How to fix your Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus that doesn’t charge anymore [Troubleshooting Guide]

While the Samsung Galaxy S8+ has a fast charging feature, the process of replenishing the battery remains the most straightforward process in the world of smartphones; just connect your phone to the charger that’s plugged to the wall outlet and it should charge immediately. However, it seems like many of our readers who own this phone are having this kind of problem so we have to address it once again for the benefit of those who contacted us as well as those who may encounter this issue in the future.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Galaxy S8+ that doesn’t charge anymore. We’ll look into each possibility and rule them out one by one until we can pinpoint what the problem is. That way, we can try to formulate a solution that might just fix the problem and prevent it from happening again in the future. So, if you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently having difficulties charging it, then continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

Now, before we go to troubleshooting, if you are currently experiencing a different problem, try to visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues owners encountered with their device. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions or troubleshooting guides. If they don’t work, however, and if you need further assistance, contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. All we need is information so we can help you. Don’t worry, it’s free.

How to troubleshoot your Galaxy S8+ that won’t charge

Problem: Hello droid guy. I have the new Galaxy S8+ phone and recently I noticed that it started to freeze every now and then but I didn’t mind it thinking it was just temporary. But starting yesterday, the phone didn’t charge and it only has about 8% battery left. No matter what I do, the phone doesn’t charge and I’ve already double checked I’m using the original charger and cable. I think I’m gonna bring it back to the store but if there’s something I can do to save me from making the trip, that would be great. Thanks.

Troubleshooting: The firmware in your phone also plays a big role in charging your device, although we’ve already seen cases wherein the cause of the problem is always in the the hardware. However, just having a phone that won’t charge doesn’t tell us exactly what the issue is that’s why it’s recommended you troubleshoot your phone. For this problem, here’s what I suggest you do:

Step 1: Check for water residue or possible liquid damage

I know your Galaxy S8+ is a water-resistant device but it’s not really waterproof that’s why it’s still possible that this problem resulted from water damage. Electricity and water don’t mix but when the latter find it’s way into your phone, then something bad really happens and this might be just one of the results. The first thing you should do is check if the phone suffered from it by checking its liquid damage indicator. Remove the SIM card tray and look into the slot to find the small sticker that may indicate if water residue got into your phone. If the sticker turned into red, purple or pink instead of white, then it’s positive that the cause of the problem is water damage. Don’t do anything, instead bring your phone back to the store so that the tech can handle it for you.

If, however, the LDI doesn’t show any sign of liquid damage, try to check the charging port. Your device may prompt you if it detects water residue in the charging port but that would be impossible if the battery is already drained and your phone won’t turn on anymore. Physically checking the port may give you a clearer perspective as to why your phone refuses to charge. If there’s water residue in the charging port, you can let it dry or give it a blast of compressed air and then try charging again. Or, you may just want to send it back to the store and let the tech handle the problem for you.

Step 2: Check the cable and the charger

Find out if there are some debris or dirt in the charger’s port as well as on both ends of the cable. Dirt may corrode the connectors and when this happens, connectors may not have good contacts, which may also result to this problem. Try cleaning out the port if you see something unusual or give it a blast of compressed air if possible. You may also use a cotton swab to get rid of the dirt inside.

Step 3: Turn off your phone and plug it in

Assuming your phone still has battery left, try to turn it off and charge it. Find out if the phone charges while everything isn’t running. We have encountered cases wherein a firmware issue is preventing the charge that’s why turning off your phone often works. In case the phone charges fine while being turned off, try to find out if it would charge while in Safe mode. This would rule out the possibility that the problem is caused by a third-party app. Here’s how you run your phone in safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

Step 4: Find out which app is causing the problem

Assuming the phone charges fine while in safe mode, then it’s clear one or some of the apps you installed is causing the problem. If you don’t have a clue which one is the culprit, then try to update those that need to be updated as it might be just a compatibility issue.

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Play Store.
Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu > Settings then tap Auto-update apps to select the check box.
Choose one of the following options:
- Tap Update [xx] to update all applications with updates available.
- Tap an individual application and then tap Update to update a single application.

However, if you already have an app or two in mind, then proceed to clearing their caches and data or even uninstalling them.

How to clear apps caches and data on Galaxy S8+

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Apps.
Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
Tap Clear cache.

How to remove applications from your Galaxy S8+

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

If the phone still won’t charge while in safe mode or after doing all these procedures, then it’s time to move on to the next step.

Step 5: Try wiping the cache partition or doing a reset

You only do this if the phone has, at least, 10% battery left. This procedure would rule out the possibility that this problem is due to some corrupt system caches. If your phone, however, no longer turns on, then at this point, bring it to the shop and have the tech check it for you.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe cache partition”
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the problem still remains after this, try doing the reset instead. That is if you can still make a backup of your files and data because if not, then it’s your call if you want to proceed or not.

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

If all else fails, then seek further assistance from a tech.

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