I have a microUSB B? portable battery but it's taking really long to recharge and the connection is always faulty. Need to push down on the cable to get it to even charge.

Had same problem with my first smartphone and that's why it was replaced but it's there a way to fix it? Without opening it up or replacing the port?

The battery itself is still good...

Afaik resoldering/replacing usb port is the only way. You could try baking pcb in the oven [don't recall temperatures and durations, look them up], but that's still resoldering and will likely fail soon enough

Buy a replacement.

Serious talk

@netikras wait what? I do remember that for old GPU's because of of the
dry solder but this will not help in that case. The tinn should be fine if he has to push up/down.

Agreed on the new pcb.
Maybe you can find the same phone on eBay with a broken screen and take those parts.

@netikras what's the cause though. I recall there's a issue with the connector which is fixed in USB C?

But couldn't find the details now or if it can be fixed with like a toothpick... Need to pull like a tab back down if I remember... Though that didn't work with my old phone...

So quivering if I'm doing it wrong...

@BoomRaccoon u r prolly right

@billgates prolly too weak connections? Idk, just guessing

There can be number of causes for faulty connection.

If phone is old, most likely cause is connector wear. Can also be due to oxydation, but I'd say it's less likely in your case.

If phone is new or not that old, it can be due to bad tolerances (connector dimensions).

But this is not phone specific problem. Cable connector can also be faulty or worn out.

So if phone/cable is still under warranty, try sending it back.
If not, you can try few other cables. Due to tollerance variations, some may fit better.

@WildOrangutan issue is the battery pack and not the cable but more the port I think.

I've tried it with a brand new cable but same problem.

Inverting is fine but in order to charge, have to bend the flat side of the micro connector upwards/lightly push down on the head.

I'm pic that's done by gravity. But still charges slow...

@billgates Slow charging is because of the current that gets to your phone. Most have 2A now but old ones tend to have 500mA (just like an USB 2.0 port or 1A on USB 3.0).
If the "battery pack" you refer to is a power bank, the output might be just 500mA.

If you refer to the internal battery charging slow despite a high input current, maybe not supported?

@BoomRaccoon charging the phone is fast, not broken.

But charging the battery is now really slow.

The pack is maybe 2yrs old now

Check that there's no fluff inside the connector. Other than that changing the connector is the best bet.