The joy-con is the main controller of the Nintendo switch. When it begins to give problems such as it not charging or not coming on, it because impossible to perform the simplest of tasks on the Nintendo console.
You do not need to worry much once you notice that your joy-con isn’t charging as this is a pretty common thing among Nintendo users. There are several reasons why your joy-con isn’t charging. All these reasons, possible solutions and more will be addressed in this article.
Why Is Joy-con Not Charging?
There are different things that could be responsible for your Nintendo controller(joy-con) not charging. These reasons which range from the console being off to various hardware issues and a lot more will be discussed right below. Let’s get down to explaining these reasons below.
1. The Nintendo Console being off
This is one of the major reasons why your joy-con is turned off. If your Nintendo switch is off, it will be practically impossible for you to charge your joy-con. Many people often make the mistake of assuming their joy-con will charge if it is plugged into the console despite the console being off. This is very wrong. It will be impossible for your joy-con to charge if the Nintendo is off.
For you to be able to charge your joy-con, your Nintendo Switch console has to be on. If you do not intend to use it when you are charging your joy-con, you can put the console in sleep mode. This way, you will be able to charge your controllers easily.
2. Hardware Issues
Hardware issues are another possible reason why your joy-con might not be charging. If you are having one or two hardware issues with your joy-con, it might likely affect the ability of your joy-con to charge smoothly.
While your Nintendo products can be pretty strong, they can sometimes get affected if there is so much as an accidental drop of your joy-con. With a single drop, the wires or circuit in the joy-con might cut or get loosed. When this happens, it becomes hard or impossible for the game controllers to charge smoothly.
3. Poor Connection between the Joy-con and the Console
If there is one thing that is pretty much likely to affect the ability of your joy-con to charge smoothly, it is a poor connection between the joy-con and the Nintendo console. Poor connection is one thing that affects many users of this console
If there is a loose connection between the console and the game, or the metallic contacts are not meeting as they should when connected, your joy-con will not charge.
4. Water
Water and electronics do not go hand in hand. If your joy-con has been affected by water, there is a pretty good chance the ability of the controller to charge or work smoothly is pretty much reduced.
Many people do the mistake f handling their controllers with wet hands. When this happens overtimes, water slowly begins to enter the controller which might not just lead to your joy-con not charging well alone, it might also lead to the controller not working at all.
5. Software Error
While it might not be a very popular reason, it is still one reason that is more than capable of affecting your joy-con. Sometimes, if the game software is outdated, your joy-con might be able to charge when you plug it into your console.
6. A Broken or Faulty AC Adapter
If your AC adapter is bad, there is a pretty good chance your joy-con will not charge when you plug it into your console. It is pretty easy to know when your AC adapter is having issues.
Once you plug in your Nintendo and notice that both the controller and the console aren’t charging, then, you should know the problem is likely from the AC adapter.
How to Fix Joy-con not Charging/ Switch Controller Not Charging
There are different things you can do to fix the problem of your joy-con not charging. Below are some quick fixes to the problem.
1. Ensure the Nintendo Console is Turned on
This is the faster and quickest fix to the problem of your game controllers not charging. You must take your time to ensure your game console is on, even when you are not using it. Your joy-con cannot charge if the console is off.
If you have no intention of playing the game at that moment, you can simply put your game console in sleep mode. By doing this, your console should be able to charge easily.
2. Reset the Adapter and Re-Connect your Joy-con to the Console
Resetting your adapter is another method to go about fixing the problem of your joy-con not charging. Simply unplug the adapter and cord from both ends for 30 seconds. Check if there is any problem with the cable. If there is any cut on the cable, replace them before plugging them.
Now, resynchronize your joy-con back to your game console. Plug the adapter into the socket and connect it to your console. When you do this, your controllers should begin to charge smoothly.
3. Update the Software or Use the Joy-con Grip
This is another thing you can do to fix the problem of your joy-con not charging. You can simply update the software as a software glitch may be the cause of your Joy-con not charging.
If the update doesn’t work or the problem still persists, you can simply use a joy grip to fix your charging problem. By using a joy grip, you will disconnect your Joy-con from your console and connect it to your Power-port. Your Joy-con should begin to charge immediately.
4. Turn on your Nintendo console
Joy-cons don’t charge if your Nintendo console is off. Even if you are not using the console at the moment, ensure they are turned on or in sleep mode if you want to fix the problem of your joy-con not charging.
5. Fix the short circuit or hardware issues
If you have tried all the above methods and it still doesn’t work, you might need to open up your joy-cons or your switch to fix the hardware issues. Fixing the hardware issues can be a little bit complicated. Open up the controllers and check if there is any burnt chip inside. If you are not too sure, you can simply call an expert to help you look into it.
6. Airdry the controllers
Airdry your Nintendo controller the moment you notice they are not functioning as a result of water getting into it. You can open the Nintendo controller and take it out to air dry. Use a bit of alcohol to clean the chips inside. Once you have air-dried for a few days, your joy-con should charge easily when you plug them in.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does a Dead Joy-con Take to Charge?
If your charger or port is working perfectly, your Joy-con controller shouldn’t take more than 3 to 4 hours to charge. Ideally, a dead Joy-con controller takes around 3 hours to charge. After 3 hours, you can go ahead and remove the controller from your Joy-grip or game console and begin to play your game smoothly.
How Long Do Joycon Batteries Last
Your Joy-con batteries and controllers should be able to last at least 20 hours after a full charge. You should be able to play your game smoothly for a pretty long period of time after you charge your Joy-con batteries
However, the ability for your Joycon to last for 20 hours largely depends on the type of game you play on your console. If you play high-performance games that involve the vibration of the keypads such as mortal combat, your controllers mightn’t last up to 20 hours.
Can You Charge Joy-con while Playing?
Yes. you can easily charge your joy-con while playing using a joy-grip. With the joy-grip, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Just connect your joy-con to the device and you should be able to play your game smoothly.
Video Guide
Conclusion
Your joy-con not charging can be because of a host of reasons ranging from a bad adapter to synchronization problems and a lot more, all these problems and more have been discussed above.
We have also given you possible solutions to these problems and more below. Simply read through to get all the relevant details you need about your joy-con not charging.
Source
https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/
https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Support/Welcome-to-Nintendo-Support-11593.html
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/categories/nintendo-games