No accessory = "This accessory is not optimized for this iPhone..."

Mmmm - I'm getting the same message without the screen protector so I don't think that's going to fix it.

Come on Apple this has been going on way to long without a good answer/solution - should we just take our phones in and have them replaced? I've done all the resetting, rebooting etc, etc and I'm still getting this message.

Any good answers?

I just got a "New" (Replacement) from the Apple Store and I am getting this message repeatedly. I also have no volume for most apps. Phone works ok. All the reset did was change my wallpaper. My new 4 comes tomorrow so hopefully that will work better and this will work better when it is set up as new phone for my wife.

Dear APPLE,

I have read this whole thread "This accessory is not optimized for this iPhone (4)" quite thoroughly and done EVERYTHING that has been suggested except for what APPLE themselves suggested which has been NOTHING. I went to the APPLE store and asked the "Genius" about it and he looked at me as if I were from a different planet and said he had not heard of this problem till just that moment. That was yesterday, June 8, 2010.

*I just sneezed which made a noise that sounded a lot like the word "Bull-$-hit" *

My problem started after I used an "INCASE Dual Charger" which I specifically asked the salesperson if I could use to which the answer was a resounding "YES, no problem."

I have been traveling a lot recently and this has caused many audio issues and taken a lot of the joy out of using this incredible new device.

Come on APPLE! I have waited with baited breath in long lines and fists full of cash for years to buy all the new great devices you come out with. PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE AND FIX THIS PROBLEM!

Sincerely,
Frustrated in Houston

I found a solution for my problem to this annoying message.

I turned off my iPhone completely and then hooked up the USB cable between my car and the iPhone. This powered on the iPhone. I'd read this is needed after the OS 4.0 upgrade so the two can get reacquainted. It worked! I got the message once, dismissed it and it doesn't reappear. I can play tunes using the car controls. One extra thing I had to do was pair the bluetooth again using the car's pairing code since that must have been lost during this process.

I did EVERYTHING that all of you suggested, and my iPhone 3g is still giving me the error message: "This accessory is not optimized for use with this iPod You may experience noise caused by cellular interference and a decrease in cellular signal strength. <Dismiss>"

I think it has something to do with the upgrade to 4.0
The problem certainly seems related to headphones being plugged in. Although I haven't been able to cure it by repeatedly plugging them in and out.

I've started getting these pop-up's on my 3GS lately, after upgrading to iOS4. I don't use any other accessories than the USB cable that came with the phone, which has always worked fine!
With my old 3G, I got pretty much the same pop-up, with different wording, saying something about airplane mode. That also shut off the speakers on the phone.

So now I'm devastated. I've had this phone for just a few months now, after tossing my 3G because of the pop-up's that never went away. I don't want to have to get rid of this one, too. But if I don't have speakers, I don't have a ringtone, and a phone without ringtone makes no sense.

I've made my dad promise me that we'll go out and get canned air, and possibly a soft toothbrush, to clean out the 30 pin, since I know that is what's causing the pop-up's since it was the same on my 3G.
But here in Sweden, we don't have Apple stores, but some other stores sell Apple products, so there's no real way of getting in touch with people who knows. Maybe I can go back to where I got it, or call them and cry or something.

My husband synced and updated his iphone today, with the result being a complete disaster.

"This accessory not optimized for this iphone" message appears constantly.

The volume bar in itunes disappears and the re is no sound unless the headset is plugged in.

His entire itunes library was ERASED, on the iphone and that included all of the songs he had purchased thru itunes but had not yet logged onto the computer to sync them yet.

Tried a complete reset, tried blowing out the pin-port area.

Dreading heading out to the itunes store for the long wait in line to finally face the slack jawed clueless tech rep.... 😟

Although I have an iPhone 3Gs, I started getting the same message when I upgraded to OS4.

The device in question is a Mophie Juice Pack (which I really like, incidentally).

I contacted Mophie, and they suggested:

+Please try restarting your phone, possibly multiple times. Recharge the JP and phone separately, once both are fully recharged attach your JP to the iPhone. Please notify us if these troubleshooting techniques do not remedy your issue.+

I did exactly that - and the error message (which was incessant!) seems to have gone away ...

This solution worked for us. The accessory was an earlier IHome and after the Iphone 3gs was powered off and plugged into the IHome, the message came up once, was dismissed and now everything works fine. Thanks Tubeblaster!

I am having the same problem. I never got it wet, and I know once I go to Apple, those not-so-geniuses will act like I did something wrong so Steve Jobs can get another $300 so I buy a new iPhone. I wouldn't be surprised if this malice was intentionally inflicted upon our phones with the new software... but I can tell you right now Apple, I will never buy another iPhone if you don't give us an answer... seriously, don't be so cheap. I never bought another iPod because I had 4 and they all broke too. I will go get a droid if this problem doesn't get fixed.

For those who are looking for answers: I tried the toothbrush, I tried plugging and unplugging from devices, I tried unplugging and plugging from headphones... nothing. Hopefully another remedy comes about, and I will post back if I find one.

I've got the same problem and I'm sure that in my case it is 100% caused by liquid.

It was very hot and I had a 1,5 hours long phone conversation. Sweat drops from my hair and cheeks were all over my iPhone (3GS iOS4). And after I hung up and flipped my device to connect it to a charger I think some moisture got into from the surface.

I started getting popups and got no sound from iTunes AND EVEN lock/unlock sounds couldn't be heard no more.

I just took a hair dryer, set it to cool air mode and dried the connector a bit.

Now I've got my iTunes and all other sounds back and everything seems to be ok, except for the messages. But I think, I'll give it some time.

I've been having problems like this lately also, but I thought people would like more replies that involved a SOLUTION (or at least a temporary one - it hasn't popped up again so far and it's been 25 minutes!!)

Grab a small thin nail or something like a nail (like the pin supplied with your handset to open the SIM port) and caaaarefully clean the dirt from the actual dock connect-y bit, then if necessary wipe it with a scour pad or something bristly or rough...

Hope this helps!

Hi,

I just started having this problem last night out of the blue. I have a 3GS I got in December. No new docks or anything to trigger it, tried cleaning dock area with a brush, no luck.

Do i call apple? Or apple store?

Luke

UPDATE It's been about an hour and 5 minutes or so and still nothing =) I've connected it to its connector and done data transfers and everything and it's been working fine =D!

I reckon I've licked the problem!

*Knightraeven nailed it, for a large segment of us experiencing this problem!*

I went to Best Buy across lunch today and paid them $8 to install my Invisible Shield from ZAGG onto my iPhone 4. Nothing else was done before that, and I'd never seen this message on either this phone, nor on my previous 3G. First time I fired up the ol' iPhone after returning from Best Buy, what do I see? Yup, you betcha: +"This accessory is not optimized for this iPhone..."+

I tried to inhale as much air/liquid as I could from the dock port, put the iPhone back in its case for a few hours (a warm location), and haven't seen the error since. This may not be the solution for everyone, but for those experiencing the problem, ask yourself, "Did I have my iPhone anywhere close to a liquid just prior to seeing the message?" If so, then with inhalation, canned air, and/or time, the error will most likely go away.

iPhones are really sensitive to water. The other night, my daughter had no sound from the 3G she got from me, and received a "ringer (headphones)" message when adjusting the volume even though nothing was plugged in. It turns out that it was the result of her brother getting the iPhone wet. Some of the moisture got into the headphone area and essentially killed the sound, because the iPhone incorrectly sensed that headphones were plugged in. The solution? We put the iPhone in an open bag of rice in a warm room; by the next morning, the water had evaporated and the phone functions fine now.

*Moral of the story:* Keep 'em dry, folks, and you should have no problem!