Tweet

iPhone Not Charging? 12 Different Methods to Fix It

It's a common problem – you plug your iPhone in, but you don't see the battery charging over time. What do you do?

Problems with battery charging for an Apple smartphone can be due to several different issues that are fixed in different ways. We’ll go over the major things to check if your iPhone isn't charging correctly.

Here's a step-by-step guide to fixing problems with your iPhone’s inability to charge.

1. Check for a Good Connection

One of the first steps involves checking your accessories, and your wall power outlet.

Obviously, there are several steps (and pieces to check) to the current traveling to your phone’s battery. There is the wall outlet – sometimes it's hard to tell whether the outlet is delivering electricity – and there's the cube part of the charger, as well as the cable.

There's also the charging port, but we’ll get into that later.

We recommend testing both the cube and the cable if there's a charging problem. Sometimes, aftermarket cubes won't work with certain cables, and vice versa. You’ll also want to check to make sure that the accessories are in good condition.

Sometimes switching them out is all it takes to get your phone charging again.

2. Check Your iPhone Charging Port

Now we come to the charging port on your phone, which can also be the broken link when it comes to smartphone charging.

What can happen over time is that lint, or any other kind of debris, will build up in the charging port. For the iPhone, it's the lightning port. You'll want to use something soft and gentle to clean out the port itself, and then reattach the cable.

The charging ports can be extremely finicky as phones get older. They may work with one cable, and not another. So, this kind of trial and error is also important in getting your phone to charge properly.

3. Skip the Wireless Charging

Another way to troubleshoot your phone involves seeing whether the problem only applied to wireless charging, and whether you can get a solid charge with a cable as opposed to a wireless charger.

New wireless charging systems are extremely convenient in many cases. But for whatever reason, the phone may have trouble integrating the current this way, and you may find that when you hook it up with a cable, it charges just fine.

4. Consider Battery Life

In some other instances, your iPhone battery may be too old to charge well. As the battery ages, its ability to charge declines. It's relatively easy to go to shop for a new refurbished smartphone rather than attempting to replace the battery. So, if you've checked the accessories and the charging port, and you see there's a general problem with the speed of charging, this may be the way to go.

5. Change Your Smartphone’s Environment

Experts point out that you might also have charging issues if your iPhone becomes too hot.

As it charges, your phone might warm up. When it gets to a certain point, the phone may actually stop charging on its own, until it cools down and reaches a certain manageable temperature.

With that said, you can look at how hot your phone is if you're having problems charging it above a certain threshold.

6. Reset and Restore: Easy Charging Fixes

This is one of the easier fixes for most kinds of phone charging problems.

Simply put, your phone may not be charging because the software crashed, or something is wrong with the screen. Rule out each of these issues. If it's software-related, a reset may help. 

Each phone has its own controls for turning the phone off and on, and affecting a hard reset. The restore function is often found in settings. For the iPhone, you can put your phone into something called DFU or device firmware upgrade mode, which may help.

In some cases, you'll find that the hard reset is all you need to get your phone charging again.

7. Ensure Software Updates

Another software problem involves software updates. This is a little rarer, but if your phone is having problems charging, it may be related to the iPhone’s internal software not working correctly, because you don't have the latest updates from the manufacturer. Software upgrades are how Apple makes your iPhone device work well over time, so it's recommended that you always stay up on that.

8. Optimized Charging and the 80% Limit

Another one of the usual suspects when it comes to charging limits is a feature called optimized battery charging. This caps your phone’s charging at 80%.

Or, you may have turned on something called the 80% limit.

When you have trouble charging your phone, try any of these common fixes to get your device working well again. Although the optimized battery charging feature can be useful, it can also be confusing when you are trying to troubleshoot power issues. 

More Environmental Problems to Check

Many of these charging problems relate to something that's external to your iPhone. Or they have to do with mechanical problems with aging over time.

Here are some more things to check if your phone won't charge properly, if the charge is too slow, or the device really won't charge at all.

9. Checking for Water Damage

Water damage can do all sorts of things to a phone. It can kill the device completely, or it can cause other problems that are hard to diagnose.

If you feel like there is moisture around the charging port, or you have an inkling that water damage may be to blame, carefully and gently dry out the area, and try charging again.

This is particularly important for iPhones that are not equipped with the IP67 or IP68 water resistance rating. Newer iPhones often have this standard of water resistance built in – IP67 means that the phone will withstand submersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. IP68 means that it will withstand water to a depth of 2 meters for 30 minutes.

However, this isn’t an ironclad rule. Introducing water to your electrical connection is always going to be problematic. Make sure you check this possible source of charging problems.

10. Your iPhone's Case

In some cases (no pun intended), it's your phone’s case or shell that is causing charging problems.

Sometimes with this sort of accessory, especially if it's aftermarket, the phone can get a little claustrophobic inside of its container and heat up too much to charge well.

The case is absolutely something else to look at if you have mysterious charging problems.

11. Your Accessory’s Power Rating

To charge your phone up correctly, your power adapter accessory must have the right power rating in terms of wattage.

Check the documentation on the actual hardware to see if your cable and cube are up to the challenge.

Again, this is especially important for strange aftermarket parts and pieces that may have been made for a different device. Yes, the USB to pin charging port cable is universal in its shape, so it can get plugged into any phone or device. But that doesn't mean that it's an effective charger. It just means that the connection fits.

12. Internal Charging Port DIY Fix

Folks with knowledge of the internal workings of the smartphone are suggesting that you can tighten the connection to the charging cable by moving a little piece inside of the charging USB port. However, this is a pros-only sort of option, and if you're worried about voiding the warranty or anything like that, it's best to get expert assistance.

What If My iPhone Still Won’t Charge? 

If you've tried all these things, and your iPhone won't charge, it may be time to trade in your iPhone and upgrade. You can simply sell or recycle your old phone and get a newer one with better features at a very attractive price by opting for a refurbished model instead. 

Sell or recycle with
with ecoATM

Don't toss that poor battery into the trash. Instead, take your old iPhone to your local ecoATM kiosk. 

Sell Or Recycle Your Old iPhone with ecoATM 

ecoATM is the quickest, easiest and above all safest way to earn instant cash for your old iPhone. Our kiosks are in convenient retail spaces in your community with over 5,000 locations across the country. You can look for a location online with our locator tool and review some of our offers using the Price my Device feature.

Even if we can’t offer you cash for your old phone, you can still recycle it through the kiosk for your convenience.

Find an ecoATM near you today to give your old iPhone a chance at new life while putting some cash into your pocket! That’s a win for you and the planet. 

Frequently Asked Questions on iPhone Charging Issues

What if I never fix my iPhone?

If you have a phone that just isn't working right anymore, and you can't get it fixed, you can sell it or recycle it at a convenient ecoATM kiosk. Simply locate your nearest kiosk, connect your phone, and we’ll assess it and possibly make you an offer, or allow you to recycle the device quickly and easily.

What phones carry the better water resistance rating?

Later model iPhones from the 11 on should have a competent water resistance rating. Newer models of the Samsung Galaxy or another example of phones that tend to carry the top level IP68 rating so that they’re safer to have around water.

What accessories should I use to charge my phone?

Generally, the best option is to use the cable and cube that came with your phone when it was sold to you. Accessories have different wattages, different life spans, and slightly different builds. Aftermarket parts and accessories are rarely guaranteed to work with a particular device. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get the perfect combination of usable refurbished accessories!

What are the best ways to get my iPhone charged up? 

Take advantage of all the helpful steps above, troubleshooting not just the phone, but the accessories as well. Barring certain kinds of fundamental problems, you should find a solution that works for your iPhone.