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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What is wrong with my Samsung Galaxy S4?

17 replies

LEMmingaround · 18/01/2014 11:06

It wont hold a charge - but i don't think its the battery. If i have had phones in the past that the battery has died they tend to tell you they are charged when they have only been on a short time - my other samsung galaxy ace did this.

This is different - when i plug the charger in, sometimes nothing happens at all, but most times the charging icon comes up and then i get a small amount of charge on it - the minimum green line but its not enough to start up the phone all the time. Then after a short time the phone intermittently vibrates, you can't switch it on and even when you remove the charger the vibrating happens for a few minutes?

Has anyone else had this? Was it the battery?

I THINK the contract we have the phone on will replace a faulty phone but i don't really want to do that as i haven't got the photos from it (because im a prat).

OP posts:
wonderingsoul · 18/01/2014 11:16

it could be the battery.. but its more likely to be the lead charger or the something gone on the connection port inside?

how old is it? have you tried a different lead.. id take it to a phones shops they would be able to test if its the bettery or lead for you

CatAssTrophy · 18/01/2014 11:24

I have an S4 just now but used to have an S2. had charging problems with both.

With my S2, i would plug it in to charge and nothing would happen. I had to buy new batteries each time (ended up getting three!) it needed charged. And these new batteries wouldn't charge either. I think it must have been something to do with the hole in the phone the charger goes in to. Maybe it was broken or something. I sold it on for spares and repairs and put the money towards my new S4.

After two weeks with my S4, the battery would jump from 80% to 2% in an instant. Then vibrate for ages and turn off. Wouldn't switch on again until i'd plugged it in. Then would do the same thing. I ended up going to a local independent phone shop and buying a new battery (not an official Samsung one) for about £10. No problems since.

If i were you i'd try a new battery. Don't splash out on a Samsung one though. You might even get one to fit an S4 from Ebay for about £5.

Samsung galaxy phones have been known to have battery/charging problems, just like the Iphones are famous for their screens breaking so easily.

Original poster
LEMmingaround · 18/01/2014 11:40

Its not the lead as i have tried two different leads - have just managed to get it to come on by charging on the laptop via usb so will transfer my photos. I know that samsung are shite when it comes to batteries - i was Hmm when DP got talked into having this phone. It is on a business contract, i was happy with my ace - all it needed was a new battery, this is just different though. Fucking thing. Am hoping they will replace the battery free of charge due to the riduculously expensive contract we have

OP posts:
Original poster
LEMmingaround · 18/01/2014 11:48

Thanks for the replies :)

OP posts:
wonderingsoul · 18/01/2014 11:54

i would send it away for repairs or see if you can get a new one.. which would be find if its relativitly new.

iv had a s3 before and it was great.. battriey life would work all day even with a lot of app/camera use..

Original poster
LEMmingaround · 18/01/2014 12:41

its charging via the computor, i have just transferred the 750 Blush photos over so at least i have those. DP is going to ring "3" on monday and see what they will do. Otherwise i'll get a new battery and see what happens, only had the phone for a year

OP posts:
Latara · 18/01/2014 12:45

Go to a Carphone Warehouse - even if you didn't buy the phone there they are very geekily helpful! They sorted out my Galaxy Ace yesterday.

Caitlin17 · 18/01/2014 12:48

Sounds faulty. Mine charges very quickly and has a good battery life.

TokenGirl1 · 18/01/2014 13:39

I have a similar problem on my S3.

Replaced the battery which helped but I think the port that you plug the lead into is not great. It's very sensitive, if you don't sit the phone in right way, it doesn't charge. I have tried numerous leads, sometimes the charge the phone, sometimes they don't. But those same leads charge my DHs blackberry no problem so it can't be faulty leads.

DH bought me a new battery charging pack complete with battery which has been our work around. I don't need to plug the lead in to the phone at all now. I charge the battery in the battery charger instead.

If your phone is within warranty then Id go back to your retailer, unfortunately mine was about a month out of warranty when it started happening.

Goldendandelion · 18/01/2014 13:46

Sounds faulty to me. Samsung phones have a 2 year warranty so they should sort it for you.

CatAmongThePigeons · 18/01/2014 13:50

Do you have Norton Anti virus? I found that drained my battery in about half hour

DisgraceToTheYChromosome · 18/01/2014 14:37

Sounds like the charging port doesn't like the crap Samsung charger.

My S4 is cha4ged through a generic threepin plug with USB socket and this is the important bit, a Belkin Pro Micro B 6 foot USB lead. The Belkin has much less flex than the official charger and doesn't break at the phone end in 6 weeks.

A Pro lead costs about £3 off Amazon.

HTH

Fakebook · 18/01/2014 15:01

My husband had a similar problem with his s4 in December. It wouldn't charge properly and the inside of the charge port hole somehow got dislodged so the charger wouldn't clip in properly.

As it was still under warranty "3" advised him to phone up Samsung, so he sent it away to them to be fixed. We got it back within a week.

shechameleon · 18/01/2014 15:06

There was an issue with a batch of faulty batteries when the S4 first came out. When you take the battery out is it swollen at all?

Carphone Warehouse act as the Samsung Service Centre and they just changed my original battery for a new one oo the spot when I had issues with it not holding the charge back in November.

DollyParsnip · 18/01/2014 15:16

DH got a new battery today for his as the phone kept going into a reboot loop and wouldn't hold a charge. As shechameleon said, the battery was swollen, seems there's a well known issue with them.

As his is a work.phone (therefore no.proof of purchase) he got a battery from Amazon, but Carphone Warehouse should sort it if you have receipts etc.

bobberdobber · 18/01/2014 15:54

I had this issue with my S3. I ended up sending it back to Virgin who said they'd fixed it but they hadn't. Through trial and error we found out that it was the charger. Apparently samsung chargers are notorious for being cheap and crappy so I now use the charger from my old kindle and it seems to be sorted but it has put me off having another samsung phone.

Original poster
LEMmingaround · 18/01/2014 17:59

Funnily enough the battery on the old ace blew up like a balloon. We have a decent charger that I use for the kindles and dp's galaxy. It charged via the lap top. Only seem to have this issues if it runs tight out. Oh I wish I had an iPhone

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