How to fix your Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) that no longer charges after an update [Troubleshooting Guide]

Firmware updates are supposed to fix the problem reported by users yet news issues emerge shortly after they’re installed. Such is the case with some of our readers who own the Samsung Galaxy J3. Some reported having problems charging as their phones no longer responds when connected to the charger.

When it comes to charging problems, we can always look at it at two different angles; it might be a problem with the firmware or the hardware. But considering the fact that the problem started after the update, there’s a higher possibility that it’s just a minor issue with the firmware and we know how to fix it. However, after we’ve ruled that possibility out and the problem persists, then it’s safe to assume it’s a problem with the hardware and for that, you need a technician who can do further tests on the hardware to determine the problem.

If you are one of the owners of this phone and are currently bugged by a similar problem, continue reading below as this post may be able to help you fix it.

Before we jump right into our troubleshooting, if you have other issues, drop by our Galaxy J3 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed many issues with this phone since we started supporting it. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the troubleshooting procedures or solutions we suggested. Should you need further assistance from us, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s free.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy J3 that doesn’t charge after an update

Ever since the first Galaxy J3 was released 3 years ago, we’ve already seen cases like this and now that the year is almost over and we might be seeing another J3 in January next year, charging issues still exist. Luckily though, there were only a few cases we’ve known that point to damaged batteries and considering the fact the problem started after an update, we might just be looking at a possible firmware problem.

Let’s try to see if we can make your phone to charge again by following these steps:

Step 1: Check your phone’s charger port for moist

Liquid damage often result to charging issues and if water exists in the USB port of your phone, then that might be the reason why it’s not charging especially if you’re getting the “moisture detected” error or warning.

So, physically check the charger port for some traces of water or any sort of liquid. Even just moist can result to this issue and unlike other Galaxy devices, the J3 doesn’t have the IP68 rating so it’s not even water-resistant let alone waterproof. If it got splashed with water, then it’s possible it’s suffering from liquid damage now.

Assuming there’s moist in the charger port, then try to do these things…

1. Turn your phone off if it’s still powered on.
2. Get a small piece of tissue paper and insert it into the port to absorb moist.
3. Blow into the port a few times to get rid of possible dirt or debris or give it a blast of compressed air if possible.

The steps above will make sure the charger port of your phone is clean and clear of moist or any trace of liquid and other corrosion but it doesn’t fix the problem alone. Try to go through other steps below.

Step 2: Check the Liquid Damage Indicator

To make sure your phone isn’t suffering from a serious liquid damage, we have to check the Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI) to see if there’s a sign that water reached some of the components inside.

The previous models of the J3 have removable batteries but the 2017 edition doesn’t have. So, the LDI should be found in the SIM slot. Remove the SIM tray and look into the slot to see if the small white sticker turned red, pink or purple because if it does, then don’t do any more troubleshooting because there’s not much you can about the liquid that’s inside your phone unless you open it. Instead, bring your phone to the shop and let the tech handle the problem for you. However, if the LDI is still white, then rest assured the problem isn’t due to complex water damage.

Step 3: Check the charger and the cable

The charger and the USB cable play a very important role in charging your phone. After checking the charger port in your device and making sure the LDI stayed white, then it’s time to check the accessories.

The port in your charger shouldn’t have debris, lint, corrosion or moist. If at some point the charger got in contact with water, it’s very much possible it’s damaged. You may try plugging it in (make sure it’s dry) to know if it heats up because if it does, don’t continue using it anymore. You may use other power adapters that have the specs as with the original to charge your phone.

Assuming the charger is fine, then check both ends of the cable to see if there’s something that obstruction charging. Anything that doesn’t belong may hinder proper contacts between connectors and should be removed.

Step 4: Try charging your phone while it’s powered down

After checking everything, it’s time to try charging your phone but make sure it’s turned off first to prevent other complications. If the phone is already turned off, it’s possible the battery got drained completely and it may take a few minutes before the phone displays signs of charging such as the LED on top of the screen or the battery icon with a bolt of the display.

Also, be mindful of the charger because if it’s heating up so fast, unplug it immediately to prevent it from bursting into flames or causing further damage to your phone.

Assuming the phone doesn’t charge at this point, try to do the next step.

Step 5: Perform the Forced Restart while plugged in

It’s possible the phone or the system itself crashed and more often than not, these crashes can result to unresponsive phones. So, while the device is connected to the charger, press and hold the Volume Down and the Power keys together for 10 seconds. If the problem is as minor as a crash, your phone should start up normally and may continue charging. Repeat the process if it failed for the first time until you’re sure that it’s not really responding to it.

Step 6: Connect your phone to a computer

Assuming your device didn’t show the charging sings and failed to boot up when you did the forced restart procedure, then it’s time to see if it responds when you connect it to a computer. Usually, when a phone is connected to a computer or a laptop, it will show it’s charging right away and if it’s powered on, the computer may be able to recognize and read it.

This step will also rule out the possibility that the problem is due to a damaged charger especially if the phone charges the moment it’s connected to a computer. If it doesn’t respond still, use a different cable, which would also rule out the possibility that it’s a broken cord problem.

However, if the phone still won’t charge after doing all this, then it’s time to move on to another step.

Step 7: Use a different or new charger

If possible, you can borrow a charger from a friend who also owns a Samsung smartphone as these devices often have use the same charger. If your phone charges, then it’s time to buy a new charger, otherwise, move on to the next step and troubleshoot the phone especially if it doesn’t turn on.

Step 8: Start the phone up in Safe mode

This is only applicable if your phone is turned off and not powering up because it’s possible the problem is with the phone itself and not the accessories. The safest thing to do right now to try to start it up in Safe mode, which will disable all third-party elements. If some of your apps have something to do with this problem, your device should boot up without any issues.

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
3. When ‘SAMSUNG’ appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode’.

If you’ve successfully started your phone up in this mode, try rebooting it to start in normal mode and if it fails, at least, you know that the hardware is fine and it’s all in the firmware. You may then try to boot in up in this mode again, backup your files and data and then give it a reset.

1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Cloud and accounts.
4. Tap Backup and restore.
5. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
6. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
7. Tap the back key twice to return to the Settings menu, then tap General Management.
8. Tap Reset.
9. Tap Factory data reset.
10. Tap Reset device.
11. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password.
12. Tap Continue.
13. Tap Delete all.

However, if the phone still refuses to boot up in safe mode, then do the next step.

Step 9: Try booting your phone up in Recovery Mode

The Android System Recovery is actually the fail-safe of almost all Android devices. If your phone is suffering from a very complex firmware problem, it may still be able to start in this mode. Assuming your phone successfully booted up in this mode, then you can try to wipe the cache partition and if that failed, you can try the Master Reset.

How to boot Galaxy J3 in Recovery mode and wipe cache partition

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key.
4. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
5. Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
6. Press the Power key to select.
7. Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
8. When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

How to boot Galaxy J3 in Recovery mode and do the Master Reset

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key
4. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
5. Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
6. Press Power button to select.
7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
9. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
10. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If all of the steps above failed to make your phone to charge or turn on, then it’s time to seek assistance from a tech who can do further tests on your phone and determine what the problem really is. As far as basic troubleshooting is concerned, you’ve done everything.

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