You never want to hear yourself utter these dreaded four words: My iPhone Won’t Charge. Picture yourself at the end of a long workday, about to retire for the evening, and your cell phone’s battery is now below 10%. You think that this is a typical scenario and that your cell phone will get its much-needed recharge so that it can be ready for the next day to send out hundreds of texts, tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram browsing, Snaps, etc… You plug your iPhone into your charger and….nothing.
“My iPhone Won’t Charge!!”
You’ve done it. You’ve uttered those horrible four words that instantly throw you into a panic. Your hands start to sweat, you’re tired but now jittery, and you don’t know what to do. This scenario can be devastating. You try unplugging and replugging your phone into the charger with no luck. Then you start to jam the charger into your phone with force, thinking that brute strength should solve the problem. But in the end, that doesn’t work. You’re now sitting on your bed, on the verge of tears, unable to charge your phone, and it’s about to die.
While we at Go Mobile didn’t intend to write a horror story, we feel as though we need need to impart this knowledge to everyone out there so that if you experience this terrifying situation, don’t panic. There are ways to fix your charging port, and even some ways to do it yourself!
Do It Yourself
Most likely, the reason your iPhone won’t charge is due to one of four things:
- Your iPhone’s Software is Preventing Your Phone From Charging
- The Charger Cable/Lightning Cable is Damaged
- The Wall Adapter is Damaged
- The Charging Port at the bottom of your iPhone is Damaged or Has Something Blocking the Connection
Your iPhone’s Software is Preventing Your Phone From Charging
Let’s start with the easiest solution; your phone’s software. When you charge your phone, it’s actually the software instructing the phone to charge. So you’ll need to force reset/hard reset your phone to test this method. Try a hard reset by holding both the on/off button and the home button for up to 30 seconds. Eventually, your phone will restart, resulting in the screen first turning black, then the Apple logo will appear on the screen. When the Apple logo appears, you can stop holding both buttons and allow the phone to restart. Once the phone fully reboots, try plugging the phone into your charger. Hopefully, this easy solution solved your problem. If not, you’ll want to check off the next possible solution.
The Charger Cable/Lightning Cable is Damaged
Check your Lightning Cable to see if there is any visible damage to the cable itself. Inspect both the cord and the connector. If you do see the damage, perhaps it’s time to buy a new Lightning Cable. If there is no visible damage, try using your computer as a charger by connecting your iPhone to your Lightning Cable, then plug in the cable to your computer’s USB port. If this method doesn’t work, then you may have identified the problem. Lastly, please note that if you have a non-Apple (off-brand) Lightning Cable, those products tend to wear and break more easily than Apple products.
The Wall Adapter is Damaged
If the first two methods didn’t work, it’s now time to check your Wall Adapter. The simplest way to make sure your Wall Adapter is working properly is to try plugging it into a different outlet. This may sound stupid, but there are times when a fuse may have blown in your house or apartment, and that one outlet or room may not be powered. If your outlets are working properly, try using another Lightning Cable. If both cables produce the same outcome, then you’ll know that your Wall Adapter is faulty.
The Charging Port at the Bottom of Your iPhone is Damaged or Has Something Blocking the Connection
Finally, if all else fails, it’s time to put on your best MacGyver impression and get technical. Most of the time your Charging Port is the culprit as to why your iPhone is not charging. First, you’ll want to get a flashlight and look directly into the port to see if there is any visible debris (lint, gunk, etc…). If there is, it should be easy to remove (we’ll get to how in a moment). If there is not any visible debris, it may be hiding where you cannot see.
So how do you remove the nuisance from your iPhone’s Charging Port? VERY CAREFULLY!! You can try using a new, unused toothbrush to brush away any visible debris gently. You can also use a cue tip, which is very gentle and non-invasive. We strongly recommend against using items such as toothpicks and paperclips, as they can potentially damage the charging port. Paperclips are particularly hazardous because they conduct electricity and are very sharp. Whatever method you use, if it works, you’ll start to see visible debris exit the Charging Port. This is a good indication that the Charging Port is the culprit. After you’ve dislodged enough gunk, try charging your phone again.
When You’ve Tried Everything But Failed to Fix It
Hopefully, the DIY methods have fixed your problem. However, sometimes you can try everything and still not achieve the results you’re so desperate to attain. Now it’s time to bring your phone to a cell phone repair store.
At Go MObile, we have customers come in all the time with this problem. They burst into the store and start pleading with our staff to fix their phone. Usually, at this point their phone is dead. And there is nothing worse than a dead cell phone that won’t charge!
So what do we do to diagnose and fix the problem? First, we try everything you’ve already tried at home. Believe it or not, lots of customers may have overlooked a simple issue. It’s not uncommon for our staff to try a new Lightning Cable and the phone starts to charge. “But I tried that at home,” a customer once said. “I did exactly what you just did, and it didn’t work!”
Don’t beat yourself up. This happens frequently. You had a faulty Lightning Cable or a fault Wall Adapter. It happens to the best of us. After we’ve exhausted all possible scenarios, it may be determined that your Charging Port is damaged. At Go Mobile, our expertly trained technicians can repair your cell phone and replace your Charging Port and have your phone up and running in no time.
What If It’s Not The Charging Port
If your Charging Port is not damaged and we’ve identified that your phone is in working condition, we’ll take a look at your battery. Often this is the reason why your iPhone won’t charge. However, this is a straightforward and easy fix. Go Mobile can replace your battery and repair your cell phone while you wait!
So, if you ever try to plug your phone in and utter these four awful words, my iPhone won’t charge, you now are armed with the knowledge of fixing this disastrous problem. First, try fixing it yourself. But be CAREFUL! You don’t want to do more damage to your cell phone and create a new issue. You may want to bring your iPhone to the professionals at Go Mobile to assist you with this all too common problem.
And in the end, if you still have no luck after all this troubleshooting, contact Go Mobile cellphone repair store for your iPhone repair needs.
