It usually takes time (about 30 minutes) for a device to begin charging if the battery is drained. During this time, your device screen remains black and doesn’t show the charging icon. It can take up to 4 hours for a completely drained battery to charge completely. But for the phone that is suddenly charging very slowly or refuses to charge without having the battery emptied, that may be a different story. It could mean a software problem, if not, hardware damage.
To help you deal with charging problems that are attributed to software errors, I’ve demonstrated some simple solutions below. These steps specifically apply to a Sony Xperia XZ3 smartphone. Consider these as additional inputs when troubleshooting slow charging and no charging problems on the same Sony Xperia device.
Before we proceed, if you’re looking for a solution to a problem with your phone, try to browse through our troubleshooting pages to see if we support your device. If your phone is in the list of our supported devices, then go to the troubleshooting page and look for similar problems. Feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. Don’t worry it’s free. But if you still need our help, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.
How to troubleshoot Xperia XZ3 that’s charging so slow
To deal with slow charging issue on your Xperia XZ3 device, try these subsequent workarounds.
First workaround: Force stop/clear all background applications then soft reset your phone.
Running applications and corrupted cache on the internal memory may have caused conflict to the charging system and results to charging problems. To clear this out, performing a soft reset or device restart is recommended. It dumps cache from the memory and likewise clear all background apps and corrupted services. Here’s how it’s done:
- Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds.
- Release the button when the menu options appear.
- Tap Power off and then tap OK. Your phone will then shut down.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button again until the phone reboots.
A soft reset does not affect any saved data, thus won’t result to data loss.
Second workaround: Check power usage and manage apps, if needed.
There may be some apps on your device that are acting up and cause rapid battery power draining. This could be the main reason why your device is charging at an usually slower pace. In that case, you need to manage your apps first. If your phone still has battery power, try to view battery consumption for applications with these steps:
- Tap Settings.
- Go to Apps & notifications.
- Select App info.
- Tap to select the application and then go to the Battery section to review the app’s battery consumption.
Alternatively, you can go to Settings-> Battery menu to view the approximated remaining battery percentage and battery time.
- To view the list of apps and features that have consumed battery power since the last charging cycle, tap on Advanced.
If you see any app with unusual power consumption, try to install pending update for the app first. Otherwise, you may have to uninstall and then reinstall the app on your phone. The apps that show unusual battery power consumption are likely acting up and draining the battery so quickly that the phone couldn’t get to complete its charge on time.
Third workaround: Update your phone system to the latest version available.
System updates may have the fix patch you need to address bug-inflicted charging problems on your device. Aside from new features, updates are also pushed to offer bug fixes for security enhancement. To get started, check the current software version of your phone with these steps:
- Open the Settings app from the Home screen.
- Select System.
- Tap About phone then Build number.
If a new system update is available, the new update icon (refresh symbol) on the status bar. To download the update, follow these steps:
- Drag the status bar downwards to open the notification panel.
- Scroll down and tap to select the desired system update.
- Tap Download to start downloading the update.
- Wait until the update is completely downloaded and then tap Install to start installing the system update on your phone.
Be sure to reboot your phone when the update is completely installed to prevent any apps from going rogue from the recent platform changes.
Fourth workaround: Factory data reset/master reset your phone.
Performing a master reset is usually needed to deal with more complicated software issues that could not be remedied by prior methods. It’s possible that the phone’s charging system is completely messed up due to fatal system error or major data corruption. In that case, a full system reset would be necessary. Doing so will erase everything from your phone system including complex errors that resulted to charging issues. Before you perform a factory data reset, create a backup of all your important files so you can still recover them later. Downloaded apps, saved contacts and other files will also be erased during the system reset. Then follow these steps to reset your Xperia XZ3 device then restore its factory defaults:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap System.
- Tap Reset.
- Select Factory reset from the given options.
- Tap Reset phone.
- If prompted, enter your device password, PIN, or screen unlock pattern to continue.
- Tap Erase everything to confirm
Wait until the reset is finished and then set up your device as new. Don’t forget to test and see if it’s already able to charge properly.
What to do if the phone doesn’t charge at all?
If your Xperia XZ3 smartphone is not charging at all, check the charging equipment (adapter and cable), power source, and charging port. Make sure they’re all working as intended.
Use only the original or Sony USB Type-C charger for your phone. Other chargers may not be compatible with your device. If you have some spare OEM charger for your Xperia smartphone, then you can use it to determine if the problem is due to a bad charger. Also make sure that you’re charging from the right power source or wall outlet to ensure that your device is getting the right amount of power. Other sources like portable power banks, computer ports, and car charger don’t emit the same amount of power needed for the phone to charge on time. However, you can utilize other power sources to determine if the outlet in use is to blame.
Also try to remove any third-party casing or accessories that may bar the charger from establishing proper contact with the charging port of your phone. Non-Sony cases may not fit well with the phone.
Dust or lint clogging in the phone’s charging port may also hinder contact between the charger and charging circuit, thus it’s also worth a shot to check and/or clean the phone’s charging port.
Other options
Your device likely needs service if it still failed to charge properly after applying all prior methods. The problem could be due to a damaged component on the phone like a defective battery that needs physical repair. As your last resort, take your Xperia XZ3 device along with the original charger to a Sony-authorized service center nearby and have it diagnosed thoroughly by a technician. Both the phone and charger must be scrutinized for any possible indications of hardware damage.
If your Xperia XZ3 smartphone started to charge very slowly or stop charging after installing a new system update, then you may escalate the problem to the Sony Xperia Support department so they can make further assessments. A fix patch may be needed if it’s attributed to a faulty update.
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