If you’re finding that your phone is taking longer to charge than before, or you’re simply wondering why other people’s devices are charging faster than yours, there are several factors that could be causing your device to remain in the slow lane.
Here’s a quick collection of tips to try if you want to get your smartphone’s charging juices flowing again.
Check your cables
The first thing to consider, as it is often the culprit, is the cable you are using to charge the device. These are often cheaply made, which means they can fail after a while, especially if you wind them tightly between charges, as this can damage the conductive wiring inside the cable.
If you can get your hands on another charging cable (just borrow a friend’s), do an A/B test between yours and theirs to see if there’s a difference. If so, and yours is slower, it might be a good idea to replace your cable with a new one. Also, look for options that support fast charging (depending on what charging standards your phone supports), as they can help you with the next point.
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
Martyn Casserly
For more details, read our guide on how to choose a USB-C cable for charging.
What is the rated power of your charger?
Although they all look similar, power chargers or adapters (i.e. the thing you plug into the wall) come in a variety of flavors, in terms of wattage and the power standards they adhere to.
You may be dealing with a standard 9W or 18W power supply, like the ones that came with older devices. But if you’re jealous of your friends’ devices that charge in no time, they may have more powerful chargers.
You can look at the charger itself to see what wattage rating is listed on it (usually in small print between the pins) and check if it’s worth upgrading to a faster adapter (i.e. one with a higher wattage). These can range from 18W to crazy 240W options, like the one that debuted with the Realme GT 5 Pro. You can see our current top picks for the best phone chargers.
A faster power adapter is only half the equation, though. You can’t just plug a phone into a super-fast charger and expect everything to speed up because the device’s battery will have maximum charge capacity. That’s something we’ll explore in the next point.
Does your phone support fast charging?
When it comes to how fast a phone can charge, each device has its own internal limit. This is usually due to hardware limitations of the battery, meaning that charging speeds are set by the phone, not the charger or cable.
If you buy a 200W super charger and plug your old Samsung into it, chances are the phone will only draw 18W of power and take the same amount of time to charge as usual. This is important to know because it will save you money by making sure you get the right charger for your device.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
Chris Martin / Foundry
For example, the Google Pixel 8a has a maximum capacity of 18W, while Apple recommends using a 20W charger with its iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 lineups. Samsung’s regular Galaxy S24 can handle 25W, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra gets by with a 90W charger. So, before upgrading your power solution, be sure to check your phone’s make and model to know its maximum charging capacity.
In some cases, you may also need to enable the fast charging feature, as is the case with many modern Samsung models. To do this, go to Settings > Device care (or Device maintenance) > BatteryThen press the switch to activate Fast charging by cable.
The same goes for Google Pixel devices and other Android phones, where you’ll find the feature in Settings > Battery > Adaptive Charging.
Martyn Casserly / Dominick Tomaszewski
Martyn Casserly / Dominick Tomaszewski
Martyn Casserly / Dominick Tomaszewski
For iPhone users, you’ll want to go to Settings > Battery > Battery health and chargingthen activate Optimized battery chargingwhich allows the device to monitor how it is charging and provide the best results for its current state.
You can also read our guide to find out if your phone supports fast charging.
Is there lint in your charging port?
We put our phones in our pockets and bags all the time, so it’s no surprise that they pick up dirt and debris along the way. While this isn’t exactly a safety threat, it does mean that lint can build up in the charging port, making the connection unreliable or completely non-functional.
You can try blowing into the port, but that usually won’t budge the lint that’s been compressed by you trying to plug in a charging cable. To clear any obstructions, you’ll need a toothpick or something thin and sturdy to gently pry out the debris. Don’t use a metal tool, as there are sensors, contacts, and other sensitive parts inside the port that you could damage, and don’t use too much force, for the same reasons. Just remove whatever may be causing the blockage and see if that improves charging speeds.
Do you use your phone while it is charging?
One thing that will significantly slow down a phone’s charging time is if you continue to use it while it’s plugged in. This makes sense, because the power delivered is then almost immediately used to light up the screen or perform the calculations needed to complete a task. If you want faster charging times, put your phone down. In fact, to speed things up even more, it’s best to turn the device off completely.
Do you use wireless charging?
Wireless charging can be very useful, but in most cases, it’s the slowest way to charge a phone. If you’re having trouble getting a fast charge, try plugging in a cable to see if that speeds things up.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Is your battery defective?
If none of the above methods improve your phone’s charging time, it could be that the battery itself is near the end of its natural lifespan or has developed a defect. There are ways to check this, in order to confirm your suspicions before taking it in for repair or replacement.
How to check your phone’s battery health
iPhone
iOS has a useful feature that tells you the current status of your battery and whether it needs replacing. To find it, go to Settings > Battery > Battery health and charging.
Martyn Casserly / Dominique Tomaszewski
Martyn Casserly / Dominique Tomaszewski
Martyn Casserly / Dominique Tomaszewski
Here you will see the current maximum capacity of the battery (compared to when it was new or at 100%). If it drops below 80%, it may be time to replace it.
Apple offers this service in its stores and the cost is usually around $99/£99. If the battery life has decreased significantly in a short period of time and the iPhone is still new and covered by AppleCare, the repair may be cheaper or even free.
android phone
Android has its own diagnostic program, although – as with many aspects of the platform due to the range of devices and operating system versions available – it doesn’t always appear in the same place.
As a general rule, you should try to go to Settings > Battery > Battery Diagnosticsthen pressing the option that deals with charging issues.
Martyn Casserly / Dominick Tomaszewski
Martyn Casserly / Dominick Tomaszewski
Martyn Casserly / Dominick Tomaszewski
The phone should then check if there is a detectable problem with the cells (these collectively make up the phone’s battery). If a problem is detected, you should then contact the manufacturer to see if there is a repair program available or go to third-party repairers.
There you have it, there are a few ways you can try to improve the charging performance of your iPhone or Android device. If none of the above fixes the problem, it might be time to upgrade to a newer device, which should also bring the benefit of faster charging, as advances in this area are being made every year. We’ve linked to our various charts below, so you can see which devices we currently recommend.
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