How to fix your Samsung Galaxy Note8 that won’t charge [Troubleshooting Guide]

Charging issues are oftentimes more complicated than any other power issues and premium phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note8 are among the list of devices that often encounter these problems. It’s not due to their hardware but due to some unknown reason or causes and since the phone is still new, it may take a little while before we can consider a problem widespread.

In this post though, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Note8 that doesn’t charge. We will take into consideration every possibility and rule them out one after another so we can determine what the cause is and what needs to be done to try and fix the problem. If you’re one of the new owners of this smartphone, then continue reading below as this post maybe able to help you fix the problem.

If you’re looking for a solution to a different problem, then take time to visit our Galaxy Note8 troubleshooting page for we have already provided solutions to some common issues with this device. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the solutions and workarounds we suggested. If you can’t find something similar and you badly need help, consider contacting us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire. Make sure to provide us with the information we need so that we can help you better. Don’t worry, it’s free.

What to do about your Galaxy Note8 that’s not charging

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A charging problem might be a sign of a firmware issue but it could also be a lot worse than that. It actually depends what happened to the phone prior to the problem. So the course of our troubleshooting will be to find out what the cause it and then we’ll try to do some things that may make your phone respond to its charger again. Without further adieu, here’s what I suggest you do about this problem…

Step 1: Make sure the issue is not due to physical and/or liquid damage

Smartphones are fragile and electricity and water don’t mix really well. So, if you know that your Note8 got dropped on a cemented pavement and then this problem started, it’s obvious it suffered from a physical damage and most likely the drop would leave a dent or scratches on your phone’s outside cover or even break the display. If, however, you’re sure the phone didn’t suffer from any form of physical damage but got submerged in water prior to the problem, then it’s more likely a liquid damage.

Your Galaxy Note 8 has the IP68 rating, which means it’s water-resistant but not waterproof. Liquid can still find its way into it and that’s why Samsung made it a point to put in a liquid damage indicator and you can find it when you pop the SIM card tray out and look into the SIM slot. You should see a small sticker in there. If it’s white, then liquid damage isn’t the cause of the problem, however, if the sticker turned pink or red, then it’s confirmed the reason why your Note8 isn’t charging is becuase of liquid damage.

However, if there’s no sign of either physical or liquid damage but your phone is still not charging, then it’s time to look at it at a different angle.

Step 2: Physically check the charger, cable and your phone’s charging port

Maybe there’s just something blocking the current from flowing so the next thing you should do is check the port on the charger for some debris, dirt or corrosion. To the same to the charging port on your phone as well as physically check both ends of the cable you’re using. Anything that doesn’t belong might be hindering the current from flowing. You can give it a blast of compressed air if you find something unusual.

If you have other device, you can also try charging them using the charger of your Note8 but don’t charge them too long. Just try to see if they respond to your charger because if they do, the charger’s fine. The next thing you should check is the cable. Try connecting your phone using the original cable to a computer or a laptop. Assuming it still powered on, it should notify you that it’s connected to a computer or your machine will pop up that a device is connected through a USB port. If your phone gets detected by your computer, then the cable is working perfectly and the problem might be with the phone. In this case, move on to the next step.

Step 3: Turn off the phone, plugged it in and see if it heats up

Assuming your phone still has enough battery to power it up and if you haven’t tried charging it while powered down, then you should. It will give you information if this issue has something to do with the firmware or some apps. Also, be mindful enough to know if it’s heating up while plugged in. You cannot afford to neglect this considering the fact that it’s very dangerous if a phone is heating up while charging.

If the phone charges while powered down but heats up, stop charging and bring your phone to a technician as it’s probably an issue with the firmware. If the phone doesn’t charge but heats up, do the same.

However, if the phone charges fine while turned off and doesn’t heat up, then you must continue troubleshooting and you can rest assured now that the hardware is fine.

Step 4: Try charging your phone while in Safe mode

We now try to see if one or some of the third-party apps you installed on your phone is causing this problem. Try to isolate the issue by running your phone in safe mode so that all third-party apps will be temporarily disabled. If one of the caused the Note8 to not charge, then your device should be able to charge properly while in this mode. It may seem rare but I’ve personally encountered apps that messed up my phone’s charging capability before that’s why this has to be ruled out. Here’s how you boot your phone up in Safe mode:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
  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 the phone charges fine while in this mode, then it confirms our suspicion that one or some of the apps you installed is causing the problem. Try finding that app and then remove it from your Note8 by uninstalling it:

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  4. Tap the desired application.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

When you’ve already installed a lot of apps and you don’t have a clue as to which of them is the culprit, then you better just make a backup of your important files and data and just reset your phone.

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
  3. Tap Backup and restore.
  4. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  5. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  6. Tap the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
  7. Tap Reset.
  8. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
  9. Tap Continue.
  10. Tap Delete all.

Step 5: Bring your phone back to the store

If your Note8 won’t charge while in safe mode or if it won’t turn on anymore due to a drained battery, then there’s nothing much you can do about it. You cannot troubleshoot a phone that won’t power up. So, bring it back to the store and let the tech handle the problem for you. For a week old phone, usually, the store will replace it no questions asked and that’s your best bet.

However, if there’s still enough  power or battery, try backing up your important files and data and then do the reset prior to resetting your phone. If possible, disable the Factory Reset Protection so that you won’t be locked out of your device after the reset.

How to disable Galaxy Note8 Factory Reset Protection

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
  3. Tap Accounts.
  4. Tap Google.
  5. Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
  6. Tap 3 dot icon.
  7. Tap Remove account.
  8. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to do the Master Reset on your Galaxy Note8

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

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