How To Fix Samsung Galaxy S2 Wont Charge [Troubleshooting Guide]

We received a lot of emails from Galaxy S2 owners complaining about their phone that’s not charging. But the thing about this problem is that you won’t be able to notice it until your device runs out of battery. There are a lot of factors to consider in order to fix this problem and key to the resolution is to know what caused it. It is, therefore, imperative you take time troubleshooting your phone just to know what’s behind it. However, there’s no guarantee you could fix it especially if it’s a fault in the hardware or an issue with the charger or battery. Before we proceed, I would just like to emphasize that your Galaxy S2 is probably 3 to 4 years old and the problem you’re experiencing right now is more likely because some components or accessories are damaged or need replacement. It is always economical to have something fixed rather than buy a new unit but remember this; if a phone starts to fail, it may continue failing in the future even if it was successfully repaired. If the repair fee is close to the price of a brand new phone, it’s more practical to buy a new unit and rest assured you could use it for another three years or so. This troubleshooting guide will walk you through determining what’s causing the not charging issue with your Galaxy S2 to help you decide whether to get your device fixed or buy a new model. While we technicians have our own way of troubleshooting, I, for myself, use technical deduction and/or fault isolation. Now back to our troubleshooting…

How To Fix Samsung Galaxy S2 Wont Charge

Step 1: Soft reset your Galaxy S2

A soft reset will drain stored electricity in some components. This will refresh the phone’s memory and is very effective for minor firmware and hardware glitches. Here’s how you do it…

1. Pop the back cover open.
2. Pull the Battery Out.
3. Press and hold the Power key for one minute.
4. Replace the battery and then the back cover.
5. Attempt to turn the phone on.

If the phone turned on, then the possibility of a hardware issue is ruled out at this point and you can focus on how to make your phone charge. However, if it didn’t power up, it might be because the battery was totally drained. It’s too early to make conclusions. Another reason why I want you to soft reset your phone is so that you can check if the battery is properly mounted on the device. If the battery connectors don’t touch the connectors at the back of the phone, the device won’t charge. Now, plug the charger to the wall outlet and the cable to your phone to see if it charges, if it doesn’t, then proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Troubleshoot the charger

It is the first thing you should check if your phone refuses to charge. There are several ways to troubleshoot the charger unit. First, try to charge your other devices. Galaxy S2’s charger has the universal microUSB connector so it should work on any other devices with microUSB port. If other devices respond to it, then there’s current coming from it. But in case you have no other devices to test on or if they, too, won’t charge with it, then set it aside for now and proceed to troubleshooting the USB cable.

Step 3: Troubleshoot the USB cable

The cable bridges the charger and the phone. Without it, it’s impossible to push current into your phone’s battery without using an external charger. One way to troubleshoot the cable is to plug the USB connector to a computer. While computers don’t give out current as much as the original charger does, the phone should still respond to it. And if the phone is on, it must prompt you to choose the type of connection you want provided that the cable works. Try to use a different USB cable, if possible, to see if the phone responds when plugged in to a power source. Should the device responds normally, then the original USB may have a break that prevent the current from reaching the phone. In this case, you also ruled out the possibility that it is a charger issue. To check further if the USB cable is fully functional, try to use it with other devices either to charge them or transfer data. If it’s working fine with other devices, then we’ve already ruled out half of the problem. We can now set our focus on the phone.

Step 4: Check the USB or utility port on the phone

A loose USB or utility port may cause charging issues as it also prevent the current from reaching the components that allow charging. It’s easy to check if the port is loose; just plug the cable and see if it snaps right in. Also, try to push the connector all the way in to make sure it makes proper contact with the connectors on the phone. If the microUSB connector fits right into the port, it’s still possible that it’s the latter that has issues. It’s contact with the board may also be loose and needs to be re-soldered. Plugging in the connector and moving it up or down may reveal if it’s loose. But these are the only things you can do with the utility port, so far.

Step 5: Try a new battery

Assuming the charger and the USB cable work fine and there’s no issue with the USB port, then you should go after the battery at this point. You may use a tester to see if the battery gives out the correct current and voltage or if it produces electricity at all. However, the results aren’t a guarantee the battery is working fine. The fact is, a phone as old as the Galaxy S2 may already require a battery replacement. The best thing to do to make sure it isn’t the battery that’s the problem is to try a different or, better yet, a new battery. You may borrow from a friend who has the same phone as yours or buy a new one. I understand if you are hesitant to do so considering there’s no guarantee it’s the problem but it’s a little investment. After all, if it weren’t the battery that has issues, at least, you already have a spare. Or, you can just send the phone in for checkup and/or repair.

Step 6: Have a technician take a look at your phone

If the problem is beyond a busted battery or if you really don’t want to buy a new one because you’re not sure if it’s a battery issue or not, then take your phone to a repair shop and have a tech take a look at it so that it can be thoroughly checked. For hardware issues, you might be asked to pay for components. However, if it were just a firmware issue, then re-flashing the firmware may fix this problem and you won’t have to pay as much.

Having problems with your phone that’s not charging?

We can help you troubleshoot. We already published troubleshooting guides for the following devices:

• Samsung Galaxy S2
• Samsung Galaxy S3
• Samsung Galaxy S4
• Samsung Galaxy S5
• Samsung Galaxy S6
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
• Samsung Galaxy Note 2
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4