Just cleaned out six years of crud from my phone's charging port
-
For way too long now I have had to plug it in and not let a breeze pass it lest it stops charging. I went at it and it quickly got a lot better where I didn't have to wiggle it around to the right position to start charging.
But I kept going, dug out a lot more stuff than I expected, and when I tried it again, get this, it actually went in. It doesn't just slightly penetrate to establish contact. It proper locks in.
Charging while on the go has been impossible for a long time, but I think it should now be easy as ever.
USB-C btw
I am so glad that the USB people got USB C right... I have so many memories of the micro-USB ports on my old phones being the most absolute asinine garbage.
I remember seeing my very first USB C port in 2015, it was on a friend's new Google Nexus 6P phone, and we were sitting in a hotel room in Florida somewhere... I ended up buying a 6P in August 2016. it was my first smartphone.
What phone do you have? It's nice to see people who keep their phones around. It's crazy how much progress was made in the phone world from ~2015 to 2019, but my phone from 2021, a similar 4 year age gap, feels just the same as phones made today. Truly a massive plateau.
Also, 2019 being 6 years ago is giving me serious vertigo lol
-
I am so glad that the USB people got USB C right... I have so many memories of the micro-USB ports on my old phones being the most absolute asinine garbage.
I remember seeing my very first USB C port in 2015, it was on a friend's new Google Nexus 6P phone, and we were sitting in a hotel room in Florida somewhere... I ended up buying a 6P in August 2016. it was my first smartphone.
What phone do you have? It's nice to see people who keep their phones around. It's crazy how much progress was made in the phone world from ~2015 to 2019, but my phone from 2021, a similar 4 year age gap, feels just the same as phones made today. Truly a massive plateau.
Also, 2019 being 6 years ago is giving me serious vertigo lol
It's a Redmi Note 8T. Hardware-wise there is nothing wrong with it. Even the battery is still decent, though it does drain a bit faster now of course.
Software, on the other hand... It seems like the company dropped support back in 2023, but I had already moved to LineageOS by then. Except they also dropped support for the device when Android 11 reached EOL and nobody had the drive to make an Android 12+ port for it. So that was over a year ago now... I think there might be alternatives but reinstalling my main phone isn't on the top of my "fun things to do" list.
-
For way too long now I have had to plug it in and not let a breeze pass it lest it stops charging. I went at it and it quickly got a lot better where I didn't have to wiggle it around to the right position to start charging.
But I kept going, dug out a lot more stuff than I expected, and when I tried it again, get this, it actually went in. It doesn't just slightly penetrate to establish contact. It proper locks in.
Charging while on the go has been impossible for a long time, but I think it should now be easy as ever.
USB-C btw
Quite satisfying to do too
-
For way too long now I have had to plug it in and not let a breeze pass it lest it stops charging. I went at it and it quickly got a lot better where I didn't have to wiggle it around to the right position to start charging.
But I kept going, dug out a lot more stuff than I expected, and when I tried it again, get this, it actually went in. It doesn't just slightly penetrate to establish contact. It proper locks in.
Charging while on the go has been impossible for a long time, but I think it should now be easy as ever.
USB-C btw
-
Good call
-
Magnetic connectors are highly not recommended; it can and have damaged devices. It's not USB spec compliant.
Sorry for the reddit post but that's where I learned about it. It has a few citations why it's a bad idea.
https://safereddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/motlhn/magnetic_usbc_cables_are_not_recommended
-
It's a Redmi Note 8T. Hardware-wise there is nothing wrong with it. Even the battery is still decent, though it does drain a bit faster now of course.
Software, on the other hand... It seems like the company dropped support back in 2023, but I had already moved to LineageOS by then. Except they also dropped support for the device when Android 11 reached EOL and nobody had the drive to make an Android 12+ port for it. So that was over a year ago now... I think there might be alternatives but reinstalling my main phone isn't on the top of my "fun things to do" list.
Deleted by author
-
I am so glad that the USB people got USB C right... I have so many memories of the micro-USB ports on my old phones being the most absolute asinine garbage.
I remember seeing my very first USB C port in 2015, it was on a friend's new Google Nexus 6P phone, and we were sitting in a hotel room in Florida somewhere... I ended up buying a 6P in August 2016. it was my first smartphone.
What phone do you have? It's nice to see people who keep their phones around. It's crazy how much progress was made in the phone world from ~2015 to 2019, but my phone from 2021, a similar 4 year age gap, feels just the same as phones made today. Truly a massive plateau.
Also, 2019 being 6 years ago is giving me serious vertigo lol
I am so glad that the USB people got USB C right.
In some sense, I kind of wished they are shaped as a straight jack like Apple Lightning instead of what we have. Type C male end is a jacket of sorts going into a port that has a thin wafer. A big ass hole like the Apple Lightning, while would make it collect more crud easier, is also easier to clean because it's a big hole. Not having to work around the thin thing inside.
Despite this particular complaint, and all the confusion of power rating and data transfer speed, I'm still glad Type C exists.
-
For way too long now I have had to plug it in and not let a breeze pass it lest it stops charging. I went at it and it quickly got a lot better where I didn't have to wiggle it around to the right position to start charging.
But I kept going, dug out a lot more stuff than I expected, and when I tried it again, get this, it actually went in. It doesn't just slightly penetrate to establish contact. It proper locks in.
Charging while on the go has been impossible for a long time, but I think it should now be easy as ever.
USB-C btw
I don't wanna be that guy, but please let me. I moved to Qi charging more than a decade back (mophy cases before a nexus5) and it changed my life. That's why I'm that proselytist here.
I mention this only because I have a rubber plug on my charging port. I remove it exceedingly rarely as I've charged this phone off another phone's donated power and vice-versa rather than use a cable when I can. Dirt and munge is not even a thought anymore, though.
I've charged (I think it was) a Samsung watch for my panicky wife off the power-sending Qi setup on an S10 and it worked with no added gear or cables: phone, watch, hero. Trip not ruined despite lost watch-charging dongle.
It's a good thing. Please consider it.
-
For way too long now I have had to plug it in and not let a breeze pass it lest it stops charging. I went at it and it quickly got a lot better where I didn't have to wiggle it around to the right position to start charging.
But I kept going, dug out a lot more stuff than I expected, and when I tried it again, get this, it actually went in. It doesn't just slightly penetrate to establish contact. It proper locks in.
Charging while on the go has been impossible for a long time, but I think it should now be easy as ever.
USB-C btw
What did you use to clean the port?
I have the same problem and my toothpick doesn't seem to do the job well enough. -
For way too long now I have had to plug it in and not let a breeze pass it lest it stops charging. I went at it and it quickly got a lot better where I didn't have to wiggle it around to the right position to start charging.
But I kept going, dug out a lot more stuff than I expected, and when I tried it again, get this, it actually went in. It doesn't just slightly penetrate to establish contact. It proper locks in.
Charging while on the go has been impossible for a long time, but I think it should now be easy as ever.
USB-C btw
How did you clean it out? With a toothpick? I have the same issue and it's been a while since I cleaned out the port.