motorolla droid razr HD exhibiting erratic charging

[burlmart]

martha's 3 y/o droid has been a solid player, and it still holds a strong charge -- if it decides to accept it. it may start charging when you plug it in, but when you come back later, it may or may not have continued the charging.

have ruled out the charge transformer-block that its USB cable plugs into to use a wall socket, since the phone is also erratic plugged into a computer USB port.

at the phone's charge port where the micro end of the USB charge cable connects, there is no indication of a loose connection. also, l used compressed air on the phone port and the cable plug w/ no apparent effect on the erratic charge.

you cannot take out battery to see if its connection is at fault.

again, if the phone behaves, it gets a strong charge good for 2 days' use.

has anyone had a similar experience? is there a software explanation and fix?

[burlmart]

sherlock62 wrote:

Time to replace that tired old smart phone. It is prudent to move to a new smart phone every 2-3 years. Don't throw time or $ at such an old device.

this is the direction we finally chose. at the bestbuy, a verizon rep pointed us to the 2016 galaxy J3, a $109 device for prepaid plan customers. it has somewhat better specs than the old droid, and it gets solid reviews. she really likes the android marshmellow software.

seems a smart option for prepaid plans where you own a phone outright.

thanks to all your good responses.

[bwanshoom]

dons2346 wrote:

bwanshoom wrote:
You may need the charging port on the phone replaced. They do wear out.

Yup. You can do it if you are good with a soldering iron. You can get parts for the phone on eBay. There are also repair places listed on the bay that will do the work for you pretty cheap. I had a company repair one and it is still working. Pretty fast turn around also.

Depends on the phone - some are *much* harder than others. Some HTCs require a cover bezel piece to be replaced every time it's opened up.

[dons2346]

bwanshoom wrote:
You may need the charging port on the phone replaced. They do wear out.

Yup. You can do it if you are good with a soldering iron. You can get parts for the phone on eBay. There are also repair places listed on the bay that will do the work for you pretty cheap. I had a company repair one and it is still working. Pretty fast turn around also.

[sherlock62]

snip:

burlmart wrote:
martha's 3 y/o droid

Time to replace that tired old smart phone. It is prudent to move to a new smart phone every 2-3 years. Don't throw time or $ at such an old device.

[SCClockDr]

Confirm the USB cable is NOT an issue before taking the phone to the Mall Kiosk for a new port. The ports do get flaky and most smartphones are expected to be replaced every 2 years due to tech advances & additional features.

[bwanshoom]

You may need the charging port on the phone replaced. They do wear out.

[bucky]

Yes, when my wife turns off the switch that powers the outlet that she plugs her charger into.I don't even say anything anymore, I just check the switch when I go to bed.