How to fix a Galaxy A5 that won’t charge [troubleshooting guide]
This troubleshooting article will show you how to fix a Galaxy A5 (#GalaxyA5) that won’t charge properly or at all. We know that a lot of A5 owners have encountered this problem so we decided to come up with this post. As usual, we include a sample case of the problem to put you in context. We hope you’ll find this helpful.
Before we proceed, be reminded that we provide answers to Android problems. If you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page. When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.
Problem: Galaxy A5 won’t charge
First off, I own a Samsung galaxy a5. My mom buys chargers at least twice a month because they become finicky as can be even though I’m being gentle with them. Just today, about 2 hours ago my mom bought a new one and I just plugged it in for the first time and it is barely working. We have tried all sorts of different chargers and nine of them last. This is really annoying as it’s wasting money and time.
Solution: There are two general reasons why your Galaxy A5 is not charging properly. The first one is the possibility of a software error. There may be an operating system glitch, misconfigured settings, or bad app in the system that interferes with your device’s power management function. The second possible reason is hardware malfunction. This means one of the physical components may not be working normally for some reason. Some of the common components that fail and lead to this problem includes the following:
- charging accessories
- charging port
- battery
- Power Management IC
- motherboard
Troubleshooting steps to fix a Galaxy A5 that won’t charge
In order to know what the problem is, you need to perform a set of troubleshooting steps. Follow our suggestions below to identify the reason why your A5 does not charge properly.
Use different charging cable or adapter
One of the common reasons for charging problems in many Android devices is the charging accessories themselves. We don’t know the quality of charging cable or adapter you have but to be on the safe side, make sure to use only the prescribed ones. Samsung devices have specific energy parameters when charging and if these are not supplied because your charging cable or adapter is not the official ones, problems may arise. Cheap aftermarket charging accessories may not provide the required current and voltage to the system. Most times, third party chargers now work with Samsung devices but they can sometimes be the cause of problems. At worst, third party charging cable and/or adapter end up damaging a device. This is the main reason why Samsung recommends that you stick with the cable and adapter that came with the phone.
If you can’t find another official cable and charger readily, borrow one from a friend or visit your local Samsung shop so you can use their charging cable or adapter.
Charge in a different outlet
If you’ve been charging in the same wall outlet since the problem started, there’s a chance that the issue may not be on your device but with the outlet. Try to use another one when charging to see if that will make a difference.
Inspect the charging port
A common reason for erratic charging or complete charging failure in any device is defective charging port. Try to do a visual check of the charging port to see if there’s any obvious signs of damage. If the port of its internal system has been damaged, you’ll need to send the phone in so it can be repaired.
At times, dirt, lint, or bent pins inside the port can cause this problem as well. If you want to see inside the port more clearly, try to use a magnifying tool to examine it. If there’s visible lint or dirt that may prevent the charging cable from making good contact with the system inside, try to use a can of compressed air to clear it out.
Charge on safe mode
To check if a third party app is interfering with Android, you can restart your device to safe mode. Here’s how:
- 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.
- Charge the phone and check for the problem. You may want to do this several times to know if there’s a difference.
If your Galaxy A5 charges fine every time it’s on safe mode, a third party app must be behind the issue. To identify which of your apps is causing the trouble, you should boot the phone back to safe mode and follow these steps:
- Boot to safe mode.
- Check for the problem.
- Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
- After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
- If your Galaxy still won’t charge properly, repeat steps 1-4.
Reset all settings
Before you want to do more drastic software changes, you should also consider returning all settings to their defaults. Unlike factory reset, resetting all settings as a troubleshooting step won’t affect personal data so at this point, there’s no need to back your files up yet.
To reset all settings:
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap General Management > Reset settings.
- Tap Reset settings.
- If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
- Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.
Factory reset
Wiping your phone and returning all its software settings to their defaults is your ultimate troubleshooting step. By doing this, you’ll know if the problem is being caused by a software bug or not. If you’re lucky and the cause of the problem is software-related, factory reset will most likely help.
To factory reset your Galaxy A5:
- Create a backup of your data.
- 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.
Contact Samsung for professional help
Should factory reset fail to resolve the issue, that means that the cause must be something deeper. This also means that the problem is most likely not fixable on your level. Contact Samsung and set up a repair or replacement appointment.