Do Phone Chargers Go Bad? And How To Make Them Last Longer!
If your phone is not getting as much juice as it once did, it either means that there is something wrong with your battery or the charger itself.
Technology can be your best friend and make life a whole lot easier, but when devices and their components start to fail on us, it can become quite frustrating. There is often some speculation about how long phone chargers last and whether they even go bad at all, as some last for a very long time.
Table of Contents
- Do Phone Chargers Go Bad?
- Do Phone Chargers Wear Out?
- How Do You Know if Your Phone Charger is Bad?
- How Do You Know When You Need a New Charger?
- How Long Do Phone Chargers Last?
- How Can You Make a Phone Charger Last Longer?
Do Phone Chargers Go Bad?
All phone chargers will eventually go bad. What usually occurs is that the components of the charger will start to get worn and damaged over time. However, a phone charger’s lifespan can be greatly increased if it is made by a reputable company and handled with care.
Whether it’s for business, family, or social media – keeping your phone charged is an absolute must, which is why you want to ensure that your charger is going to perform optimally when you need it to.
The digital age has brought new possibilities into our lives – making our day-to-day routines so much more practical.
But it has also made us heavily dependent on our technological devices. This can become quite problematic – especially when essential devices like our phones and their chargers die on us when we need them most. However, it can sometimes be challenging to determine whether it is your charger that is actually going bad.
All phone chargers will go bad over time, which means your device won’t charge anymore.
Do Phone Chargers Wear Out?
Yes, phone chargers wear out. Just like with most technological devices and accessories, phone chargers will start to go bad at a certain point.
The components within a phone charger are generally not built to last – especially when you buy from cheaper brands. There are a number of different factors that contribute to this, but usually, it is due to faulty design or misuse.
How Do You Know if Your Phone Charger is Bad?
It can sometimes be hard to tell if a phone charger is actually gone bad. The main reason for this is that it is easy to confuse a faulty charger with a bad phone battery – given that batteries are notorious for going bad.
There are a number of different ways that you can figure out if your phone charger is broken. The first should be to test the charger to see if it functions. If you plug it into a device, check if it delivers a charge.
For example, if you have an iPhone and an iPad, try plugging your iPad in. If your iPad does not charge either, it’s likely a faulty charger.
It can be easy to confuse a bad charger for a battery if there is no charge, which is why you should always perform this test on multiple devices. If the charger does not deliver any juice to either of the devices, then you will know it’s gone bad.
However, sometimes you can easily spot a bad charger without needing to test it beforehand. An indication of this would be a charger with:
- Torn/ripped wire
- Bent/missing pins
- Damaged charge port
Any of these symptoms will be the sign of a bad phone charger and performing a functionality test can potentially be dangerous.
How Do You Know When You Need a New Charger?
In most situations, knowing when to replace your phone charger will be quite obvious. This can usually be spotted due to the charger having serious physical damage such as missing or broken components.
However, you can also determine this based on whether the charger is delivering any juice to your devices, as not all damage is evident. If you notice any serious damage or are finding that it does not give any charge at all, you will know that you need a new charger.
With that being said, there are some situations where it is not always clear that a phone charger needs to be replaced. A common reason for this is a device that charges slow – especially if it has gotten worse over time.
When you notice that your phone or device has started to charge slower than when you first got it, you might need to replace it.
Before you chuck your charger in the garbage, it would be wise to confirm that the problem actually exists, as it could just as easily be your phone. If you have an extra battery laying around for your phone, try to see if swapping it will give any different results. Alternatively, plug it into a compatible device and see how the charger performs.
After performing the test, if the charge was slow on all of the devices/batteries that you tested it on, you should replace the charger.
How Long Do Phone Chargers Last?
How long a phone charger lasts depends on a number of different factors, but usually, they start to die after 4 or 5 years of use. Each charger is a bit different and the number of years that you can squeeze out of one will vary based on how you treat it, as well as the quality of its design.
There are plenty of people that can get a decade or more out of a single phone charger but this is not very common. However, there are also plenty of chargers that end up only lasting a year or two.
How Can You Make a Phone Charger Last Longer?
If you are tired of phone chargers dying on you after just a couple of years of use, then you should try taking preventative measures to ensure that you can squeeze as much life out of them as possible.
Buying replacement phone chargers regularly adds up and it is also a major inconvenience, which is why it is much better to simply make one charger last longer.
Buy Good Quality Chargers
There are a lot of options on the market when picking out chargers and some are considerably better than others. You want to look out for signs of quality when you make your selection as this is one of the key factors that will determine how long your charger lasts. Here’s what you should consider:
- Reinforced cable
- High wattage capacity
- Durable charge port
As you weigh out your options, keep these factors in mind and try to pick something that ticks all of the boxes of a quality charger. You can do this by reading the label of the product, as these characteristics are usually listed on the box.
In addition, brand recognition is also a very useful indication of a quality charger, so watch out for companies that have built a reputation within the industry.
Handle With Care
You can buy the best quality charger available and still have it go bad very quickly if you do not treat it with respect. It is very common for chargers to die in a short amount of time simply due to misuse.
When you handle and use your charger, ensure that you are not damaging it in the process. This includes how you plug and unplug it, as well as how you store it.
Make sure that you are not bending pins or twisting the cable, as these are the first things that tend to break.