iPad Pro won’t charge with USB-C to USB-C cable

First, USB-C cables are fully reversible - and as such, it should make no difference at all to functioning if the connecting plug is reversed. If flipping the plug orientation makes a difference, either the cable or its connector are defective, or the mating device connector has been damaged.

Per your description, the USB-C connector on your iPad may have been damaged, or has an associated fault.

These support pages should help with troubleshooting general battery and charging issues:

Charge and monitor the iPad battery - Apple Support

If your iPad won't charge – Apple Support

Troubleshooting generally requires substitution of the Power Adapter and cable for another known-good item. Most models of iPad require a Power Adapter rated at 12W or greater to reliably charge. 5W Power Adapters intended for older models of iPhone are inadequate to charge an iPad; if the iPad charges at all, charging will be very slow. Recent models of iPad are supplied with a 20W USB-C Power Adapter.

Be aware that many computer USB ports cannot source sufficient power to charge an iPad. Unless explicitly designed for charging connected devices, computer USB ports are typically limited to 0.5-1A @5V (i.e., 2.5-5.0W).

If you continue to experience difficulties when using an appropriate Power Adapter of 12W or greater, you might be best advised to seek assistance directly from from Apple Support. You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page. Alternatively, if you have access to another Apple device, you can initiate and manage your support cases using the excellent Apple Support App. If not already installed on your iPad, the App can be downloaded from the App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044

You might also visit the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) - where the technicians will be able to test and assess your iPad, Power Adapter and cable(s):

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

How old? I had a different problem with an iPad mini 6 that would no longer charge off of a USB-A to USB-C cable, which was my primary means of power and data sync. It would charge off of a USB-C to USB-C cable but wouldn’t make a data connection.

Brought it in to an Apple Store and got a replacement under warranty. If yours is out of warranty there might not be much you can do if you don’t wish to pay the replacement fee.

Be assured, the content of your original post was thoroughly digested before I replied.

As stated in your original post, flipping the USB-C plug is sometime required for the iPad to begin charging. As such, as comprehensively outlined within my explanation, this suggests that the USB-C port on your iPad may have a fault.

This potential diagnosis is supported by your assertion, noted, that your USB-C cables and Power Adapter have been tested with other devices.

And there can be hardware failures where it's just a specific combination that no longer works. But if it still works with some combinations, that might be acceptable to you or not. If it's within the warranty it's an easy choice to get it replaced under warranty. If it's out of warranty, then you would need to decide if the replacement expense is worth it.

I have a similar issue with my 2 year iPad that came out of warranty two weeks ago. It will not charge using any USB-C to USB-C cable, or with the power cable for my brand new MacBook Pro. It charges fine with any USB-A to USB-C cable or with the USB-C cable plugged into my laptop. It's unlikely that this is the cable (they work fine with any other device), the USB-C bricks (they also work fine with any other device) or the charging port on the iPad. I've done a number of steps for troubleshooting, including a hard reset and a complete wipe/restore of the device.

When I say these cables and bricks work fine with other devices, I have tested these on multiple producs; both Apple and otherwise (like a Kindle Paperwhite). I have flipped the cables back and forth so much I feel like a gymnast.

When I plug in a USB-C cable that is plugged into a USB-C brick, I get the green battery flash telling me how much battery power remains on the iPad, and then nothing. It feels like the iPad won't charge if the power source is too powerful. The battery on the iPad appears to be healthy with no unusual power drain.

I'm glad I have a way to charge the device, but this is annoying (and somewhat infuriating).

I have the same problem, it is most definitely the iPad USB-C hardware. If I use a USB-A to USB-C cable with a USB-A charger my iPad will charge no problems. If I place a USB-A to USB-C adapter on the same cable and plug into a USB-C charger it will also work. And like the OP a USB-C to USB-C cable will not work to charge my 12.9 iPad Pro. This all started when my iPad fell of my nightstand and I reached for the cable to slow it down.

mine too, I took my iPad Pro to a local repair shop as I thought it was my charging port, but they said to wait for another big update ios17….as it seems to have affected quite a lot of people….I know for certain it’s not my leads etc as hubby uses them too….also my earphone usb-c I bought no longer works and it’s a genuine Apple one, so I think there is definitely a hardware issue…..COME ON APPLE FIX IT!!!!!!!!!

My wife and I have each had iPads ever since the first one came out, and switched to the iPad Pro when that model came out. My wife had an iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th Gen) that she used as her primary computer for the last 2 years. Recently it stopped charging. We tried various cables and wall plugs (all made for iPad). We ended up getting her a new iPad about three months ago (iPad Pro 12.9-inch gen 6). A couple of days ago, that one started not charging. If you leave the cable plugged in it will repeatedly make the connection audio sound, but not charge.

I read these posts and saw the post about trying a USB-A to USB-C. That method seems to work on the older iPad, but the new iPad still does not recognize anything being plugged into the USB-C port. This is very frustrating! Now we need to figure out who will honor the warranty (we purchased it through AT&T). We have had zero issues with our iPads until Apple switched to USB-C. Not looking forward to the iPhone switching to USB-C, but at least they have wireless charging when the USB-C port stops working.

I’m now having the same issue. Charging my iPad Air over the USB-C cable from my Anker battery worked great. Now it’ll only charge over the USB-A to USB-C cable, and thus only charges really slowly. Also, the slow charging can’t keep up when using the iPad, so basically there’s no point.

Upon further investigation, it’s definitely something broken. My wife has the exact same model iPad Air and we both have the latest iOS update, and hers charges off the Anker battery just fine.

I’ve been dealing with the same issue for almost a year now. Im so glad you’ve presented a recent post addressing the issue. I have to use a USB-A to USB-C adapter and it only works if I flip it on a certain side. Occasionally, I’ll try a USB-C to USB-C cord and it’ll work, but if I get too excited and go to try it again, it seems to fail. Idk if this is apple’s way of getting buyers to get new products but it’s quite exhausting. it takes almost a full day to get a full charge (might be due to the size of my charging block tho). Thank you for addressing this! I hope a solution is found

Dear Apple Community, I have similar problem, my ipad pro 11 inch, model A1934, refuses to recharge using any (including the original Apple cable / charger) usb-c cable. My fault, I left my ipad outside one morning and it received 10mm of rain, 1/4 inch of rain. Luckily it had an Apple protective cover. I dried it off, used a hairdryer etc. etc. and everything functioned perfectly until it was time to recharge the ipad. Applying some pressure to the usb-c cable, the ipad sporadically accepted a charge. Silly me, i thought it was corrosion on the usb-c port and so used a light sandpaper to remove the, what i thought, corosion. Now it refuses to re-charge. I've taken the ipad to local repairers and they refuse to try and repair (seemingly the usb-c port is soldered to the motherboard). I then went to a certified Apple repairer and they were going to charge me 689 euro / 800 US$ to repair. I refused.

My questioin, finally, can i use the ipad smart connector to recharge my ipad? I would need to buy an Apple Magic Keyboard for my ipad? Will this work to recharge my ipad? Is there anything else out there using the Smart Connector which could recharge my lovely ipad? For older ipads, Logitech had an ipad stand which also used the smart connectors to recharge. Thanks in advance for you comments and suggestions. Dominick

Dom Hemeryck wrote:

My questioin, finally, can i use the ipad smart connector to recharge my ipad? I would need to buy an Apple Magic Keyboard for my ipad? Will this work to recharge my ipad? Is there anything else out there using the Smart Connector which could recharge my lovely ipad? For older ipads, Logitech had an ipad stand which also used the smart connectors to recharge. Thanks in advance for you comments and suggestions. Dominick

The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11" has a USB-C connector in the keyboard spine - to which you can connect your USB-C Power Adapter:

• Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) and iPad Air (5th generation) - British English - Black

https://store.apple.com/xc/product/MXQT2B/A

When connected, your iPad Pro will charge via its Smart Connector. You should note that while this arrangement may resolve your charging difficulties, the Magic Keyboard's USB-C port can only be used for charging the iPad; other USB-C accessories are not supported by this port.

my mini 6 will not charge using the usb~c to usb-c either. I am using the original cable and block that came with the iPad. It’s a little over a year old and out of warranty. The only way I can get it to charge is to do a reset on it. Why should we have to do that? Apparently it’s in the software and apple is too lazy to fix. Very disappointed with them.

I have the exact same issues. I can get it to Sensi USB-C to USB but if I use a USB-C to USB-C, it doesn’t even sense the cable. This is obviously a more widespread issue and Apple refuses to talk about it. It’s not the cables I’ve tried about 30 of them. It’s not the chargers. I’ve tried about 10 of those. it started happening to me a few months ago. I thought it was just a dirty port but that’s been cleaned yet. The issue still remains. I have a feeling it was a software update that took this out. I think Apple needs to be more transparent about this and forthcoming that there is obviously an issue if several hundred people are having this problem. I’m assuming it’s probably way more than that that haven’t even recorded it. so Apple… What’s the resolution?