Galaxy S9 wireless charging bug, “charging paused” error keeps showing up [troubleshooting guide]

Today’s article will address a common wireless charging bug that many #GalaxyS9 users have encountered recently. There’s been a growing number of S9 owners contacting us and posting in other online forums about this issue so we feel it necessary to deal with it. Basically, they’re saying that their S9 device sometimes fail to charge wirelessly even though the same exact setup had worked before. Unfortunately, there’s still no official word from Samsung regarding this issue so we can’t provide you with official suggestions from them. We hope that our suggestions below will work in your favor in dealing with this issue.

First solution: Force reboot

Wireless charging bug on the Galaxy S9 is a new and not everyone agrees on the cause. At this time, Samsung has not officially released a statement if this is an issue with the S9 itself, or if it’s something. This means users may have to find their own solutions in the meantime.

One of the solutions that should be tried first is by rebooting the system. System bugs are sometimes reliant on the current session that operating system is in so by disrupting Android, bugs may also be eliminated. In your case, we recommend that you try a force reboot in order to simulate a “battery pull.” In older devices, the battery can literally be pulled out to force the system to restart but since your S9 does not have a removable battery pack, you have to do its virtual opposite. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press and hold the volume down button and don’t release it.
  2. Then, press and hold the power key while holding down the volume button.
  3. Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more.

If the bug stays after doing the steps above, proceed to the next solution options.

Second solution: Rebuild the system cache

In order to load apps and other tasks efficiently, Android uses a system cache. This cache is basically a set of files and folders that are associated with the common activities you do on your device. Basically, it’s main function is cut loading time of apps and other tasks by keeping commonly used items like files, images, web links, etc in a special partition called partition. Instead of getting these items from their original locations somewhere in the internet, Android can instead access the cache partition and load the needed items, significantly making, say, browsing a lot faster. Over time, this cache gets convoluted or corrupted. If this occurs, problems or bugs may appear. To check if your wireless charging issue is due to a corrupted system cache, make sure that you clear the cache partition. Here’s how:

  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 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 to highlight “wipe cache partition.”
  5. Press the Power key to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.
  9. Check for the problem.

Third solution: Verify wireless charger and cable are working

One of the most obvious steps that you can do if you encounter wired or wireless charging issue is to ensure that the accessories themselves are not the problem. This means verifying if the wireless charging pad and cable that came with it are working. We know this is easier said than done since there’s no way to directly determine if the pad or cable are currently functional. If you have another known working charging pad and cable though, try using that one to see if there’s a difference. Otherwise, try using another S9 and charge using the current set of accessories you have.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings

It’s hard to determine whether or not the wireless charging bug you have is caused by the pad itself, or if it’s phone-related. One of the ways to help you eliminate the dilemma is by resetting all software settings to their defaults. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap General management.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Tap Reset settings.
  5. Tap RESET SETTINGS button.
  6. Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

Fifth solution: Boot to safe mode

While we received no definite conclusion that there popular apps that affects wireless charging on the S9 at this time, the possibility cannot be totally eliminated. To check if this issue is being caused by an app, you must learn how to boot your S9 to safe mode. While in this mode, no third party will be allowed to run, so if your charges fine, you have yourself an app issue.

To restart your S9 to 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.
  8. Let your phone run for several hours in this mode and check for the problem.

If the problem is absent on safe mode but returns on normal mode, you must uninstall third party apps. Start by removing apps that you recently installed. Be sure to always restart your phone back to normal mode after deleting an app to check for the problem. Keep doing this cycle until you identify the problem.

Sixth solution: Install updates

We can’t say for sure if this problem lies on the operating system or not but it’s always good to install updates if they become available. Some bugs can only be fixed by patching the operating system so hopefully, your particular issue can be fixed by a system update.

By default, your S9 should automatically download and install updates but if you changed it before, be sure to go under Settings > Software update to manually check for an update.

Seventh solution: Factory reset

A more drastic way to deal with a possible operating system issue is factory reset. As the name implies, all software settings will be returned to their defaults. This is an effective way to get rid of bugs that developed over time. If you haven’t tried it yet, be sure to do it at this point to see if the issue is directly related to the current disposition of your S9’s operating system or not.

To factory reset your S9:

  1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
  2. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  3. Tap Settings > 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 button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
  8. Tap Reset device.
  9. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
  10. Tap Continue.
  11. Tap Delete all.

Final solution: Use another wireless charger

Should the issue return after you factory reset your device, it’s highly possible that the problem may lie on the charging pad you’re using. Some users who posted this issue online said that the problem went away after replacing their charging pad. We think this might have something to do with older charging pads designed to work with older Galaxy S8 devices. Some may lose sync while charging when used on the Galaxy S9. We know that replacing a working charging pad for a newer one due to intermittent charging bug on the S9 is not ideal but since we’ve already ruled out aspects on the device side, this is the only remaining option for you.

 


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