iPhone Won’t Charge – How to Fix Charging issue
After being a iPhone user over the past 5 years you learn to love and also at times despise the device you are using. One of the most frequent problems that i have encountered on my iPhone is that more often than not it simply won’t charge or it drops in and out while charging, which can be a huge annoyance. This problem can occur in any of the following iPhones such as the and this would include iPhone 3G/ iPhone 4/ 4S/ iPhone 5/ 5S/ iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.
Below are some proven steps that have banished the charging issues and problems and issues. Some of these solutions and fixes are some that i have used and some that have been recommended to me.
iPhone won’t charge step 1
[adinserter block=”1″]This one may be super duper obvious but I have fallen for this many times before. Ensure that the iPhone charging cable is inserting correctly, once you have checked that follow the power stream all the way back to the power source. This can include checking the USB end is connecting correctly with the power adapter, if your using a power board with multiple ports make sure the power board hasn’t tripped. An easy way to check its working is by plugging in another appliance into the power board to see if it is charging or operating. Last but not least is checking that the power is on, again very obvious but more often than not it can be something small like this. Also try a different power source as it may be the power outlet.
Another thing to note is that if you are charging your iPhone through a laptop USB port the iPhone battery may stand idle or charge very slowly as the power source is mainly dedicated there for the laptop when not plugged into a power source.
iPhone won’t charge step 2
It could be a temporary software crash or glitch that may be causing the charging issue. A quick and easy way to eliminate any such things is by doing a hard reset. This is done by holding the power/ lock button and the home button together until the iPhone will restart with the Apple logo. If the iPhone has crashed and gives a blank screen it will fail to recognise any charging source. This step can also be used for any other glitches that may occur using your iPhone such as sound, wifi, service, camera etc.
iPhone won’t charge step 3
As most iPhone users are aware of, iPhone charging cables don’t have the best life expectancy. iPhone charging cables don’t have an easy life whether they are being used on a daily basis, being tossed around in your bag while traveling, being borrowing to friends, twisted and tangled on the desk and actually charging. It is no wonder that these cables can be prone to breaking. One of the most common things I see with the charging cables is that externally it looks fine but internally the wires may be fraying and close to splitting. This may result in charging your iPhone is certain angles and positions.
[adinserter block=”1″]If you own a iPhone older than the iPhone 5 model you would be using a 30 pin connector cable. These cables are much more prone to fraying so inspect the cable closely for any wear or split connectors. If you purchased your iPhone new the charging cable should fall under the warranty, if not it is recommend to purchase a new Apple certified cable or any other certified 3rd party cable supplier.
iPhone won’t charge step 4
This is a slight extension of the above step, if you have or were to purchase a “cheapo” $2 charger cable from eBay I can not stress enough to cease using it immediately or not to buy. These cheap cables are notorious for breaking within the first few days, causing major battery problems in the long run and even electric shock to the user. Again it is recommend using a certified charging cable if your iPhone wont charge.
iPhone won’t charge step 5
If your like me and use your iPhone any any environment including at the beach, on the football field or while at work it can get dirty very quickly. While you may wipe down your iPhone and remove the dirt a lot of the time, dust and sand will remain in the charging dock area of the iPhone. If there is a substantial amount of dirt or grime in the dock it may block the connectors resulting in a poor charging connection. A good way to remove the dirt is buy using a old toothbrush and gently remove any dirt in the charging area. Its surprising how much you can remove. Also ensure that the actual connectors on the cable are clean as well.
Hopefully one of these steps has regained charging capabilities on your iPhone, if so please share your methods down below.
Terry says
My phone started charging only about half the times I connected it. I noticed a restart would usually get it to charge again. I took it to Apple store. They cleaned a bunch of lint out of the port and it charged when connected to the cable in the store. I got to my car and it still wouldn’t charge. (Two different chargers, two different cables)
I took it back to the store. The guy plugged it in in the store and it would not charge there, either. The genius ran some tests, then replaced the phone.
Unfortunately two days later, is again failing intermittently to charge when connected.
It’s new hardware so I’m thinking it must be a software problem that perpetuated through the restore from iCloud backup.
Does this suggest any solutions to anyone?
Stefan Coetzee says
Mine doesn’t want to charge either (various different cables, blocks etc).
When the phone is off, however, and I insert a cable, it immediately recognizes something – by starting up!
Many hard resets, different techniques, this is the only joy I get out of it.
I also notice some microphone/speaker issues that started at the same time. Weird…
This is using iOs 11.1 I think.
I miss the Android days