Nokia Lumia 520: Charging Issues

[Zachary Boddy]

I use my Lumia 520 for music..small and portable.
However, I've been having issues with this device, which is only a year old. Charging the phone has become a "cross your fingers and hope it works" affair, seeing as some nights the phone actually continues to die on the charger and other nights there are no issues. Even when it does charge on the charger it does it incredibly slowly. I tried a few theories, such as an issue with the outlet, and switched the charger to another outlet close by. It looked like it worked, seeing as how the phone charged just fine that night. Now it's 6:45, I have to leave in ten minutes and my phone is at 25% because last night it wouldn't charge at all. I tried taking the charger out and plugging it in again, and the phone actually dropped from 27% straight to 25%.
Notes: I haven't replaced the battery on this device
The device is only a year old
The charger is a little loose in the socket, enough so you can wiggle it around quite easily
The phone constantly beeps while charging, telling me I just plugged the charger in when it's been plugged in for hours
During use charging just halts, and sometimes the phone slowly dies even on the charger

 

[gpobernardo]

Possible causes and solutions:

1. The junctions at the ends of the charging cable (where the wire meets the mini-USB and the USB* port) is damaged. In this case, the entire wire needs to be replaced (unless you know how to cut it open and re-solder all the connections correctly).
2. The plug itself it loose - ideally the plug should fit securely into the socket since it is the friction between the contacts inside the socket and the metal bars of the plug that holds them together AND ensures that there is continuous flow of electricity. A loose plug, then, means that the plug won't always be in contact with the socket, which translates to intermittently interrupted power supply. Solution: you may try to slightly bend the metal plugs (inward or outward) such that it can be securely plugged into the socket (you should feel a resistance both in plugging in and in unplugging the plug).
3. The USB ports maybe dirty - a quick gust of wind into the mini-USB and USB* ports should fix this.

*- Applicable only for cables which can be detached from the charger.

 

[Zachary Boddy]

1. There's absolutely no visible damage whatsoever. Cables are in perfect condition(as is the phone)
2. Shaking is minimal, and present with all chargers that I use with the phone
3. Worth a try

 

[gpobernardo]

1-2. Now that you mentioned "chargers" and "cables", which are both plural in form, I suppose you can try different cable-to-charger combinations; but I've got a hunch you've already tried this.
3. Nothing happened?
Appendix A: Might be a battery problem already, considering that it is already a year old and it seems that your battery has been frequently reaching low charge levels (less than 50%) which can accelerate the wear-and-tear process for the battery.
Appendix B: If not a battery problem, the point is that it seems to be a problem not external to the phone, so bringing the phone to an accredited service center might be useful.