wipes your device completely, thus gives your phone a fresh clean start.

In case you want to give it a try and that you can, here’s how to master reset your Google Pixel 2:

1. Press and hold down the Power button until the device powers off completely.
2. Press and hold the Volume Down button for about 3 seconds.
3. After 3 seconds, press the Power key while still holding down the Volume Down button for another 3 seconds then release both buttons.
4. Use the Volume Down or Up button to highlight Recovery from the given options.
5. Press the Power key to confirm selection.
6. When the Android logo appears on the screen, hold down the Power key for about 2 seconds.
7. While holding the Power key, quickly press the Volume Up button.
8. Highlight the option to Wipe data/factory reset by pressing the Volume button then press the Power key to confirm selection.
9. Use the Volume button to select Yes — delete all user data option then press Power to confirm.

Wait for the phone to reboot. After the reboot, try to charge your device and see if it’s already able to do so. You can proceed with the device set up once it is completely charged.

• Lastly, be sure to charge your device properly. As much as possible, use only the original charging equipment for your device. Other third-party chargers, or charging adapters may not be compatible with your Google Pixel 2, thus it won’t charge using these equipment. Unfortunately, wireless charging is not supported in the Pixel 2 series so that couldn’t be considered among your charging options right now.

If none of these methods is able to fix the problem and that your Google Pixel 2 still won’t charge, try to contact your device carrier for other options or escalate the problem to Google Support. Should it be proven caused by a faulty software or system bug, then that should be properly addressed by another update that contains the fix.

Connect with us

We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.