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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 kiarmu,

    kiarmu kiarmu Jun 28, 2015 1:47 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 28, 2015 1:47 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thank you for the info, my iPhone is charging again. Now I need to cancel the service schedule for my iPhone.

  • by Paul Murie,

    Paul Murie Paul Murie Jun 30, 2015 6:16 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Jun 30, 2015 6:16 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thanks everyone! Tried the tooth pick trick and it worked!

    Thought I was going to be up for an expensive repair.

  • by whalerjacket,

    whalerjacket whalerjacket Jul 26, 2015 8:33 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 26, 2015 8:33 AM in response to TnD1w

    The plastic toothpick strategy worked for me at first, but then my iPod Touch started having charging problems again.  So I tried a combination of several methods mentioned in this thread.  It is charging fine again!  Here are the steps I used:

     

    1. Make sure device is powered off. 

    2. Gently scrape the inside of the port with a plastic toothpick or similar object.  This will get most of the big clumps of lint and dust out.

    3. Using a flashlight, check deep inside the port. I noticed a lot of dirt caked in the bottom corners of the port.  No doubt this was compressed lint and dust that got pushed and pressed every time I plugged it in.  It created a "dirt cushion" that I believe prevented the end of my cable from inserting all the way.  My plastic toothpick would not dislodge this. 

    4. Using a metal pin, carefully scrape the compressed dirt to dislodge it.  When I did this, quite a bit came loose. I found it useful to revert back to a plastic toothpick to remove the dislodged dirt from the port. 

    5. Spray the port with some canned compressed air. 

    6. Rip a very small piece of paper towel and dip it in rubbing alcohol.  Remove excess moisture from the paper towel so that it is damp, not soaking wet.  Wrap the towel around the end of the toothpick and insert it into the port.  Gently clean the metal leads (or whatever they are called). I was surprised to see the amount of black gunk that showed up on the paper towel. 

    7. Allow a minute or two for the port to dry.  Since rubbing alcohol was used, the moisture evaporates quickly so you may not have to wait...but I did anyway just in case.

    8. Power on your device and plug it in to check if cleaning was successful. 

  • by farhan.bh,

    farhan.bh farhan.bh Jul 28, 2015 5:56 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 28, 2015 5:56 AM in response to TnD1w

    Toothpick worked great!! Thanks!!

  • by RandolfJohn,

    RandolfJohn RandolfJohn Aug 4, 2015 7:05 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 4, 2015 7:05 AM in response to TnD1w

    CLeaned the charging port still wont charge. I turned my phone off then plugged the charger in, it turns on but still wont charge. What really bothered me is the lightning cable works perfectly fine on my Ipad but not on the phone... Please help

  • by whalerjacket,

    whalerjacket whalerjacket Aug 4, 2015 7:32 AM in response to RandolfJohn
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 4, 2015 7:32 AM in response to RandolfJohn

    Mine was doing the exact same thing.  Double check the inside of your port.  Before I posted the cleaning steps above (two posts ago), I used a toothpick and compressed air and thought I had it thoroughly cleaned.  What I didn't notice was a layer of dirt/lint caked in at the bottom of the port.  Due to the color of the lint, it was camouflaged so I didn't even realize it was there until I scraped it with a metal pin.

  • by lakerat_579,

    lakerat_579 lakerat_579 Aug 6, 2015 1:54 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 6, 2015 1:54 PM in response to TnD1w

    Holy cow!!!  How can there be that much lint in that little port??!  Thanks for the tip…. It worked great!!

  • by eastbayjoe,

    eastbayjoe eastbayjoe Aug 8, 2015 1:08 PM in response to Gbehling23
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Video
    Aug 8, 2015 1:08 PM in response to Gbehling23

    I too was increasingly having problems with the Lightning charging cable losing its connection if wiggled only very slightly.

    Pocket lint in the port was indeed the culprit.  There are various ways of cleaning out the lint, but obviously its better if it's done gently.

    Taking the suggestion of another person in this forum, I used a little brush designed for cleaning tight spots between teeth, one made by GUM.

    It worked great, with no charging disconnects when I wiggle the cord.  I was surprised how much lint came out!

  • by gino q,

    gino q gino q Aug 14, 2015 9:12 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 14, 2015 9:12 PM in response to TnD1w

    Used a plastic toothpick - could NOT believe the amount of lint packed into that nasty power navel.

  • by jorgejcc,

    jorgejcc jorgejcc Aug 18, 2015 4:55 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Aug 18, 2015 4:55 AM in response to TnD1w

    Amazing! You just solved my problem! Million thanks!

    Unbelievable the amount of lint it came out of that small port...

     

    (To me the bent paperclip was enough... let's see how it goes with time)

  • by thiisev,

    thiisev thiisev Sep 4, 2015 11:21 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 4, 2015 11:21 PM in response to TnD1w

    Same problem after about 18 month. Toothpick solved the problem. Amazing amount of lint inside the port!

  • by sureshjohn,

    sureshjohn sureshjohn Sep 5, 2015 10:03 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 5, 2015 10:03 AM in response to TnD1w

    thanks my iPhone 5s had the same issue. cleaning with a safety pin fixed the issue.

  • by benbrinker,

    benbrinker benbrinker Sep 10, 2015 4:33 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 10, 2015 4:33 PM in response to TnD1w

    2 years later and this is still helpful. Just found this by a quick google search and saved my dad's iPhone 5S. Same lint culprit.

     

    My own iPhone wasn't having any issues, but I decided to try the paperclip method anyway and was surprised to find a good chunk of lint in my charging port as well.

  • by PatRichSua,

    PatRichSua PatRichSua Sep 10, 2015 7:55 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Sep 10, 2015 7:55 PM in response to TnD1w

    Hi,

     

    The one and unique solution is to replace the port charging flex, this is a common issue on the iPhone 5 model, the plastic around this connection expands and this is why not grab the cable as it should.

     

    You can go to Apple if you are under warranty or you have a valid Apple car plan, or to any repair shop.

     

    Thanks

  • by Packer01,

    Packer01 Packer01 Sep 21, 2015 10:42 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 21, 2015 10:42 PM in response to TnD1w

    Outstanding tip and advice...solved an annoying and frustrating problem! Thankyou!!

     

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