iPhones are known for their long battery life, which means that you don’t have to worry about charging them every few hours. But what happens when the message pops up on the display saying, “iPhone Charging Port Not Working”? That’s possibly a person’s worst nightmare.
If you are experiencing this on your iPhone, there could be multiple reasons why the lightning port isn’t working. It could be due to software issues or it could be due to other hardware-related complications.
Whatever it is, this article will deep dive into some of the quick and effective fixes to ensure that your iPhone is charging again.
Ways to Fix the iPhone Charging Port Not Working
When you aren’t able to charge your iPhone because of some issue with the lightning port, the first thing we’d recommend you do is to check the port manually. Is there any unnecessary dirt clogged inside?
If yes, that could be a reason why you aren’t able to charge your iPhone. Besides that, you can also follow one of the tips to see what works.
Restart your iPhone
You might not realize this but sometimes, the lightning port not working on your iPhone could be a software glitch. Restarting the iPhone is like a soft reboot, which helps in fixing the glitch and most probably will help you fix the issue that you are likely experiencing.
For the newer iPhone models (iPhone X and newer):
- Press and hold down one volume button and the side button
- Drag the slider that pops up on the display to switch off the iPhone
- Once it’s powered off, long press the power button until it restarts.
For the older iPhone models, you have to press and hold down the side button and then drag the slider as mentioned in the previous steps.
Remove the iPhone Case
Sometimes, it’s not an issue with the iPhone but with the case you are using. What we’d recommend you do is take out the case and see if your iPhone is charging. If it is, then you know for a fact that it was an issue with the case and not the phone.
What happens is that most of the newer iPhone cases have a smaller cutout in the area of the lightning port, making it difficult for the cord to fit into it. Always buy good-quality cases with precise cutouts to avoid such issues.
Force Restart the iPhone
One of the reasons why your lightning port might be glitching is due to unnecessary temp files and system data that are contributing to lagging performance in the device. A force restart allows you to fix the glitching device and ensure smoother functioning again.
Here’s what you can do:
Press and let go of the volume up button in the newer iPhone models (iPhone 8 and up) and follow it up with the Volume down button. Once down, hold down the Side button until you see the Apple icon pop up.
Once done, restart the iPhone and check if you can charge your device or not.
Get to Cleaning
As we mentioned in the beginning, one of the biggest reasons why you aren’t able to charge your iPhone is because of the trapped dirt inside it. The excess debris and dust pack into the port, making it difficult for you to plug the cable and charge your device.
Giving it a quick clean and brush should fix the issue in no time at all. But, when it comes to cleaning the iPhone lightning port, what we’d recommend you do is be careful. You don’t want to poke and prod in an intrusive way that ends up damaging the port.
If you don’t have the right cleaning equipment, you can always take it to a professional to get the situation sorted.
Update iOS
Minor glitches in the iPhone could be a reason why the error is showing when you are trying to charge the device. In that case, what you can do is update your iOS and check if that helps.
The information about the software update is available in Settings > General > Software Update.
From there, you can check if you have any pending updates and install the same. Once done, check if the charging happens as normal or not.
Visit the Apple Store
If none of the above methods are working out, it is most likely a hardware issue in your iPhone. Unless you are skilled to take apart an iPhone and see what’s the problem, we’d recommend you take it to an Apple Store for further evaluation.
Conclusion
And, that’s all you need to know about fixing the “iPhone charging port not working” issue that you are experiencing. It is a bit of trial and error, so check what works and what doesn’t in your iPhone before getting into it.