Lightning Cable Corrosion?

This corrosion in a few weeks (even in a few years) is not normal at all. It may be a bad batch. It has nothing to do with moisture alone, they can stand that. If they are Apple cables, you have quarantee, and can have them replaced under warrantee.

Very same condition on a six month old 6 s. My first and most assuredly last apple purchase.

When I first looked at the connection of the ironically named charge port I thought, this is a terrible design. With the ph port open to the elements and bare connectors on the cable it would have to remain in vacuum to not have the problem noted by all the posts here.

It is simply a very poor design that is going to arc and carbon builds up as a result.

40 years of electronic design and repair I know what I'm seeing and that is a carbon buildup due to arcing and apple writing it off to "moisture" is absurd.

I've been very careful to not let gunk get into the open port but we live in the real world and sure I'm going to stick it in my pocket. I've been very careful with the adapter and neither have ever been exposed to moisture other than possible condensation from going in and out of air conditioning. Again an absolute design flow.

The first cable lasted for give mouths and a store gave me a new one. It is failing after six weeks. The first quit working at all and had carbon buildups on both sides. The new one failed right across the center on one side already.

I'll simply hope it works until I can afford to replace it with an android.

Carbon buildup due to arcing-fin

And I only said: Stop crying nonsense.

Hundreds of millions iPhone cables and 0.001 % with "corrosion" without even knowing here if it is Apple product or third party. OMG. And btw these lightning cables much less connector problems than the larger earlier ones.

I don't question any statement, dave, not even dishonest ones. I absolutely believe any user who says he has "corrosion" on the cable. I have said to make worth the guarantee.

I also question your statement because you obviously did not read my post well enough.

I question illogical or wrong "conclusions", why this happens. even when i too make mistakes. And I hate remarks like "everybody has this problem" because they simply are not true and irrelevant.

besides, we are offtopic now, end of discussion.

Lex

I had the same problem and have written to Apple and am waiting for a reply. In the meanwhile I have bought a n 8 pin to Micro USB adapter, after a new cable also failed.

It should be received to day. I plan to keep this adapter attached permanently and charge with the micro usb cable. Shall keep you posted of my experience.

Another thing I found is that if you just lick the corroded contacts and plug it in it works fine. SO the corrosion because of the moisture is a delay tactics. Infant a wet contact works.

Hi, Further to my observations given a fortnight back, I would like to put on record two things

1. The adapter from the 8point contact to the mini USB is working fine and the charging rate is also very good. No black spots observed till date.

2. I am following a new regime as follows to prevent any sparking :

I first connect the cable to the iPhone and keep it on the table and then only connect the charger to the power. After that while charging I avoid moving the phone. This discipline, I feel, would give a lot of relief to all. It is good also as it is advisable not to talk or use the phone while it is charging. And while disconnecting, I disconnect the charger from the power first before disconnecting the cable from the phone.
I feel this should be the procedure for all charging of phone and other electronic equipment including the laptop.

Do give a feed back with your comments on the procedure.

I am experiencing this exact problem. I've had my phone for nearly two years... about 6 months ago I started experiencing it randomly shutting down in cold weather even when the battery wasn't dead. maybe 4-5 months ago I started having to put pressure on the cable to get it to charge. I started noticing black marks on the lightning cables that I use to charge it. The senior Apple Tech told me they'd grant me a 1-time exception to replace this port (in addition to the battery covered under the recall (that they only told me about after I called tech support to report the problem)). I pointed them to this thread, and they remained skeptical about whether the problem was with the phone or the cables, and suggest it was because I wasn't careful with my phone and did things like put it in my pocket (are they really designed to not be put in pockets?!?!?!?).

Hi BMW, Great. Now that you have got the new cable just follow the discipline of not plugging in the jack while the charger power is on. Put on the power after plugging in the jack. And always keep the icon side of the jack facing up. Gold doesnot corrode but it does get spoilt through sparking. This blackening is sparking and not corrosion, dear.

i have also encountered similar issue.

one of the 8 golden pins on one side of the cable got blackeded. authorised service centre people and apple support both are saying it is not u under warranty.

and the havw refused to hive me replacement under warranty.

Thanks for posting photos, I have the same issue and notice that pin 4 is severely corroded on my lightning cable as well (both sides, same as yours). At first, the phone began disconnecting intermittently and repeatedly. The next day the phone would not charge and pin 4 on the cable (both sides) was covered in carbon. No other pins were affected, this does not look like water damage.

Having the same problem here after only a month using this cable to charge my phone on my nightstand each night. Hopefully I can exchange it for a new one...

I just returned a month old lightening cable and was told by the store that I had exposed it to moisture! When I said that I had not, they did not belive me, but it appeard that this was not the first one of these that they saw. They told me that they woud replace it this one time but not again. This is why I pay them thousands of dollars, so that when a $3 cost cable fails they give me trouble? Not the way I would have handled it. They have a problem with this connector and are not prepared to admit it, so it is our fault.

I'm having the exact same problem! I've had the phone exactly 1 month when it stopped charging my phone! I was hoping to find a way to clean the corrosion off since I can't afford to spend $20 to get a new cord to charge a brand new phone!!!

Me too. I bought the Lightning to 30-pin Adapter for $29 US and there is now corrosion on both sides of the Lightning connector. When I plugin my iPhone, sometimes it charges, other times it doesn't. I've been really carefully with the adapter and it always stays in my car. Maybe the harsh winter months of Chicago are too much for these connectors? I never had this problem with the 30 pin connector. Next time I'm at an Apple Store, I'll show it to them. I hope they replace it.