Another major new smart phone is facing claims of a broken battery. Owners of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus report that the phone is failing to charge.
CNET UK readers Vikram Shankar and Andrew Lee contacted us separately with concerns about the battery in their Galaxy Nexuses (Nexii?). At Google's support forum, other Galaxy Nexus owners report the problem too.
When plugged in, affected phones fail to charge, sometimes switching
themselves off. They also think they're
being charged when they're not, intermittently flashing the screen on
and displaying the charging icon even when not plugged in.
Nexusites say, "It is an intermittent but HIGHLY ANNOYING issue"; "I initially had the problem where the phone will say it's charging while it's not plugged into anything. Took the battery out while it was still on and rebooted the phone, that issue went away. However, it didn't recognize any power source after that"; "At random moments, my GN thinks he is charging but he isn't even plugged!"
Another affected owner adds, "If the phone is switched off and I connect the phone via USB to a wall socket or PC, I get the charging symbol, but the phone is actually discharging what power it had left in showing me the charging screen."
The odd handset having a problem is only to be expected, but this is a problem reported by several users. One Nexus owner filmed his phone's phantom charging and put it on YouTube, the phone repeatedly claiming to be plugged in even though it isn't connected to anything and is just sitting on a table.
The problem doesn't affect every phone, however. Our reviewer Damien McFerran -- who bought his Nexus from an online retailer -- reports, "I have to admit that I've never faced any of these problems, and my phone is connected to a charger at least once a day, sometimes twice. It has always charged faultlessly."
We've contacted Samsung and Google to find out if the issue is being investigated -- a Google spokesperson replied, "This is something Samsung will be best placed to help you on I think." We'll keep you posted when Samsung responds.
It's not the first smart phone to have battery problems: in fact, the three major smart phones at the start of 2012 have all had battery problems. The Nokia Lumia 800 suffers from a bug that causes affected phones to stay dead if allowed to run out of power completely, unable to charge or switch on. The iPhone 4S also suffered battery issues.
You'd think batteries have been around long enough that manufacturers would have got the hang of them -- after all, old phones worked just fine. But it seems the ambition of today's smart phones is dangerously close to outpacing the technology that keeps them ticking. Even smart phones in perfect shape require charging every day, and if you've had Wi-Fi on, apps running in the background, watched a few videos, listened to some music and played some games? Forget about it.
Have you had battery problems with your smart phone? If you own a Galaxy Nexus, have you encountered this issue? Tell us your top battery tips in the comments or on our Facebook page.
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anonymous 9 January, 2012 18:16
This is interesting, similar issue is currently affecting my Samsung Galaxy SII with pr?oblems with the phone not switching off and charge error msgs:
*an alternating battery charge symbol and yellow triangle/temperature thermometer symbol.
* When I attempted to shut the phone down it just reboots itself rather than shutting down.
* When I remove the battery and put it back in the phone will sometimes not start-up at all, unless a charger cable or USB cable is connected to the phone, or alternatively automaticaly boot up without me even pressing the on button.
* Occasionally the fully charged ''''100'''' icon top left is not disappearing even though the charger has been disconnected.
Samsung support noted in relation to the SGII "that the issue reported with the phone indicates that the phone would need a software reset, or re-flashing of the software, in order to have it operating normally again. Please note that what has happened is caused by a minor software confliction."
I have my SGII in with a Samsung repair centre and they said it could possibly be a hardware issue (stuck power button, faulty usb connecter, water damage) or software issue. Still waiting to hear.
Several users have experienced simialr problems with SGII as per this forum, Galacy Nexus issue sounds simialr to me... http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s2-international/377331-spurious-battery-temperature-warning.html
innov8ion 9 January, 2012 18:31
My Galaxy Nexus would not charge although I didn't have any phantom charging problems. When the power cable was connected, it would say "Not charging". When it was disconnected, it said, "Discharging".
Apparently Samsung has bad QA. Google, please reconsider future Nexus devices with Samsung. I never had these problems with the Nexus One. All I did was place one of the tweezer ends into the female end of the micro usb connector in the phone and bent the connector up a bit toward the top of the phone. No need to bend it that much. Just test it with your charger until it's good. I think I'm good to go now. It actually charges.
Ref: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=23789
anonymous 9 January, 2012 18:45
My galaxy nexus is fine the battery life is awsome lasts me for a whole day but i do need to charge it every night but thats fine with me i think this is a minor bug only to a few people love my galaxy nexus!!!
AppleRocks16 9 January, 2012 19:12
Oh dear.... the people who own this phone and had problems at first with the volume bug will not be happy. Lets hope that this is sorted out quickly...
anonymous 9 January, 2012 19:34
Mine is fine, I get about 22 hours on a single charge. I do have a spontaneous rebooting issue on occasion.
Andrew Lee 9 January, 2012 20:02
Firstly, thanks to Cnet UK for raising this issue and bringing it to the attention of Samsung and Google.
I bought my Nexus on 18th November, one day after release. It charged fine up until last weekend. First it would not charge whilst powered on, I used multiple chargers from old phones to make sure it was not an issue with the charger. However, since Sunday it has not charged at all, powered off or powered on. I left it connected to an AC charger all day today at work and it would not charge. Just got back from Phones4u who have sent it off to be repaired!
anonymous 9 January, 2012 21:27
This same problem happened to my galaxy s2 its a problem with the sub main usb board or so it said on the report I got back with my phone after it was fixed. All the symptoms are exactly the same which makes me think that the usb system is prone to failure.
Vikram Shankar 9 January, 2012 22:23
Firstly, a big thanks to CNET for bringing this issue to Samsung and Google as you have mentioned which will make the visibility of the issue higher. Moreover, as discussed in the Google support forum many users have different issues related to charging of the phone. Some have intermittent and some have constant and strange issue (Like mine).
My Nexus will NOT charge constantly when it is plugged into a power adapter. But it will charge when connected to USB via LAPTOP or PC. I have given my phone back to my provider asking for a replacement. I am kind of scared if it turns out to be a faulty device or it can be fixed with some release or patch fix.
Vikram Shankar
anonymous 9 January, 2012 23:21
I have been rather pleased with the galaxy nexus battery
anonymous 10 January, 2012 05:23
I dont have battey problems, just short battery life. But that is the sacrifice i made so i caould have the most magnificent screen in the world
anonymous 10 January, 2012 09:25
"so I could have the most magnificent screen in the world"??
How can any AMOLED-screen be this? LCD is 100 times better image-quality-wise. AMOLED is crap.
Go HTC Sensation or newest Sony Ericsson Xperia arc models if you want a better phone
anonymous 10 January, 2012 12:22
Nothing wrong with my Nexus...
anonymous 10 January, 2012 12:37
I once faced a battery problem in my smartphone. The battery would drain quickly ina matter of few minutes and would get switched off. I then would recharge it until the battery is full only to see the battery drain and get switched off again. Later I guessed that the problem was caused by an app that I had installed the earlier, and the second I removed the memory card the phone sprang back to life. So I've always made it a point to install apps in my memory card and not in the internal memory of the phone.
- Dexter
anonymous 10 January, 2012 12:40
I wish I could edit my comment above. I see that I've made some mistakes :(
- Dexter
anonymous 10 January, 2012 13:13
Similar problems with my handset. Failed to charge. Handset had to be replaced in the end having been sent for repairs.
anonymous 10 January, 2012 13:38
I have the same problem but it seems to be a software fault not a hardware problem. I've found that the phone is much more likely to begin charging if the screen is off - so remove the power cable, hit the power button to turn the screen off and then plug the charger back it. You may have to do it a couple of times but make sure the screen is off when plugging or unplugging the cable.
It may just be a coincidence but i was spending 5 minutes or more with the screen on plugging and unplugging the cable, but as soon as i realised it works with the screen switched off it only takes two or three attempts (so far) at most
anonymous 10 January, 2012 16:42
My Galaxy nexus has some overheating problems.The top of the battery is getting very hot after 10 minutes using internet.
anonymous 10 January, 2012 20:15
My only issue is that airplane mode turns on randomly and I need to reboot the phone.
Still happy though
anonymous 10 January, 2012 22:12
My Galaxy Nexus is perfectly fine, in terms of battery life. If anything my battery lasts me 26hours average...with Wifi constantly on for 70% of the time....pretty impressed considering it packs a 4.65 HD AMOLED display!
anonymous 11 January, 2012 04:30
I am just thinking if this problem is caused by an app that these people downloaded? Not everyone is reporting this problem. If it was a software issue than all Nexus owners would have this problem; I don't think the software differes from phone to phone, perhaps it's caused by an app that they downloaded.
- Dexter
anonymous 11 January, 2012 06:47
IT IS ALSO HAPPENING TO TONS OF GALAXY S2'S INCLUDING MINE!
jibba 11 January, 2012 10:09
Why dont you take your phones to your nearest samsung repair centre and let them have a look at it instead of chatting about it online????
It could be caused by anything. Even liquid damage corrosion to the battery terminals??, dodgy charger you bought of ebay?? 3rd party app interfering with in built controllers?? Who knows?? So go and get your phone looked at by a samsung repair shop.
To say that it is widespread problem is a bit over the top when its the same 5 or 6 users posting on the google forum - Samsung must have sold hundred of thousands of these phones worldwide, so put it into context.
anonymous 11 January, 2012 13:57
I have had a problem with my galaxy nexus not charging, but only from 1 specific power cable that was originally for an LG phone. When connected the phone never even acknowledged that it was plugged into a wall. Never had any charging issues with the stock charger, a Blackberry charger, or my car charger.
qwill 11 January, 2012 14:58
Not had any problems with battery at all,initially better than i expected but now i'm running live widgets,wallpaper,weather etc i bought Juicedefender from Android market which has improved the battery life back to where it was initially.Had a couple of days with fairly heavy use where battery held out for 21hrs which coming from a Nokia N900 is great as far as i'm concerned.
anonymous 11 January, 2012 20:48
Actually if you do a good search for "Samsung Galaxy s2 thermometer warning" you will see it is happening to 100's of units!
anonymous 11 January, 2012 23:31
No battery issues with mine. I'm loving it!
anonymous 11 January, 2012 23:40
Perhaps my Galaxy Nexus is one of the fortunate ones. It never experienced the volume issues and this battery behaviour some people are experiencing. I leave it discharging all night long and put back on charge during my way to work (using car charger) and during working hours via USB cable. Great device and I'm feeling sorry for all users having problems.
anonymous 12 January, 2012 10:45
My battery is dead. Phone won't charge and won't turn on. It needs to be sent off for repair. So, the battery lasted about 6 weeks. Fantastic.
anonymous 12 January, 2012 13:25
I have had just rebooting problem with the nexus and tats only once a while. If you would like to increase the battery life of ur phone use the Juice Defender app. It takes 10 mins to configure the app but after that you can be assured that your phone will be 50% more efficient in terms of battery life.
anonymous 15 January, 2012 10:03
I do love my nexus, but it is a bit buggy. My email (hotmail) was stuck syncing in the background and chewed through 1.3 GB in 2 days (I wish I'd spotted it before it got that bad) - and didn't return a single email, despite the fact that there were about 50 new ones in that time. In the full month before that 2 days, I'd had mobile data on all the time, connected up daily, received emails with no issue and had used about 400MB.
Also the battery is normally really good - lasts a couple of days, (I am a light user) then all of a sudden, with no exttra usage, it'll burn through a freshly (and fully) charged battery in a couple of hours. When I look at what's eating the battery, it just says the biggest user is phone idle... Quite infuriating
anonymous 16 January, 2012 18:35
Samsung Galaxy S2 Official Travel USB Detachable Charger (Part# ETAOU60JBE):
Keep your phone charged with the Samsung Galaxy S II Rapid Travel Charger. You'll be
glad to know that this Samsung manufactured charger will provide your phone with a high
quality charge. Attach this to your phone and then plug the charger into a wall outlet. In
no time, your phone should be fully charged and ready to use. With the original data
cable, you can use your computer to charge and synce your data.
Orginal Galaxy S2 Detachable Travel Charger
anonymous 17 January, 2012 01:48
I am having a charging issue with my GN. It was working fine a week ago and now it wont charge unless it is turned off. Even then after turning it off and charging it all night, it turns on at anywhere from 50-70% life and drains to nothing in about 10 minutes.
I took it in to my local VZW store and they swapped out batteries but it still does the same thing. They recommended a warranty replacement but i dont want a refurbished phone after only having my phone a couple weeks...
Anyone find a fix??
anonymous 17 January, 2012 02:00
I contacted samsung and told them the exact same thing and they quote said " If u dont like the phone buy a diffrent one" what is wrong with samsung? A customer spends there money on a devicr and they blow thousands of users off as a isolated event? And of course goodle pushes to samsung. What a joke. I sugest if anyone reads this dont use ur upgrade on this device. Or spend full price. Wait for a diffrent device same the drama and nightmare and wait i know it sucks but dont be victum to it. Remeber this the defiention of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting samsung to give diffrent results they dont care about a consumer just ur dollar. When they notice ur dollar not going to them thats when it affects them. If u pass this on say eugene hansen quote. Spread the word.
anonymous 17 January, 2012 11:36
mine runs fine charge fine. no problem so far.
anonymous 18 January, 2012 03:41
I have the same issue with my "galaxy note" phone. This is the same problem many samsung galaxy s2 folks are experiencing. My galaxy note phone would act funny, will not turn on unless I connect the usb cord to power. My phone would think its connected to usb power cord and charging even after I disconnect the usb cord from the usb port. It would always be in charging mode and actually discharge the battery quickly. I have done countless tests on this issue and have read many accounts of other people experiencing the same issues with their phones. The problem is not the battery but a faulty usb charging port. Its a separate board with flexible ribbon connector. On samsung galaxy s2 units, the owners just bought one usb port circuit and installed it themselves in 10 minutes. The phone works perfect for them now. I just can't locate the same circuit on ebay or on the net for my phone so I can change it myself. See the board on 1fixit.com when they disassemble the galaxy s2 and galaxy note phones. I suspect the GN is also designed the same way. So please do not concentrate on the battery, its the charging usb port on the phone which is defective.
anonymous 19 January, 2012 05:18
Battery life is pretty dismal on my Galaxy Nexus. Maybe I'm unlucky, but after 8 hours I'm down to 50%.
Using 50% of the battery in 8 hours is in itself not all that bad, as I have been using it quite a bit today, however it is what is using it up that is surprising.
The battery usage screen shows that 43% (of that 50%) was used up by the screen, 39% by the OS, and the remaining 18% used up by a variety of other things. For the OS to be consuming as much as the screen is highly dubious.
On my last phone, a Nexus One, the screen would be using 70 or 80% of the battery every single day, with the OS using just 5 or 10%.
I've checked this loads of times, and it's the same story every day: 30 to 40% used by the OS. Is this the dreaded kernel driver bug?
anonymous 27 January, 2012 04:05
I would recommend contacting the Samsung Chat Support team here: http://www.samsung.com/us/support/ go to Contact Support and click on Live Chat – request for a manager to have this issue escalated, however Samsung is acting as if they don’t know this issue is out there.
anonymous 13 February, 2012 23:25
Ive been having issues with mine only had it a week and it stopped charging . Wheb i took it in verizon said it was corrosion from water damage which was obviously a bs answer as i have not had it around water im thinking of switching to an iphone since vzw claims that they are not supposed to replace the phobe for this problem.
If the phone is this fragile is it really worth it after paying more than $300 i expect my phone to stand up to normal everyday use.
anonymous 14 February, 2012 04:09
I have this issue. its so annoying !!
anonymous 18 February, 2012 03:26
i have same thing as everyone else here .. I sent mine back and then they are sending me another one ....(Reconitioned)
anonymous 21 February, 2012 01:34
I got my Galaxy S2 less than a week ago and love it, however, I also seem to have battery charge problems. I like to leave my phone on charge overnight, however, even though I get the advice the phone has reached full charge before going to bed and to unplug the charger, I usually leave it plugged in. When I go to the phone in the morning, it is either low in battery or has switched off. I always get the indicator showing the battery is charging but usually find it had drained the full battery with the charger plugged in for 6+ hours overnight.
anonymous 21 February, 2012 11:27
The first two paragraph's of this story literally describe exactly what has happened to my Galaxy Nexus over the past week.
I have already had to have it repaired because their was a fault with the sound on it. Looks like I have to send it back fro repair once again!
Frustrating!
anonymous 29 February, 2012 19:35
Having the same problems here. I've had the Galaxy Nexus since December and I'm running 4.0.2. Keeps saying it's charging even though there's nothing plugged in. Makes screen turn on and off, kills batter in about 5 hours. Before this (it just started 3 days ago) battery would last at least 24 hours.
anonymous 1 March, 2012 23:32
Sent this to Samsung.com/uk today...
Hello,
My battery charging indicator says that my phone is charging even after I have unplugged it. This causes my screen to repeatedly turn on while sitting alone on the desk. Then once my battery reaches 15% the phone beeps and states low batter every 2 seconds without fail until it dies.
I have tried removing battery, cleaning the contacts, restarting phone, letting it die all the way, charging it all the way.
Below is the problem in GREAT detail from Google's website. I also posted on there with the multitude of others that are having this exact same problem. Google says it is a Samsung problem. Is it? If so I would greatly appreciate your help! (http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=23789)
I have owned the original Samsung Galaxy phone, the Galaxy S, and now the Galaxy Nexus. I never had a problem until now. Please uphold your quality service with a good response to this problem! =)
My software version is 4.0.2.
anonymous 12 March, 2012 02:26
Yep, my Nexus has the same issue...intermittently does not charge, even though the charging symbol is on. I am still playing around to see if different adapters make a difference.
anonymous 15 March, 2012 03:41
Had same symptoms as above. Started cycling and rebooting randomly, then wouldn't charge, except to some extent with car charger. Went to VZW store and they couldn't figure it out, so they order me a refurb. I had to send my old one in, by mail only, not to a store. Wham! Today I got an email with a picture of what appears to be the magnified view of the USB port with a message saying I had damaged the phone ("liquid damage") and that I owe $299! I babied that thing, even kept it in a zip loc when even near a pool, like I have for all other phones. Anyone else think this is a hardware defect?
anonymous 21 March, 2012 22:03
I've been having the same issue on Verizon Galaxy Nexus 4.0.4. Clearing Dalvik Cache has kept it stable for the past 5 hours, but I won't be surprised if it returns...
anonymous 13 April, 2012 11:13
i bought galaxy note. also charging problem. only can charge when phone power off.
anonymous 17 April, 2012 15:48
Having the same problem with my Galaxy SII, really frustrating and the battery life doesn't last at all any more! Looks like I'm off to the repair shop :(
anonymous 21 April, 2012 03:44
Hello sir mene 16march 2012 ko galaxy y dous duble sim ka mobile liya jisme tuch bahut kam kaam kar raha tha or memory card otomatic remove ho jata he usko mene bhilwara service senter par dikhaya tha 4 din baad us mobile ko me lekar aaya hu abhi bhi us ki problem sahi nahi hui he or bettery ko 1 din me do baar charge karna padta he me bahut pareshan hu agar mujhe mobile change karke nahi diya to me aapki shikayat upbhokta dipartment me kar dunga
Cont.9772898976
bilal ahmed
adress nai aabadi jahajpur road shahpura bhilwara
anonymous 25 April, 2012 04:09
I've had my Nexus for two days (it's April now) and I'm suddenly also experiencing this issue. This has been happening to Nexus phones for at least four or five months........why has this continued? Why are they still selling defective phones? I'm very angry.
Matt Cody 25 April, 2012 11:44
Same issue here with my Galaxy S2. Spoke to my network provider (Orange) and they tried to claim that this was a problem they hadn't come across before. I have the full range of symptoms, including 100% battery charge icon staying permanently on screen, intermittently notifying me that the device is plugged in for charging, and not being able to connect for data transfer via USB. On smartphones of this level, it's not something I expect and will be seeking to rectify this either with Samsung or Orange asap, as having upgrade to ICS yesterday, the problem has still not gone away.
anonymous 27 April, 2012 15:10
I've had the same problem with my T-Mobile SGS2. I took it into their shop today, and again, staff acted as if this is the 1st time they've seen/heard of this problem.
They are sending the handset off for repair, so watch this space!
anonymous 5 May, 2012 11:21
Same issue on my GALAXY NOTE! :-(
...and I had the same problem with my last Galaxy Sll.
Dear Samsung, please do something with this issue!!!
anonymous 7 May, 2012 16:12
I have the same issues stated above. My phone refuses to charge about 20% of the time when plugged in. It also states that it's charging when plugged in, however the percentage of battery life won't increase. The first time I had this issue I took the battery out and changed chargers, it was fine for quite a while. Nothing I try is fixing the issue this time however when I leave the phone plugged in overnight, I get 40-60% charge. Samsung Galaxy Nexus...oy.
anonymous 10 May, 2012 17:52
I'm experienced on Galaxy Wonder.
Last time the battery was 10% and I charge until 100%, playing some games for a hour till battery drop about 85%, then charging & discharging sound is beeping..
With discharging condition, I try to turn off the phone, but charging animation appear with yellow triangle and thermo meter.
Tried plug the charger and its charge untill 100%, unplug the charger and screen stuck on 100% battery screen.
anonymous 17 May, 2012 14:31
Re my post of 27/04/12: The phone has come back from T-Mobile as unrepairable. Not good.
anonymous 18 May, 2012 12:32
Hey guys I found the solution.
Props to a user named annalisa2 @ Android Central Forums.
I did this trick and it worked, just be careful when you do it.
Good luck!
Her post was:
I finally found a way to fix this after my 2nd Galaxy Nexus in 2 months wouldn't charge (Verizon replaced the first one because of this issue, then I figured they wouldn't be so generous the second time around).
The charger may appear to insert fine into the female micro USB port, but the "lightning bolt" won't appear to show it is charging if the "tongue" inside the female receptor (a flat metal bar the length of a piece of rice) is bent. This bar should be exactly in the middle of the receptor. If it is pressed down even a little bit, the charger will insert smoothly but it won't connect and charge.
Here is what you do:
1) remove the battery (for safety)
2) insert a small object (flathead jewelers screwdriver or a small nail) below the metal bar and gently push it up
3) reinsert the battery and it should charge
Be careful you don't break the bar or you'll void your warranty. When my first Galaxy Nexus wouldn't charge, the Verizon store employees looked it over, couldn't figure out what the problem was, and authorized a new phone. That's probably your best bet the first time this happens.
anonymous 21 May, 2012 20:24
I've had my Galaxy Nexus for 5 days now and the weird behaviour started this morning. When I unplugged it from the charger, it kept saying "charging". When I came home from work today, the battery was down to 55%, the symbol and info screen still said "charging" and the info screen also said "on battery for 3s" while the chart clearly showed a steady discharge down to 55%.
Then I tried USB connection - it would recognize the USB connection, but when I unplugged the cable, it would stay in USB mode - now this was getting worse...
Several reboots didn't help, even when I took out the battery for more than a minute in between.
I read up on this problem and tried the following hardware tweak: I took out the battery, took a small screwdriver and put it under the middle fitting of the usb port, applying a little (just a little!) pressure to it, moving it upwards (just a very tiny bit!! Don't break it!)
It helped for now, everything is fine again, I tried multiple times plugging in and out and the phone recognized the correct state immediately. It also seems to be charging correctly.
Let's see if this works - I'm gonna be on a business trip in a few days and I will really be pissed if this happens again before and I have to take my spare phone with me.
Samsung, this should be a premium phone, but the USB port doesn't seem to fit that category!