If your battery percentage is stuck while charging, try to check the charging port and cable for issues, turn the battery percentage off and back on, try restarting your device, or updating your iPhone.
Keeping your iPhone charged up is an important part of making sure you can use it comfortably throughout your day without being tethered to a charging cord. But what if you have had your phone plugged in for hours, only to see that the battery percentage hasn’t changed?
It can be a confusing, frustrating, and even worrisome experience, that can be quite common. Keep reading to learn a few things you can do to try and fix this issue and get your battery percentage indicator working again.
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Key Takeaways
- Things to do in order to fix this issue include checking and cleaning the charging port and cable, turning battery percentage off and back on again, restarting your device, or even updating your iPhone.
- If none of these solutions fix your problem, your phone or battery could be damaged and you may want to consider taking it to a technician to have it examined for internal issues that could be impacting your battery.
- Some potential reasons for the battery percentage getting stuck include defects at the charging port, issues with the battery, a faulty cable, software bugs, and more.
1. Check Your Charging Port and Cable
The first thing to do is to examine your charging port and cable. This is a logical first place to look if you have any sort of charging or battery issues with your device. When looking at the cable, make sure there is no dust, dirt, or other debris that could be interrupting the charging.
Also, look for fraying or other signs of damage on the cable itself, both on the connector and the cord. When it comes to the charging port, consider wiping it clean and using a toothpick to gently dig out any debris from inside the port that could be causing the issue.
Getting a new charger isn’t too expensive, so if you think the cable might be a problem, consider picking up a new one and trying it out.
If it is your port, that can be a little more complicated and annoying to fix. You could try to use some compressed air to try to clean out the port, but in most cases, you will need to reach out to an expert who is capable of repairing or replacing the port.
You could also simply rely on wireless charging, as that doesn’t require the use of the port, but wireless chargers can be hard to come by unless you’re at home, so this may not be the most reliable option.
2. Turn Battery Percentage Off and Back On
Sometimes, the simple act of turning your battery percentage indicator off and then back on can rectify the issue. This can be done by going to Settings > Battery.
And sliding the Battery Percentage slider off and then back on.
Once you do this, plug your phone back in and see if the percentage continues to get stuck while charging or if it works like normal again.
3. Try Restarting Your Device
If neither of the previous two solutions work, another option is to try restarting your iPhone. If you want to force the iPhone to restart, this is done by:
- Pressing and releasing the volume-up button.
- Pressing and releasing the volume-down button.
- Pressing and holding the side button until the screen turns all the way off, and then back on. Once the Apple logo appears as the device is turning back on, you can release the button.
Instead of forcing a restart, you can also try to turn the device completely off and then back on. To do this, press and hold the volume down and side button at the same time, until the slide to power off slider appears. Moving the slider to the right will shut down the iPhone.
From here, you should wait 30 seconds or so, and then you can turn the phone back on. This is done by pressing and holding the side button for a few seconds, and then releasing it once the Apple logo appears on your screen.
The reason that restarting a device, whether it be an iPhone or a laptop, can help solve these types of issues, is because it refreshes the system memory and wipes away the state that the software is currently in, giving you a fresh start.
4. Update Your iPhone
The next thing to try is to update your iPhone to the newest version of iOS. New updates often come with bug fixes and other improvements that could fix this issue and many others. Phones running outdated operating systems can often be prone to glitches and other problems like this.
It’s possible that a change of the operating system is all your device needs to start charging normally again. To check if you have an update, go to Settings > General > Software Update and your device will check for you.
If you have an update, click the Download and Install button to start the update process. When your phone is updating, it is a good idea to keep it on the charger just in case and make sure it remains connected to the internet so the update can be made.
If this doesn’t work, there is a chance that your phone has some damage or the battery is defective or too weak. Consider taking your phone to a professional to have it inspected to see if they can make sense of the issue and find the problem and solution.
FAQs
Here are a few common questions about iPhone batteries, as well as their answers.
Why does the battery percentage get stuck?
Your battery percentage can get stuck because of defects at the charging port, battery-related problems, a faulty cable, software bugs, and more.
How long should an iPhone take to charge?
While the exact amount of time depends on the model, the charger, and how much battery your phone has when you plug it in to charge, most iPhones will take around 2-4 hours to charge up fully from 0% to 100%.
Final Thoughts
Having a battery percentage that gets stuck while charging can be annoying and leave you confused about how much battery your device actually has. We hope that the solutions in this guide have been able to help you learn why this happens, and how you can fix it on your phone.
Do you like having the battery percentage active on your iPhone? Or do you prefer the simplicity of the battery life bar on its own? Let us know in a comment.
