The phone is not charging when the phone is turned on. The tablet only charges when turned off

Does your phone only charge when turned off? It is quite logical that this should not happen - the battery must be charged in any mode. Why is this happening? The reasons for this behavior are not always clear, but in some cases we can try to deal with the problem ourselves. If the phone cannot be affected in any way, you should take it to service center. But first, let’s try to cope with the task ourselves.

In our review we will look at several ways to repair and test mobile devices:

  • Let's check the functionality of the charger;
  • Let's try replacing the battery;
  • Let's look at the installed software.

We will leave a trip to the service center as a last resort.

Why does my phone only charge when it's turned off? The reason for this may be a malfunction of the charger. Therefore, you need to take another charger and test it on your phone. If charging does start, we get dressed and go to the nearest communication store to buy a new charger to replace the broken one. We recommend that you purchase a tablet charger with a high charging current– this will provide more fast charging battery.

If you tried another charger, but it did not give any results, you can do the following - use further tests or visit a service center. We choose the first option and continue testing - what if we can localize the breakdown ourselves? At least we'll save money on repairs.


If the phone only charges when turned off, we may suspect a battery problem. You need to try to replace it - if possible, rent a battery from friends. If this is not possible, you will have to purchase it at a communication store. new battery. We install the battery obtained in one way or another into the phone, connect the charger and check.

Did the indicator show the presence of charge? Great - we wait until the end of the procedure and check the discharge rate (just in case). You can throw away the old battery - it cannot be restored. If the charging process still does not start, then the problem was not with the battery. We just have to check installed applications and perform some other operations.

If you purchased a new battery, but it turned out not to be the problem, do not worry - you can use it as a spare. When you find yourself far from the nearest outlet, it will help you make an important call or access the Internet (keep it charged).


If you have already checked the battery and charger, everything turned out to be intact, but the charge still does not work, you need to check the software installed on the phone. Do you use trickle charging apps? Installed Battery Doctor to extend the life battery life? Demolish all this software, clean it using Clean Master or any other “cleaner”, reboot and try connecting the charger.

If the problem was in applications, try using their analogues. Applications often create conflicts in the system, interfering with normal charging. Sometimes the damage to the system is so serious that removing the software is not enough - you need to do a general reset to factory settings. If these steps do not help, all that remains is to contact a service center - it is quite possible that the problem lies in a faulty charge control system.

Before performing a master reset, be sure to create backup copy important data. Otherwise, you may lose valuable files.

A tablet computer, due to its design features and compact dimensions, does not have a powerful battery backup. Actively surfing the Internet or playing your favorite game can drain your battery in less than one day.

It can be difficult to break away from your usual activities, and therefore many tablet owners continue to use the device by simply connecting it to a power outlet. Some models of gadgets can replenish energy reserves in parallel with work, while other tablets can only charge when turned off.

Of course, not all device owners are happy with this. We hasten to reassure those who were planning to demand a replacement under warranty or contact a service center. This is not a defect or serious damage. Rather, the fact that the tablet only charges when turned off is a feature specific model or current firmware version.

Sometimes, the tablet only charges when it is turned off. This happens for a number of reasons:

1. Unofficial (custom) OS firmware installed
OS firmware that is created not by the official developer, but by third-party amateur programmers, is called custom or unofficial. In some cases, such tablet firmware can (and most often does) cause a conflict with the charger and the tablet only starts charging when it is turned off. Try changing it to the official one yourself or contact any service center for help.

2. Power supply failure
It is not difficult to calculate this breakdown. Try charging the gadget via a USB cable from a PC or laptop without disconnecting it. If charging starts, it means the problem is in the power supply. If charging has not started, do not rush to get upset. Maybe, USB port Not powerful enough to charge other devices. Or completely broken. It happens that the charging function via USB cable is disabled on the tablet itself.
When the network voltage is low (less than 220 V), the tablet also does not charge when turned on.

3. Charger from another manufacturer
Some so-called "universal" chargers may be weaker than necessary to charge the battery and keep the tablet running at the same time. This is especially true for models from Chinese manufacturers designed for mass use. If possible, charge your tablet with your original device. If the problem appears only when using third-party chargers, the problem is not with the tablet, but with them.

4. Contacts are clogged
If the previous methods did not help, and the tablet still charges only when turned off, try wiping the contacts on the tablet with alcohol and charger. Perhaps it's just them. This method also helps when the tablet has stopped charging completely.

5. Other faults
There are breakdowns that are extremely difficult to calculate on your own. For example, there may be a malfunction in the power circuit. Or a micro-break inside the cable.

If you cannot determine the cause yourself, it’s time to turn to specialists.

iPhone owners often encounter various difficulties when trying to charge the battery. The most common problems are the absence of a charge indication, the battery's inability to charge, and the inability to connect the plug to the socket. But sometimes a very specific problem appears in which the iPhone charges only when it is turned off. Our article will tell you why this happens and how to deal with such a nuisance if it happened to your smartphone. But first, we note that there are several sources of this problem, and in some cases the user can solve them independently, without resorting to the help of a repair shop.

If the cause of the problem is in the accessories

Oddly enough, if the iPhone only charges when it is turned off, then the accessories, or more precisely, their malfunctions, may be to blame for the problem. Does your device charge only when turned off? Maybe the charger itself has failed - this happens quite often. To find out if this is the source of the problem, you just need to try charging the gadget with another device. If the process goes well, you need to turn on the device, and if after that everything remains the same, it means that the problem was a malfunction of the previous charging.

And if the process has not started, most likely there are serious problems inside the iPhone 4S (or any other phone model), for example, the charge controller often breaks down. In such a situation, only specialists can help. The gadget will need to be taken for repair, where a technician will open the case and replace the failed part with a new one. Doing this yourself, especially in the absence of any experience, is highly discouraged, since all the parts inside the case are very fragile. In addition, you need to know the algorithm for assembling and disassembling the device so that every part always remains in its place.

One more method should be mentioned, which will allow us to draw a preliminary conclusion that the source of the problem is, after all, the iPhone itself. You need to connect the gadget to another Apple phone, and if the first one starts charging, then it’s the problem.

Having decided to buy new charger for iPhone 4S or another version of the gadget, make sure that it is an original accessory. If you use compatible devices. The warranty for repairing the device will most likely be lost. In addition, it is often the use of such charges that causes breakdowns. Of course, such accessories are much cheaper. But is it worth the risk of later overpaying for smartphone repairs that could have been avoided?

As the practical experience of many owners of Apple phones has shown, non-original accessories often cause various breakdowns of the phone. In particular, batteries and charge control circuits fail.

Checking the battery and installed software

The problem of charging the iPhone only when it is turned off may be due to the battery itself, which loses its quality after prolonged use. And the only solution in this case is to leave the device charging overnight. Perhaps by morning the battery will at least partially restore its functionality. But this, of course, will be a temporary solution to the situation, and not a solution to the problem. Sooner or later the battery will have to be replaced.

If the iPhone only charges when it is turned off, the reason may be the presence of a large amount of software that causes increased energy consumption, exceeding the charging current. Because of this, the charging process cannot proceed normally when the device is turned on, and when turned off, nothing prevents the battery from charging. To fix this problem, the user should delete rarely used programs from the smartphone's memory, and then test the charger again.

1 Reset the system settings to factory settings. Sometimes this can help restore all functions of the device. 2 Update all programs, which often leads to the iPhone starting to work normally. 3 Carefully inspect the charger cable - it may be damaged. 4 Test charging using a computer to determine the malfunction of the phone itself and its internal components, if any.

But if none of the advice helps, it is better to return the iPhone, which is under warranty, back to the store where it was purchased or exchange it for a new one. And if the warranty period has already expired, you need to contact an authorized repair shop.
Now you know why the iPhone only charges when it is turned off, and what to do in such situations. And then we’ll look at the rules for properly charging Apple devices.

Rules for properly charging an iPhone

To ensure that the charging of your Apple gadget never fails, you need to know and follow certain rules for recharging the device. By the way, this is so important that a separate page is dedicated to this issue on the manufacturer’s website on the Internet.

So these rules are as follows:

1 You cannot charge the battery in extreme temperature conditions, specifically when the thermometer drops below -40 or rises above +50 degrees Celsius 2 Use only the original accessory (at least a certified USB cord). Let's look at why this is so important using a specific example. If the charge voltage of a lithium-ion battery is increased by only 4-5%, then it will begin to lose capacity 2 times faster with each cycle. To avoid this, in network adapter from the manufacturer, a PMIC controller was built directly into the phone itself, which controls the charging factors and does not allow the values ​​to go beyond acceptable limits. We are talking about the values ​​of temperature, voltage and current. 3 Never allow the gadget’s battery to be completely discharged (down to 0%). 4 Do not charge the device to 100%. 5 Once a month you need to discharge your gadget to 100%.

The most optimal temperature range, according to Apple, is 16-22 degrees, and the risky value is above + 35 degrees, at which it is highly not recommended to charge the gadget. Overheating of the case has a strong negative impact on the battery, quickly reducing its life and leading to rapid failure.


But, of course, no one thought of taking these tips literally and walking around with a thermometer in their hands all the time. It is enough to avoid direct sunlight on the device, do not leave the phone in the car in hot weather and do not place it under the pillow for recharging. Following these simple rules will help you increase the life of your battery.

In Chinese adapters (so-called “nonames”), such a controller is not always present. In this regard, the output voltage can be very high and will burn out the power controller, and then completely destroy the battery.

Therefore, the advice here is very simple - always use only original accessories.

If the user often does this, the battery life will be depleted much faster. The fact is that battery operation is based on cycles (1 cycle = complete consumption of 100% battery capacity), and every time the owner of an iPhone completely discharges it, he accelerates the “death” of the battery.

This action does not greatly affect the life of the battery, but, nevertheless, it is highly undesirable. Of course, the built-in controller, which was mentioned above, will prevent the device from overheating. But the battery life of the gadget will be significantly reduced.

Users advise leaving the device to charge overnight. With this approach to the process, the battery will be charged for at least a day during active user work, without additional recharging, within 2 years.

It is difficult to describe the chemical reactions that occur in an iPhone battery; we will only note that the battery ages over time, which is manifested in a decrease in its capacity. Battery failure is also caused by non-compliance with the smartphone user's operating instructions. And over time, all this leads to the fact that the controller loses the ability to accurately determine the battery charge level, and, as a result, the device turns off even when the charge level is 1% or more.

To calibrate the controller and bring the battery indicator back to normal, you need to completely discharge the phone. But to do this Apple council it is necessary no more than once every 30 days.

In conclusion, we note that each iPhone user usually approaches the process of charging their device in their own way. A single scheme cannot suit everyone, since everyone has their own rhythm of life and the like. Please remember that the battery will age. Even if you don’t use the gadget at all. But it’s still worthwhile to at least slightly (not strictly) adhere to the above rules developed by the manufacturer itself in order to maximize the “life” of your smartphone’s battery.

There are various reasons why the phone only charges when it is turned off. And this is a problem, because modern gadget It requires a large battery supply, consumes a lot of energy, and sometimes you have to charge it while using it, watching a movie, playing a game, etc. It is extremely inconvenient to do this only when it is turned off, because in this way the device is simply inaccessible most of the time.

And in general, it’s unusual to charge the phone only when it’s turned off. But it is worth noting that for some models of tablets and smartphones this is the norm, which is provided by the developer. Although this is stupid, it is true. But most often, if it is charged only when it is turned off (this also applies to other brands, but on forums people often contact Meizu smartphones), then this is a software or hardware problem. Let's figure out why this happens.

The phone only charges when turned off due to the firmware

The very first and most common version is firmware. This is especially common in Chinese smartphones: ZTE, Meizu, Xiaomi, etc. These phones are sold based on the Chinese shell, and there is no native localization for it. Therefore, users often install third-party software - unofficial firmware.

It is logical that such firmware, developed by amateur programmers and installed by a user without such skills, can slow down. Moreover, the problems can be very diverse: weak brightness adjustment range, strong heating during passive operation, rapid battery discharge, conflict with the charger. It is worth noting that it is precisely because of poor firmware and software problems that something like this most often happens. This can also be related to the hardware, but it is extremely rare.


You can fix the firmware problem. To do this you just need to go back to official version. The phones have the corresponding functionality. If not, the service center will help. But you can even try to install new unofficial firmware, which, judging by the reviews, works well and does not crash. It is quite possible that your current global firmware is not working well and is causing a conflict between the charger and the gadget itself. In this case, you don’t have to wonder why the phone only charges when it’s turned off.

Defective power supply or battery

It is logical to look for the cause in the power supply - it can also be the cause. It's easy to check if the power supply is working properly. To do this, you need to try using it to charge another tablet or smartphone. If everything is successful, then the problem is not in the power supply. You can also try charging the problematic smartphone using a laptop or computer by connecting it via USB. If the charging process is activated when the phone is turned on, then you should look for a problem in the power supply.


There is also another rare reason - low voltage in the network. If it drops below 220 V, then some phones and tablets may not charge when turned on. Sometimes the power supply is so weak that it simply does not have time to recharge the phone when it is working. This applies to third parties universal chargers, so it’s best to charge your phone with “native” devices.

It is possible that the problem may be in the battery itself. To check it, you need to find the same one and try to charge the phone with it. If it works, then the problem is clearly in the battery, which means it needs to be changed.

Oxidation or contamination on contacts

Contacts may also be the reason why the phone only charges when turned off. We recommend rubbing alcohol-soaked cotton wool over the contacts on the phone and charger. This may be the problem with them. Unfortunately, this method helps very rarely, but there is always hope.

Other problems

Sometimes it is impossible to find out why the phone only charges when it is turned off. Even experts cannot always give an answer. The reasons could be anywhere. For example, a microcrack could occur in the power supply circuit when dropped. Also, some kind of micro-rupture could have occurred inside the cable. It is impossible to determine all this at home, and sometimes it is not possible even in workshops.


But if you can’t charge, then don’t be upset. In itself it is insignificant. The main thing is that the smartphone works normally and performs its functions. Still, most users charge their phones only in the evening, when they go to bed. And there is no particular need to charge it during the day. So sometimes you just have to accept it and not pay attention to such little things.

Which phones are at risk?

This problem is not uncommon. Many users experience such situations. Cheap Chinese smartphones work this way more often than others. However, on the forums you can find messages that Russian Explay phones are charged only when turned off, but this does not apply to the entire line of the manufacturer and not even all models. This just happens, and not only with cheap Chinese budget phones, but also with expensive flagships.

Owners of tablet PCs devote almost all their free time to work and entertainment with them. The result of continuous fiddling with the settings and actively playing games is the rapid discharge of the device. But I really don’t want to part with my favorite tablet, so most users connect the charger and continue to “stick” to websites or games.


This is an acceptable course of events, but in some cases the tablet only charges when it is turned off. Which causes violent indignation among users.

To begin with, I would like to note that this is not a breakdown. Any device is fully charged when switched off. After all, you also regain strength during sleep, when no one distracts you.

1. Unofficial firmware

Custom firmware created by amateur programmers can, in some cases, cause charging problems. Contact the service center for official firmware- in most cases this eliminates the problem.

2. Faulty power supply

Try charging your tablet from your computer via USB cable. If it's charging while it's on, there's a problem with the power supply. But there are some nuances here. Your computer may not have enough power to charge a running tablet. Or the USB port is not working. Or this function is not supported by the tablet.

Insufficient mains voltage will also not allow charging of a working tablet. A minimum of 220 V can charge the gadget without problems.

3. Non-native charger

Most likely, you will not solve the issue if you charge your Tablet PC with a universal charger or a Chinese counterfeit. There is not enough power for the tablet to fully function and charge at the same time. Therefore, it charges when there is no energy extraction.

4. Clogged contacts

Clean the connectors and contacts on the tablet and charger with alcohol. This method will also help if the tablet does not charge at all.

5. Other faults

The power circuit may have failed. It is enough to contact the service center to resolve the problem. Also make sure the cable is intact.

A visit to the diagnostic center remains the best option solving the problem. If you are sure that the problem is not the mains voltage or a damaged cable, go to a specialist.