The end of the story. . . Yesterday was a long day. Sad to say, Apple pronounced my phone to be dead beyond repair. There wasn't any way to repair the real problem which was a bent/broken pin inside the opening where the cable goes into the phone for charging. After running numerous diagnostics on the phone, the tech spent a couple minutes looking inside that opening with a bright light and magnifier. Unfortunately, it appeared to be the pin that governed the power functions. Apparently, with some phone models, that bottom section of a phone can actually be removed and replaced. Not the 7+, however. So, I was introduced to some phone option comparisons to purchase and turned over to a sales person. The SE, Mini 13, and basic 14 were suggested. Apple store was a zoo, I was disappointed and a little blindsided by the bad news, so I listened, took notes, offered my thanks, said I'd do some online research for the options given, and decide what to do. Long story short ~ too late! 😉 ~ I went directly to my carrier, Verizon, was helped by a very nice, sympathetic gentleman who actually sold me not so much on a phone but on a new, promotional, 36-month offer for Verizon customers who are Apple users. It's only about $6 more than my billing now. The good news is that it comes with a free Apple 12 ($599, face recognition), full insurance on it, and twice the storage I have ever had based on my years as an iPhone owner. There was even a special Apple pkg consisting of Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, and 50 GB of iCloud storage. With my military discount, that was about $9/month, so I treated myself. I went from being rather dejected and braindead to braindead but rather pleasantly surprised that this adventure had a happy ending! I'm spending the weekend learning the ins and outs and recreating stuff that I lost. Again, I thank you for your support along the way. It was most appreciated! Have a nice rest of your weekend! Taffi
