How to Fix an iPhone That Won't Charge
Diagnose and fix an iPhone that will not charge by safely clearing port debris, cleaning cable pins, verifying power delivery, and executing a hardware force restart.
- Read the tools, materials, safety notes, and steps below for free.
- Tap Start Camera Coach when you want hands-free voice help.
- Allow camera and microphone. Point your phone at the work; the coach watches your progress and tells you the next step.
🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Wooden toothpick or non-conductive nylon probe
- ✓ Flashlight or bright desk lamp
- ✓ Rubber bulb air blower
- ✓ Soft-bristled anti-static brush
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Lint-free microfiber cloth
- ✓ 90% or higher Isopropyl alcohol
- ✓ Apple-certified (MFi) charging cable
- ✓ Functional 20W USB-C wall adapter
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Never insert metal objects like paperclips, safety pins, or SIM ejector tools into the charging port to prevent short-circuiting pin arrays.
- • Ensure the iPhone is completely unplugged from any power source before probing or cleaning the charging socket.
- • Do not spray compressed canned air directly at close range; high pressure can damage internal microphone and speaker membranes.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Inspect the Charging Port Under Direct Light
Shine a direct light straight into the iPhone charging port. Look inside for compacted pocket lint, fluff, dust, or bent electrical pins along the center tongue or sidewalls.
- • Light illuminating the bottom back wall of the port cavity clearly
- • Clear view of whether foreign matter is blocking the bottom contact plane
- • Assuming the port is empty after a casual glance without dedicated directional lighting
Extract Compacted Lint and Debris
Gently insert the tip of a wooden toothpick into the port, hugging the back wall away from delicate contact pins. Sweep side to side in a light scooping motion to drag out compacted lint and fluff, then blow out loose particles using a rubber bulb blower.
- • Visible clumps of dust or lint extracted onto the workspace
- • Metallic floor of the port visible with no gray or black felt layers remaining
- • Using excessive force against the internal contact pins and bending them out of alignment
Clean Cable Contacts and Check for Damage
Inspect your charging cable tip for blackened, corroded, or burnt pins (specifically pin 4 or 5 on Lightning connectors, or gold pads on USB-C). Moisten the corner of a microfiber cloth with a tiny drop of isopropyl alcohol and wipe both sides of the connector blade clean.
- • Gold contact pins shiny and free of black carbon residue or grease
- • No frayed insulation or kinked wiring visible near the strain relief collar
- • Plugging in a damp cable before the alcohol has fully flashed off and evaporated
Test Connection With Known-Good Power Source
Plug the cleaned cable directly into a known-working wall power adapter and plug directly into a functioning wall socket, bypassing power strips or low-power computer USB ports. Insert the cable firmly into the iPhone until you feel a positive mechanical click and see zero gap between the cable collar and phone frame.
- • Cable collar seated flush against the iPhone chassis with no exposed metal plug neck
- • Lightning bolt icon appearing inside the battery indicator or battery graphic displayed on screen
- • Testing via a low-amperage computer USB port that cannot wake a depleted battery
Perform a Hardware Force Restart
While the iPhone remains connected to the charger, quickly press and release the Volume Up button, quickly press and release the Volume Down button, then press and hold the Side Power button. Continue holding the Side button for 10 to 15 seconds until the Apple logo appears on the display, then release.
- • Display shutting off and the silver Apple logo reappearing on a black screen
- • Phone booting into the lock screen showing an active green charging icon
- • Holding the volume buttons down instead of clicking and releasing them immediately before holding the side button
- • Releasing the side power button when the 'Slide to Power Off' slider appears instead of continuing to hold
Verify with Wireless/MagSafe Charging Alternative
Place the iPhone centered on a Qi or MagSafe wireless charging pad connected to power. Observe whether the screen illuminates with the wireless charging ring or battery chime, which confirms whether the battery and mainboard are functional despite port failure.
- • MagSafe ring animation or green battery charge icon appearing on the display
- • Status LED on the wireless charging pad changing to active solid illumination
- • Leaving an ultra-thick or metal-plated phone case on that blocks induction charging
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Super Sonic Electronics — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Wooden toothpick? Trimmed plastic flosser pick end or non-conductive plastic cable tie tip
- No Rubber bulb air blower? Manual air puff from a clean, dry bulb syringe (avoid breath moisture)