# Why is Charging My Phone Slow?



## Maven (Feb 9, 2017)

Lots of drivers have noticed this and looked for help on this forum. Some answers have been provided. Obviously, being able to run multiple energy-intensive Apps concurrently on a cell phone or tablet continuously for several hours is essential for rideshare drivers. You may even see the cell phone battery charge decrease while plugged into a charger. Here are 4 reasons why recharging a cell phone battery may be slow.

Your car charger (or USB-port) does not produce enough power. Most are rated at 1.0A (amps) or 2.1A. A few are 3.1A or more. Some dual port chargers produce both 1.0A and 2.1A at different ports. It's recommended that a 2.1A or 3.1A port always be used.

The USB cable is too cheap and is designed to carry less power than your car charger is able to produce. Example: car charger produces 2.1A and USB cable maximum capacity is 1.0A then you get 1.0A
Many devices, including cell phones, have a maximum recharge rate. Example: if your charger and USB cable deliver 2.1A but your device has a maximum recharge rate of 1.0A then the device charges using 1.0A

Unnecessary power consumption can be a killer. If not needed. turn off WiFi, Bluetooth, and close all unnecessary applications. The less power used, the faster your cell phone battery's charge will increase.
*How to Tell?* USB Ports are often denoted with the 3-pronged USB symbol, shown below. The color of the plastic tab within a plug often denotes the USB revision, which is not related to power, white or black for 1.0 (obsolete) or 2.0 (up to 2.1A), blue for 3.0 (up to 5A), other colors may be used. If you are lucky the power rating will be printed on the charger or port. Occasionally, lightning bolt symbols are used, one for 1.0A, two for 2.1A, three for 3.1A, or none forcing you to read the manual.










There are several Apps that _*claim *_to be able to facilitate recharging your cell phone batter faster and providing other useful tools. Among the more popular are "DU Battery Saver" and "Battery Doctor". Monitoring the actual amperage in real-time is possible with "Ampere" and "AccuBattery". If you have successfully used any of them then please reply with your experience.










_*Please reply if there are any errors or if I have missed any methods of charging a cell phone faster.*_


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## Sally Wallace (Sep 11, 2017)

Firstly check your cable.The first offender in any case of charging slow. When push comes to shove you would rather have e your cable break than your phone's port because the cable is much easier to replace.


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## wk1102 (Dec 25, 2015)

Sally Wallace said:


> Firstly check your cable.The first offender in any case of charging slow. When push comes to shove you would rather have e your cable break than your phone's port because the cable is much easier to replace.


It's always been my cable, I've gone through dozens of them... it's a pain in the ass but...


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## Tofolux (Sep 22, 2017)

Your cars built-in usb ports or those generic USB cigarette adapters don't charge much if anything at all. Get a good quality Quick Charger and cables.


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## mikes424 (May 22, 2016)

As a sidepoint, there are free apps you can download that will tell you the charging rate.


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## Lurking (Aug 29, 2017)

wk1102 said:


> It's always been my cable, I've gone through dozens of them... it's a pain in the ass but...


Slightly thicker cable is usually, but not always, better. Unfortunately, most cables are not rated, unlike chargers.


Tofolux said:


> Your cars built-in usb ports or those generic USB cigarette adapters don't charge much if anything at all. Get a good quality Quick Charger and cables.


Agree. Many chargers only output one Amp or less. If you do not see the words "Output 5V 2.1A" or more Amps printed somewhere on the charger then you need a different charger. *Warning: 3 Amps or more may "fry" certain older/cheaper phones without a good power regulator.*


mikes424 said:


> As a sidepoint, there are free apps you can download that will tell you the charging rate.


Agree. 2 of the most popular battery/charging Apps are listed in the first post. Do you have one to recommend?


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## Rakos (Sep 2, 2014)

Interesting point....

If you can always use a wall charger....

It works at optimum efficiency...

If I need a quick charge....

I plug into my 110v inverter...

Charges up in no time at all...

Rakos


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## Lurking (Aug 29, 2017)

Rakos said:


> Interesting point....
> If you can always use a wall charger.... It works at optimum efficiency...
> If I need a quick charge.... I plug into my 110v inverter...
> Charges up in no time at all... Rakos


Wrong. Like car chargers, wall charger or inverter output may be 1A, 2.1A, etc. If you do not see the words "Output 5V 2.1A" or more Amps printed somewhere on the charger then you need a different charger for a "fast" charge. 1A chargers (or less) work fine, but more slowly. *Warning: 3 Amps or more may "fry" certain older/cheaper phones without a good power regulator.*


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## mikes424 (May 22, 2016)

Lurking said:


> Slightly thicker cable is usually, but not always, better. Unfortunately, most cables are not rated, unlike chargers.
> 
> Agree. Many chargers only output one Amp or less. If you do not see the words "Output 5V 2.1A" or more Amps printed somewhere on the charger then you need a different charger. *Warning: 3 Amps or more may "fry" certain older/cheaper phones without a good power regulator.*
> 
> Agree. 2 of the most popular battery/charging Apps are listed in the first post. Do you have one to recommend?


I use one called Galaxy Charging Current


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## Rickshaw (Jun 30, 2017)

All ideas mentioned are good. Especially when used in combination. Consider using 2 phones too, and spread out your apps between them.


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## columbuscatlady (Jun 20, 2017)

Rakos said:


> Interesting point....
> 
> If you can always use a wall charger....
> 
> It works at optimum efficiency...


Wrong! I even found that different outlets in my house work faster than others. Problem is I can't tell why and never pick the one that is going to be the fastest. And it is never the same each day. Anybody know why?


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## Maven (Feb 9, 2017)

columbuscatlady said:


> Wrong! I even found that different outlets in my house work faster than others. Problem is I can't tell why and never pick the one that is going to be the fastest. And it is never the same each day. Anybody know why?


Gremlins? A wall outlet should have constant wattage (volts x amps) unless there is an electrical wiring issue in your residence, a problem with the source, or there is a large, variable load between the outlet and the source (AC, fridge, or electric oven). If it is worth the expense then you may need the power company or an electrician to diagnose.


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