Phone not charging - charging symbol comes and goes even when not plugged in

[Mortandos]

Since 2 days my Galaxy Note III is acting up. It doesn't charge anymore (when I turn it off, take the battery out and put it back in and turn it back on sometimes it DOES charge), the charging symbol is appears and disappears every 10-20 Seconds (that even happens when the charging cable is NOT PLUGGED IN). Kies and Smart Switch don't recognize the phone anymore when I connect it to the computer.

I tried 3 different cables, 4 different chargers, I tried another battery - no change.

The battery is drained rapidly (like 1 percent every 2 minutes).

I cleaned the Micro USB port, I wiped the system cache, no change.

I uninstalled a few apps (and games) right before it happened - just a coincidence?

I'm thinking about doing a factory reset but I'm a little reluctant since I have a lot of stuff on there and right now I cannot backup through Kies / Smart Switch.

Any suggestions / help?

I'd appreciate this very much.

Thank you.

 

[dan330]

well.. you have done most everything I would suggest.

one last thing... I might try...
disable (not uninstall) every app that is NOT systems related. reboot.. and see what happens.

but most likely.. you will have to try to .. hard rest.

 

[Mortandos]

Those are a lot but I'll try after work. Is there a way to check if all system related files are there (meaning that I didn't uninstall something important - which is highly unlikely)? Or is there a way to reinstall the system without losing my other stuff (like reinstalling Windows without formatting)?

 

[Duckster]

Have you tried cleaning the battery terminals on both the battery AND the phone? Try brushing across them gently with a pencil eraser. Sometimes a dirty terminal will not allow a proper charge. Also... (don't get upset), but have you tried a different electrical outlet or are you using the same one to test the charging? If the later is true, try a different outlet. Also, take a look at the charging socket on the phone and make sure nothing is in there blocking the contacts as well as any possible dirt.

 

[Mortandos]

Thank you both. I tried different outlets, cleaned the battery terminals on both side, cleaned the charging socket, it didn't help. Weirdest thing is - without doing anything (except for charging the battery in a wall charger and put it in the phone in the morning) for the last 12 hours it all of a sudden is working again. I can also connect it to the computer and it's recognized. Makes me wonder whether it was somehow software related but I didn't install or remove any apps ever since then. I was so sure that it is the charging socket especially since the charging symbol often came on when I was carrying / moving the phone around (without the charging cable plugged in). This hasn't happened for the last 12 hours.

 

[Duckster]

Glad to hear that it is charging again and hopefully it will continue to work well with no other issues. The Note3 can be picky when it comes to chargers. I had some that wouldn't charge it at all. I stuck with the higher voltage charger and it works well. Good luck.