TnD1w

Q: Iphone 5 lightning port charging problem - SOLUTION!

Just wanted to share a solution to my charging problem.  Very quickly my phone developed a problem where I couldn't get it to charge.  The connector didn't feel sloppy, but if I twisted it to the side, I could get it to make a connection.  However, if I let go or bumped the phone it would immediatly disconnect.  Sometimes it would take a easy dozen tries to get the phone to establish a connection.  Often I'd come back only to find that it had lost the connection and stopped charging.  Took it to the Verizon store and it worked fine on their cords.  Could be the cord, but I have multiple cords stashed in different locations and they all went bad at the same time.  That suggests to me that it's the phone and not the cord.  I tried to fish for some lint in the port and that definetly seems to be part of the problem.  I used a bent paperclip with no ill effects, but I'd be more comfortable with a flat toothpick.  Just stay away from the sides of the port as I don't know how fragile the connection wires are.  In my case, I was going for the bottom of the port.  Reach into the port and try to scrape out any packed in lint from the back of the port.  I'm thinking the lint may prevent the plug from fully seating thus creating a poor connection.  This helped a fair amount, but the connection still needed improvement.  Last night I bought a can of electrical contact cleaner and thought I'd give it a try.  I'd admit that I was a bit nervous to spray this into my phone, but I needed to try something.  Using the included tube, I sprayed a tiny amount of cleaner into the port.  The cleaner will get outside the port, but I don't see any signs of damage to the Belkin case, phone body, screen or disposable screen protector.  While the port was still wet, I grabbed a cord and plugged it in several times hoping to agitate the solution and mechanically clean the connection.  A mini q-tip would work even better.  Instantly I found a signficantly improved connection.  Plug it in and boom, good connection.  First try every time.  No wiggling necessary.  I did this last night at home and I just plugged the phone in at work; again got a good connection.  Now, I only tried this last night, but it certainly looks like the problem is dirt, grime and maybe a touch of corrosion that's causing the problem.  Clean the port out to remove any debris and then apply a quick shot of contact cleaner and you should be good to go!

Posted on Aug 16, 2013 6:52 AM

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Q: Iphone 5 lightning port charging problem - SOLUTION!

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  • by michael4000ms,

    michael4000ms michael4000ms Nov 9, 2014 10:27 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 9, 2014 10:27 PM in response to TnD1w

    Thanks man. a toothpick just saved me about 600 bucks, I've tried so many different chargers and was finally just going to replace the phone. your post helped a ton.

  • by oliver183,

    oliver183 oliver183 Nov 16, 2014 11:58 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Nov 16, 2014 11:58 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thanks I was having the exact same issue and your solution worked great! There was a ton of lint stuffed in there...used a wooden toothpick to get most of it out. Took 2-3 tries (there was a LOT of it in there) but I eventually got it to charge normally (without bending the Lightning cord at all). It immediately starts charging 99% of the time I plug it in now, as opposed to less than 10% before.

     

    By the way I keep my iPhone 5 in my tight jean pockets all the time so that's where the lint must have come from. I got the iPhone 5 right after it came out a little more than 2 years ago and the charging (lint) issue with the Lightning port started to happen and get increasingly worse about 1 year into use.

  • by Midnight Cuts,

    Midnight Cuts Midnight Cuts Nov 17, 2014 7:13 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 17, 2014 7:13 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thank you TnD1w. This worked very well for me. Powered down my iPhone 5.  Took off the case. Cleaned gently the lightening port with a flat wooden toothpick.  Sprayed with electronic contact cleaner using the included straw. Cleaned again with a flat wooden toothpick. Several small bits of lint removed. Waited for 1 minute. Powered on. All good !!  Phone will now charge again. Many Thanks.

  • by Jack7513,

    Jack7513 Jack7513 Nov 20, 2014 10:52 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 20, 2014 10:52 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thanks - the toothpick trick seems to have worked perfectly.  I was surprised at how much lint came out of the port!

     

    This whole issue got me thinking that it would be really helpful if iOS provided an audible alert when power gets disconnected from the device, just like it does when power gets connected.  Such an alert would have saved me numerous hours of frustration after realizing that my device was NOT charging when I thought that it was.  After doing some searching on this, I came across a tweak called Unpower that seems to provide exactly this functionality, but it only works on jailbroken phones.

  • by oliver183,

    oliver183 oliver183 Nov 20, 2014 11:12 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Nov 20, 2014 11:12 AM in response to TnD1w

    Apple should really redesign the Lightning port somehow so that this issue doesn't occur. It's one of the most frustrating things ever, especially to people who don't know how to fix it or even why it's happening at all. And from the amount of people who have responded in this discussion, it's easy to tell that this issue happens to a lot of people out there.

     

    Like several in this discussion have said already, I never once experienced this issue with any 30-pin dock connector iPhones. And I stuck those into my lint-y jean pockets just as much as I do the newer ones with Lightning ports.

  • by nhpearson,

    nhpearson nhpearson Nov 23, 2014 6:03 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 23, 2014 6:03 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thanks! - like so many on here, the toothpick worked perfectly, removed a huge amount of lint, and all is well.

  • by pec3,

    pec3 pec3 Dec 2, 2014 9:10 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 2, 2014 9:10 AM in response to TnD1w

    I also used a toothpick, moved it around in there for 5 minutes or so, got a bunch of lint out and it works perfectly now.  I also thought I had a hardware problem, glad I found this post and the related comments.  Thanks!

  • by Midnight Cuts,

    Midnight Cuts Midnight Cuts Dec 2, 2014 5:28 PM in response to Midnight Cuts
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 2, 2014 5:28 PM in response to Midnight Cuts

    Update: I would suggest you skip using the electronic contact cleaner or even compressed air. A couple of days after I cleaned my lightning port I discovered that the microphone on the bottom of my iPhone 5 was not working. It may be a coincidence but I strongly suspect the pressure from the electronic contact cleaner damaged my mic. ;-(
    Best plan is just stick to using a wooden toothpick.

  • by Avish1,

    Avish1 Avish1 Dec 22, 2014 9:24 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 22, 2014 9:24 PM in response to TnD1w

    Hi5 for saving my i5!!!  Thanks a ton

  • by starschreck,

    starschreck starschreck Jan 1, 2015 4:51 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 1, 2015 4:51 PM in response to TnD1w

    Gonna try the toothpick method. Thanks this has been frustrating.

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Jan 1, 2015 8:42 PM in response to starschreck
    Level 7 (26,425 points)
    iCloud
    Jan 1, 2015 8:42 PM in response to starschreck

    A clean, soft, toothbrush is probably safer - no chance of little pieces of wood tips breaking off in your contact area....

     

    Cheers,

     

    GB

  • by OtKub,

    OtKub OtKub Jan 11, 2015 5:12 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 11, 2015 5:12 PM in response to TnD1w

    Great sharing. Thanks, this fixed also my problem. I had a lot of paper (maybe from tissue?) in the connector hole. Didn't need any spray, just removed it with a wooden tooth stick.

  • by Juan Jose Alcala de Henares,

    Juan Jose Alcala de Henares Juan Jose Alcala de Henares Jan 17, 2015 3:55 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 17, 2015 3:55 AM in response to TnD1w

    Ihave followed your strategy, because I had just the same problem. But instead I have used an interdental cleaner (a micro tooth brush you use for cleaning the space between teet). Make sure it is completely dry and move it carefully in the lightning hole of the phone to remove all the lint within.

  • by bicycledriver,

    bicycledriver bicycledriver Feb 10, 2015 1:16 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 10, 2015 1:16 PM in response to TnD1w

    Found and fixed the problem on my own  then wondered: how often does this occur? Googled and sure-nuff! Could have saved some time if I Googled first. What a dirty little problem with that lint-compacting plunger of a lighting plug.

     

    Clean the plug, dig the dirt out of the socket then clean with electronic cleaner. I'm a retired electronics tech and I went through cans of the stuff that fixed many radios. Never worried about shorting, or damage - its designed for electronics.

     

    Clean the flat plug contacts with a clean eraser. The socket is harder to access and the raised contacts likely much more fragile than the plug. Just spray with electronic cleaner then insert the cleaned plug and move it around while wet with the cleaner.

     

    Now I may blow the socket out before inserting, but moist breath may corrode...perhaps my bicycle pump? Syringe?

  • by gail from maine,

    gail from maine gail from maine Feb 10, 2015 2:38 PM in response to bicycledriver
    Level 7 (26,425 points)
    iCloud
    Feb 10, 2015 2:38 PM in response to bicycledriver

    Clean, soft toothbrush....

     

    GB

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