A modular recharging system includes an electronic device that performs diagnostics on a removable battery pack that the electronic device can use to boost the power of its internal battery. Typically, the battery pack will have a larger battery than the internal battery of the device. The electronic device determines whether the battery pack will take a charge before determining whether the battery pack is authorized to assure that an authorization failure is not due to other issues such as a dead battery, an underpowered battery, or a broken connection between devices.