I was happy when usb c came out because it looked like it had to be a significant improvement over micro usb, in terms of longevity and reliability.
It’s looking like it’s only a slight improvement though, which sucks.
Grieve with me
Submitted 1 day ago by Stamets@lemmy.world to [deleted]
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/27e8550a-17a6-4ebb-82fc-e2310626b7e8.jpeg
Comments
AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net 8 hours ago
desktop_user@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 hours ago
I have yet to have a USB c port be ripped out of a device, I have had this happen to two USB micro b devices (ultra cheap). (USB c cords die relatively frequently though)
SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 6 hours ago
Remember when the little chil that held the pins in the middle would get obliterated?
tfm@europe.pub 9 hours ago
That’s the beauty of the Fairphone shop.fairphone.com/…/fairphone-4-usb-c-port-25
Paper_Phrog@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
Now if only the hardware wasn’t subpar and the OS unusable…
Honytawk@feddit.nl 5 hours ago
How is the OS unusable when you can always install a custom rom?
Fairphone even encourages it.
tfm@europe.pub 6 hours ago
For me it works perfectly fine. I don’t need a super computer in my pocket
JenIsBringingTheDrugs@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 hours ago
And had an audio jack
Honytawk@feddit.nl 5 hours ago
As long as the parts are available.
Haven’t needed them myself, but I’ve heard stories where they couldn’t get a replacement part because it was sold out. Which kind of defeats the purpose.
Still, it is such a robust phone.
Junkernaught@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Huge thanks to people in this thread. USB-C stopped charging reliably on my phone a few months back, tried clearing the port with compressed air but no joy, so I started using wireless charging. Spent 5mins today picking out a surprising amount of lint with a narrow toothpick and it works like new!
AllHailTheSheep@sh.itjust.works 23 hours ago
it is frankly impressive how much debris a port can hold!
DragonOracleIX@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
I had that exact same experience a few months ago.
MintyFresh@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
I did the same thing! I thought I was boned, turned out I just had a pocket lint problem. It really was amazing how much shit I pulled out of there. Charges just fine now.
HelixDab2@lemm.ee 16 hours ago
Every time I’ve had that happen, it’s been the cable going bad, not the port.
Honytawk@feddit.nl 5 hours ago
The cable is designed to break before the port.
Oka@sopuli.xyz 12 hours ago
Or the port is just full of pocket lint
mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 13 hours ago
i literally just finished a usb-c charging port repair on a relative’s phone.
The plastic “tongue” inside the port was gone, and the metal pins normally embedded in it were standing in empty air.
You can break it if you really want to :)
valkyrieangela@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 hours ago
Caused by gunk in the charge port. It naturally accrues over time. Local repair stores will have the specialized tools to fix it.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 16 hours ago
Toothpicks are not exactly specialised tools
conditional_soup@lemm.ee 16 hours ago
I use a sewing machine needle, works great, just don’t go crazy and break shit.
__nobodynowhere@sh.itjust.works 16 hours ago
Plastic dental flosser with a pick. Cut the tip flat. Easier to reach the edges and less likely to damage the port.
Katana314@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
I’ve done a little bit of okay cleaning with a toothpick, then much better cleaning from the repair shop.
thermal_shock@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
Me too, alcohol and toothpick
Honytawk@feddit.nl 5 hours ago
I wouldn’t recommend using that toothpick while drunk, my dude.
Asidonhopo@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Can confirm rubbing alcohol can improve your experience with failing phone charge port. I got to the point with one where it wouldn’t charge unless I applied a minuscule amount of alcohol around the metal prong in the phone with a shaved down toothpick before plugging it in. This tip is mentioned exclusively for those trying to extend the life of an end-stage phone and I take no responsibility for any fires or harm to the phone.
That said, there were never any problems when I did it and it extended the phone’s life maybe 8 months, and after a few months it didn’t even need the alcohol. Maybe it improves conductivity or used the charger head to over time clean the phone port. This was a USB-micro charger because I like using 8 year old, $60 phones.
krakenx@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
Toothpicks work great. They are wood or plastic so they won’t conduct electricity.
Serious_Me@lemmy.world 14 hours ago
Can confirm. Clean these out all the time. about 75%-80% of the time this is the cause of this exact issue.
finitebanjo@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
If there is a problem with capacitance then this won’t help, but if it might just be dirty then power it down and clean the charging port with a can of 99.99% compressed alcohol electronics cleaner, then use a can of air duster, repeat a couple of times. Afterwards, press the case firmly to ensure it’s still held together. Leave to dry completely before trying again.
Novice_Idiot@lemmy.wtf 11 hours ago
If you want a sketchy but simple solution you can use the back of a sewing needle to poke the stuff out of the port. Be careful tho, you can very easily break the port.
Paper_Phrog@lemmy.world 7 hours ago
Toothpick. Wood only. Never do this with metal.
TRock@feddit.dk 9 hours ago
This is the way
ObviouslyNotBanana@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Mine started doing it too. Turns out the charging port was full of dust!
Stamets@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Good to know…
scrion@lemmy.world 1 day ago
They’re absolutely right, that is the cause 85% of the time. Make sure to get a non-conductive pick made out of plastic or wood (e. g. literally a toothpick) and remove the dust by circling around the little protrusion, then clean the rounded corners with a little hooking motion.
remon@ani.social 3 hours ago
What the hell are you people doing to your ports?
don@lemm.ee 1 day ago
All these legitimately helpful fucking comments and no one’s pointing out that you can easily fix the problem by placing the smartphone in microwave and nuke it for a minute on high* to get your phone up to 80% charge.
*^Charging times dependent on microwave power output and your zodiac sign. Lower wattages may result in tastier special brownies. If unsure, please consult your primary care phrenologist.^
Stamets@lemmy.world 1 day ago
radiouser@crazypeople.online 1 day ago
Get a wooden toothpick and snap it in two (unevenly is better). Then use a pointy bit to clear out all the dirt, dust and grime from your phones port. I had the same problem a few weeks ago with my phone, after a good 20 minutes of careful scraping my phone is fine now. Best of luck.
LeFrog@discuss.tchncs.de 1 day ago
But be careful: do not press hard on the toothstick. It will splinter and then you will have a related problem getting the port clean. Source: my phone port :(
Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Sewing needle, use the eye side to dig around, I cut wood and ends up with chips in the port all the time, it’s not a problem
Tigeroovy@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Honestly I just use a metal sewing pin or something. Hasn’t caused any problems for me! Just gotta be gentle and not jam it.
Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Use the eye side instead of the pointy side
Can also remove dirt from the speaker recesses this way
neclimdul@lemmy.world 1 day ago
If you’ve got a 3d printer there are various picks you can print to help too. This ones popular www.printables.com/model/…/related
OfficerBribe@lemm.ee 1 day ago
I recommend also taking a knife and peel it a bit so it is basically flat.
twinnie@feddit.uk 1 day ago
I tried this and had limited success. Then I just got a wireless charger and it’s fine now.
Luvs2Spuj@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I have nothing constructive to contribute other than I feel smug and superior because I have a fairphone, so I can change mine if that ever happens.
tetris11@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
frank@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
Yup, same. And that smug sense of superiority that comes with it.
I’ll be excited to whip out a Phillips head screwdriver on the day my USB c port acts up to swap it :D
bizzle@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Imagine the superiority you’d feel by using a sewing needle to just pull the shit out of there and not even have to disassemble your phone
jayrar@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Came here to say “laugh in fairphone”
diaphanous@feddit.org 1 day ago
I’ve done it and it’s super easy to replace!
pfr@lemmy.sdf.org 9 hours ago
Wireless chargers
zugzwang@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 hours ago
Say what you want about Apple, but MagSafe is amazing.
Xatolos@reddthat.com 3 hours ago
I mean Apple’s copy of the open source standard Qi charging?
ulterno@programming.dev 7 hours ago
My phone started doing the thing, where, if I let it discharge to 18% before setting it up to charge, it doesn’t charge unless I turn it off and on again.
No, Restart does not work.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 13 hours ago
I’ve had that for 2 years. It’s no big.
Siegfried@lemmy.world 1 day ago
USB C? See if it isn’t full of garbage accumulated inside. I had to use a needle to scratch it out. Shit was so dense it was pretty difficult to clean. Eventually, I managed to clean it and I got rid of the problem.
Until I found the problem, I ended up buying bs. Another charger and an inductive charger.
BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world 16 hours ago
This is why I try to use my wireless charger when I don’t need fast charging, reduces the strain on my charging cable and the USB C port
Tigeroovy@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Time to fish out the impacted lint from the charge hole with a pin! You’d be surprised how much lint can get jammed up in there.
omgboom@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
If it makes you feel better, my phone just did the thing where it installed an update and now everything is running noticably worse.
AllHailTheSheep@sh.itjust.works 23 hours ago
sharp pair of tweezers or a needle or a toothpicks should be able to help. tons of instructions on how to do it in this thread, but I will add my 2 cents as a phone tech and say that if it’s a lightening port, you want to keep your tool as vertically in the middle of the port as possible while scraping horizontally. for USBC, keep your tool as close to the walls as possible while avoiding the center “tab”. this is so you don’t scrape the contacts. if you do that, you will need a port replacement (usually 80-100$ on most devices). once you scrape as much as you can out. you can use an old toothbrush or whatever works to brush the port clean with some isopropyl to clean any dirt on the contacts, which will come off easily now that it’s not being supported but the other debris you cleaned out with the tool.
tomi000@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Got myself a Fairphone 5 just a few weeks ago. With this, switching the charging port is a 30€ + 10min time investment.
A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl 20 hours ago
go give business to your local repair shop.
taxiiiii@lemmy.world 23 hours ago
even if it were broken, this would be such an easy fix if phone companies wouldn’t make it impossible to repair their phones. its freakign infuriating.
FistingEnthusiast@lemmynsfw.com 1 day ago
It’s usually just dirty
the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Possibility 1 the port is full of crap, clean the port with a thin stiff piece of plastic.
Possibility 2 the port is broken, treat your equipment better.
Possibility 3 the cable is bad, replace the cable and treat your equipment better.
MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 9 hours ago
Rip.
Good luck buying a new one with all of * gestures at everything * this going on.
Shootingstarrz17@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
Same, but with my laptop. 😔
psycho_driver@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Look into magnetic charging adapters. I’m just putting them on my wife’s devices out of the box now.
deegeese@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
Charging ports wear out if used often, which is why I usually charge wirelessly and keep a lint cap on my port.
TheTechnician27@lemmy.world 1 day ago
- Test the cable first if you have a spare.
- Test the AC adapter if you have a spare.
- If both fail, inspect the charging port with a flashlight. 4a) If it looks dirty, try cleaning it out with a toothpick (if you have a dedicated plastic tool for mobile repair, use that). 4b) If it doesn’t look dirty, refer to 4a. What often happens is that lint from your pocket compacts over time as it gets in there and then gets pressed in by the charger.
- If this doesn’t work and you have a good, locally owned mobile repair shop nearby, they might look at the port for free just to see if there’s anything you missed.
Only after all of this would I start to strongly consider the phone itself as the culprit.
imsufferableninja@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Time to clean the lint out of the charging port
ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
The charging port is the bellybutton of the device
LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Years ago when fixing phones most of the charging problems was just that. Most of the ear speaker issues were from makeup getting caked up in the mesh screen. And most of the motherboard issues came from people dropping them on the toilet/lake/ocean.
saltesc@lemmy.world 1 day ago
It’s always this unless you can think of a time you specifically damaged the port. And you’ll be surprised how much shit comes out with the tip of a plastic toothpick; how it was somehow actually managing to still charge in the first place lol.
thebestaquaman@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I honestly enjoy it when this happens. It’s so satisfying getting to pull obscenely large wads of lint out of the port
gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Also a decent idea to snag a magnetic charging adapter to avoid this in the future
Got one that plugs into my phone and a few of the other end for cords around my house and car, totally worth the 15 bucks I spent
cobysev@lemmy.world 1 day ago
My dad had Parkinson’s at the end of his life (and a general lack of coordination his whole life). Those magnetic charging adapters were a lifesaver for him. He just needed to get the cord close enough to the charging port on his phone and it would snap together. No coordination required.
It was also nice when he would forget to disconnect the cord. As soon as he walked away, the cable would pop off. No more broken cables from being yanked out of the phone or the wall.
ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
I have these for all my chargeable things. Bought like 4 packs with multiple port types, so I have tons of extra cables in case some die. They are great for game controllers, phones, tablets, rechargeable keyboards, and all sorts of other shit. All you need is multiple ends, and you can use the same cables for everything. It’s glorious if you have a mix of port types.
stebo02@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
what if cleaning doesn’t solve it?
mosiacmango@lemm.ee 1 day ago
Get a wireless charger if your phone supports it. It will likely be slower, but still work.
kernelle@0d.gs 1 day ago
You’d be surprised how caked a charge port can be, you know you’ve cleaned it correctly when the plug goes in all the way and doesn’t stick out a bit.
When it still doesn’t connect correctly and/or you feel play in de cable/chargeport, it might just need replacing.
Valmond@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Then repeat step 1.
Ek-Hou-Van-Braai@piefed.social 1 day ago
How do you clean the port?
lenuup@reddthat.com 1 day ago
Take a toothpicks and carefully break it in two halves. Ideally you are left with something about half as wide as the original pick. You want thin and sturdy pieces to get into the port. Now carefully scrape the lint and dirt out of the port. The dirt tends to compact on the bottom, so you have to scrape a bit to get it all out. I would recommend to do it in direct sunlight to better see the interior of the port. Torchlights usually are either to bright on the spot or to dim.
Works like a charm.
How the pick should look like