After connecting the charging cable to your iPhone, does it not always detect it? When you move it a little, does it make false contacts? Have you tried several Lightning or USB C cables without success? If all the answers are yes, and your device still fails, you may be very close to solving it. I spent some time thinking about it myself a couple of years ago, only to finally, after some silly checking, realize that the problem was in my pocket.
Nothing was wrong with the Lightning port on my iPhone 12. Well yes, that There was enough dirt inside that the connector didn’t fit properly.. My impetus to charge the device—almost—always wirelessly caused dust and microparticles to roam freely through the connection gap.
By always charging with the Magsafe, the port had no activity, so the friction of the Lightning entering and leaving daily did not dust the gap. And if you hardly ever use it, when you do, things get worse: the dirt accumulated for days is compacted by the connector and, little by little, it ends up making a layer at the bottom of the hole.
When this layer begins to be thick enough, it is easy to notice that the cable does not fit perfectly, which usually occurs due to a extra pressure that compacts plus the accumulation of ‘micro things’ and makes the situation even worse. The result? An iPhone that does not detect the charge well, a cable that disconnects easily and the desperation of not knowing what is happening.
This entire process is what I discovered on my iPhone 12, which has followed me with my iPhone 14 Pro, and which has also caused laughter—and some disgusted faces—from my friends when I have solved the problem for them in less than a minute. Now, I’ll tell you.
If your iPhone charges poorly, clean the port
If the bugs that I have mentioned are affecting your iPhone, listen to me and do not take it, at least for now, to the Apple Store. It’s possible that everything will work like a charm after doing a quick cleaning of the charging port. And although you can try, you are not going to achieve anything by blowing hard as if it were a Game Boy cartridge.
Daily use of the iPhone causes dirt to accumulate in the charging port and that, sooner or later, depending on how you charge the device, it ends up being a problem. Before you buy more cables, go to a repair shop or regret the money it will cost you, do the following.
Search any plastic object with a tip sharp enough to be inserted into the port of your iPhone. Also, make sure it is not flimsy so that do not bend when applying pressure.
I know you will find many metal objects under this description, but it is not a good idea to insert them into a port with pins where you can cause a short circuit. From my own experience, I also know that it is extremely tempting to use the SIM card removal tool, but please, do not do it.
Well, once you have your plastic tool, your objective will be to scrape very carefully. the bottom of your iPhone’s Lightning port. Take your time and remove the dirt little by little and, when there is no more, blow lightly and finish removing the uncompacted remains. There is no rush, go slowly and make sure there are no ‘balls’ or lint left inside.
While I was writing these words, I remembered that I hadn’t done it on my iPhone 14 Pro for about two months, so I grabbed my trusty tool and I have taken what you see in the previous photographs. Although there is dust and very small lint, almost all I identify are tiny fibers of fabric, probably from my jeans.
What you see did not affect the operation in any way, so if you are noticing errors in charging the iPhone, It is likely that you will be able to get much more than I have this time.. The good news is that after cleaning, when you reconnect the charger, everything will be solved. And if not, then your problem goes further.
Now, if you don’t dare to perform this simple operation, or you don’t have the perfect plastic tool on hand, you can go to an Apple Store to have a solution. A quick scrape and a spray of compressed air will leave your iPhone’s Lightning port looking like new. And yes, they do it for free.
