Samsung Phone Moisture Detected in Charging Port

You’re down to the last ten percent of your phone’s battery. You reach for your charger and connect it, hoping for the familiar connect noise and a charging notification. Instead, you’re met with a full-screen notice that charging is disabled due to the presence of liquid in the connector. Luckily, this issue is usually temporary and can be solved with pure patience. But if patience isn’t your forte, keep reading.

Before undertaking any of the more time-consuming solutions below, here are a few fundamentals to get you started.

• Inspect your USB cable and the charge port to see if moisture is present. To force some moisture out, Samsung recommends gently shaking your phone (port facing down) several times. If that doesn't help, skip to liquid related sections.
• Use a different charger or accessory. A cable can fail in a way that might trigger this pop-up.
• Restart your phone. This could remove the alert if it’s falsely appearing or won’t clear now that the port is dry.
• Use a wireless charger. The circuitry for wireless charging does not connect directly to the physical port, so there is no danger of electrical damage. If your phone supports it, try charging it with a wireless charger.

Even a smear of liquid on a USB connector could provoke this warning. It is typically prompted when a charger is connected.

• Remove your USB cable and verify that it’s dry. If necessary, be crude and wipe it on the hem of your shirt. We won’t judge.
• Allow your phone to dry. Give the port a little while to evaporate any residual that may have transferred when you connected the cable. Even fifteen minutes can make all the difference.
• Use a wireless charger. The circuitry for wireless charging does not connect directly to the physical port, so there is no danger of electrical damage. If your phone supports it, try charging it with a wireless charger.

This might seem obvious, but because the pop-up might occur unexpectedly or you cannot readily attribute a source of liquid, it is easy to dismiss.

• Let your phone dry. If you can manage it, turn it off and let nature do its thing. Patience is key here. This can be accelerated somewhat by placing the phone somewhere warm with good airflow.
  • Resist the urge to insert a cotton swab, or anything else, into the port to absorb liquid. This risks damage to the pins. USB-C ports are very narrow
  • Compressed air is also tempting but may push any liquid further into the port rather than expelling it.
  • Dabbing isopropyl alcohol into the port will dissolve water and accelerate evaporation. But proceed at your own risk. If it gets into places it shouldn't, it can affect waterproofing or display quality.

Changes in resistance likely accomplish the detection of liquid in the charge port. If the phone detects specific electrical characteristics, it will disable charging via USB. Even if the liquid is not present, there may be something else that your phone is convinced is liquid due to how it affects the circuitry.

• Inspect your charge port using a flashlight for better visibility. It is common for bits of lint or rubbish to get caught in the port and compress with repeat charging. To verify, check the fit of your cable. Does the USB-C plug sit flush with the bottom of the phone? It should.
• If debris is in the port, use a toothpick or other nonconductive probe to clear it. If the toothpick is too wide to fit, you can split or shave it down to fit.
  • Insert the point straight to the back and gently scrape out residual debris. Be mindful of the pins.

The alert may appear or won’t disappear due to a bug you’re encountering in the operating system.

• Clear the USB cache if your phone is dry but the alert remains.
  1. Open Settings and navigate to Apps in the menu.
  2. Click the Filter and Sort button (its location varies, but is usually in the top right corner at the start of the Applications list).
  3. Toggle Show System Apps to show if they are off.
  4. Select USB Settings in the Applications list.
  5. Press the Clear System Cache button in the lower right to open the storage option.
• Check for and apply any pending software updates. Google or Samsung may have patched a bug or modified firmware to correct an issue,
• If you want to rule software out, do a full reset on your phone. Use search within settings to find the Reset menu. It can be found in a few locations, depending on the specific phone, if a search does not work. Check menus that might make sense.
  • Reset is a drastic measure for this warning. It is more likely hardware is the issue. This should be reserved for after you’ve tried replacing the port.

If the port is dry and free of conductive debris, the port or the internal assembly it is attached to may be faulty. Due to its proximity to the edge of the device and many possible entry points, liquid tends to creep in here regardless of water resistance.

• Inspect the port thoroughly. Can you see any bent pins on the interior?
• Open up your device and locate the charge port. Samsung devices often have it on a daughterboard, but it may be soldered directly to the motherboard.

• Check for signs of damage or liquid entry around the port. It may be as simple as noticing some calcification or mild rusting. If you need a hint, blueish-green fuzz is bad.
• To truly check the port’s integrity, you’ll need some magnification or a USB ammeter. A charge port that’s working properly should allow current to be drawn through it to charge the battery.
• If you find damage or nothing else has fixed your issue, replace the charge port daughterboard. Be sure to get one that matches since these also often contain networking components. Your cell service may not work correctly with the incorrect board.
• If your charge port is attached to the main motherboard, you'll need some soldering know-how to replace it. You can also find someone with the soldering skills to remove the existing port and install a new one. Otherwise, you'll be stuck replacing the whole motherboard.