Lightning cable USB connector stuck!

Last week I've experienced the same problem with my new iPad4 (received 10 days ago).The first time I've plugged the lightning USB cable in the USB port of my notebook HP ProBook 6440b , it was stuck.

The only way to disconect it was to use a feeler gauge, 0,25 mm , to release the bottom two pins on the host port.

Very bad design and quality control from APPLE.

I've asked APPLE support for a new cable.

They want the old cabe back in order to check it.

I'm waiting...

Adriano

Okay I think I have the same problem, so 3 months after I bought my iPod touch 5g the usb cord broke and I just bought one like two weeks ago and that one isn't working anymore either. The first one Ripped from the top but this one is perfectly fine. It just wont charge my iPod, I tried connecting it to my laptop, in different outlets and nothing. But I did notice that like 2 days ago it started giving me troubles. I had to mess around with the cord so that it would actually charge my ipod but now it wont work no matter what I do. My parents are getting mad and said apple better give me a free replacement since my parents just bought this one.

Thank you everyone for the tips on how to get the USB end of the lightning cable out of wherever it is stuck. I was so ****** and blaming the wrong company! I ordered my iPhone 5s a month ago got it 2 weeks ago. While ordering the phone at verizon, the sales girl kept advertising the Motorola battery pack. I thought it was awesome, but for $80 no way! Then a week later, I saw it on amazon for $35 and was so excited that I ordered one right away. I used the battery for 2 weeks with my iPhone 4 with no problems. Then when I got the iPhone 5s (3 days before I left for Disneyland) I used it twice with no problem. Then the last day we were at Disneyland, I plugged the cable in like normal and put it in my backpack and went on 2-3 rides, thinking nothing of it. Then when I checked my phone and saw it fully charged and unplugged it...or tried to. I freaked because I couldn't get it off. All I could think was that I might have melted or something to the battery pack. Luckily I could charge the battery pack and then my phone with no problems. Later that week I went to target and got a different plug (I think it's better than apples). I never thought to check here to see if anyone else had the same problem. I am going to contact apple and see if they can get me a new plug because I definitely won't use this one unless it's an emergency. Thanks again everyone!!!

Same thing here, plugged the cable into my laptop on Firday and it's stuck solid.

I phoned Apple this morning and they said that they'd never heard of this problem before!? I told them that there were a lot of complaints online about it happening to people but they said that no one was reporting it to them.

I was advised to take my laptop to an authorised Apple supplier (as I couldn't take it to the Genius bar as my laptop isn't an Apple product, even though it's an Apple product which is stuck in it) and see if they could get it out. If not, perhaps I knew someone who was good with computers??

No mention of a new cable, or laptop for that matter 😉.

I'll try the thing with the plastic though to see if that works..

this happened with the lightning cable i got with my new 5 the wk they came out. it was a defect. it got stuck in my wall charger, a friends got stuck in her laptop. took 5 hours of arguing with apple to send me a new one because i refused to spend 22.50 on a new one just because it was a smidge too big. the issue itself was with the cables. the second one they sent me (one that just comes in the little box alone), worked great, hasnt gotten stuck at all.

doesnt work for everybody, mine has been stuck in the apple block since jan. not a single person even at an apple store could make it budge. a friends 2700$ laptop has a lightning cable stuck in it and they cant get it out... lol... the guy on the phone actually had the brains to ask me if i knew what a usb was. Yes, its a unversal serial bus adaptor, and I know what it looks like. I only build computers etc... and how on earth would a lightning end get stuck in anything? DERP -10 for customer support. took me nearly a wk of phone calls to get somebody to send me a new cable...

They are lying, I have this problem and contacted them and they sent me a new cable and it still gets stuck. I get mine out by sliding a very thin but strong flat piece of PLASTIC in the USB port to remove it. Its the 2 square holes I think on the usb plug where it gets stuck. I thought about grinding the sharp edge on it to fix it but I just keep the wire in my chargers so it doesn't bother me until I need to connect it to a computer.

I said to the guy at Apple that I was concerned that even if I manage to get the cable out, it'll just stick again the next time I need to use it. If that happens I've to phone back apparently.

If they send me another cable, I wouldn't mind as much as I could use that in my plug charger and just keep the other one in my lap top. Still a pain though and especially as it seems to have been happening to people for a while now.

I called Apple and explained the situation and they send me a new cable — that the representative promised wouldn't have the stioking issue — and they want the old one returned. There's no denial from Apple at all, as far as I can tell.

Apple don't make money by having cables getting stuck in different expensive machines and if a representative doesn't get that, they may need some assistance in order to do so.

I didn't meet any opposition at all. I just calmy explained the issue and my frustration without expressing any difficult feelings. If you do meet opposition, don't take no for answer, stay polite and ask for an escalation or for a supervisor to handle the issue.

So far (20+ years) Apple have always given me the service I expect.

My solution to the problem:

I read a few comments above and got the cable out with that flat piece of strong and thin plastic. I squeezed it in at the side where the two spring loaded tounges are, and wriggled the plug out of the computer.

Then I completely filled the 2 cavities of the plug with that white correction pen liquid. When the stuff is dry, it will become hard enough to stand up against the two tongues getting stuck again. Another filler may be more suitable, like a small piece of cardboard or wood?

Talking to a service person at an Apple Store was not very helpful at all. They only wanted to sell me another cable for AUD 25.00 - may even be with the same design fault. No mention of this being a problem since 2013 !

Good luck

🙂

This was a great help. Micro transceiver for wireless mouse well and truly stuck in the side of my wired apple keyboard. Went at it with pliers and nearly broke it off. Cut up a business card and needed quite a bit of force to insert but they both slid out intact

G5 does not have bluetooth (optional).

Do not have Bluetooth mouse either

My comment was raised as a quick Google to help my plight landed me on this forum. The main issue was that my USB connection (in whatever format) was stuck in the side of my keyboard. Is the topic more to do with lighting cable sepcifically or a usb cable, my guess is the latter

"Is the topic more to do with lighting cable sepcifically or a usb cable, my guess is the latter"

It is specifically the Apple USB to Lightening cable and the USB end.

Since your dongle is not made by Apple, then it not something Apple has control over.

Chris CA: "Since your dongle is not made by Apple, then it not something Apple has control over."

That's irrelevant as The USB 2.0 Standard-A type of USB connectors are part of a well established industry standard.

Obviously, we don't know whether the third party connector illFixIt used followed the standards or if it was damaged and that caused it to stick. I would think it likely it's not the USB-port in the Mac that was faulty even if those can get damaged too.

Of course illFixIt should have helped more people had he posted in another thread focused on what to do if a connector gets stuck in your USB ports. If something from here was relevant to that other thread a link back to this thread could be used..

At any rate, whether Apple is to blame or not is very uninteresting in most cases. Solutions are interesting.

Mik B wrote:

Chris CA: "Since your dongle is not made by Apple, then it not something Apple has control over."

That's irrelevant

Correct.

It's irrelevant (to this thread) because it is not an Apple USB/Lightening cable.

as The USB 2.0 Standard-A type of USB connectors are part of a well established industry standard.

and? What does a 3rd party USB end have to do with Apple USB cable end?

Nothing.