Apple battery charger flashes orange

I fixed mine just cleaning the contacts... : )

I've got the same problem as well! 9 out of 10 times the light flashes orange. It is very annoying. But I have figured out a workaround recently. The work around I have is first plug the charger into the wall socket and then place the batteries into their slots. Then I quickly use my finger(s) and fit between the gap between the two batteries and wiggle a little so the batteries will move slightly outward and a little bit more apart from each other. Then the light will stays orange. I am hoping for a recall one day as I cannot find my receipt for a refund 😟

Many battery chargers (not only Apple's) will do this when you try to charge a battery that has completely drained — for example, if the batteries went dead and were left uncharged for a while.

The solution is to cut power to the charger, leave it for about a minute, then turn the power back on. Sometimes you need to repeat this 2–3 times.

The explanation that I have read in (a different) charger's manual is that the battery needs at least a small charge in order for the charger to get a good read on its power status. For reference, I read this in the manual for my first-party Canon battery charger. And it worked just now for my Apple battery charger. Hope this helps.

Hello:

I cannot tell, but from here it would appear that the batteries (or charger) are, indeed, faulty. I would return them for warrantry replacement.

Barry

@gadgetfish - this technique worked beautifully for me. Thanks! The key was to plug the charger into the wall first, and then gingerly, place each battery into position.

Have to agree with Barry. There should be no need for some of the jiggery pokery described here. There's something wrong; change them. As hardware the charger is guaranteed for 12 months

I had something similar happen when trying to charge a set of Energizer AAs and cleaning the contacts actually worked for me. After awhile, the light would blink orange and the batteries would get incredibly hot (almost dangerously hot.) I'd wiggle everything around and it would work, but take a really long time and the batteries would get hot again.

It didn't seem obvious, but cleaning the contacts, especially the top recessed ones where the positive ends go, really made a difference. They didn't look especially dirty, but I just took a small cloth can cleaned the contacts gently until they shined. It makes a huge difference. The batteries charge in a few hours and don't get hot anymore. I guess it doesn't take much grime to create a lot of resistance and really screw things up.

Maybe a lot of these Apple AA chargers are faulty? Anyone have a good one? I'll request a warranty swap later just to be safe. There's always the hope that some manufacturing defect has been resolved.

Meanwhile, the above tips helped me. Thanks!

I was using brand-new Eneloops (should be identical to Apple's included batteries) on their very first re-charge. No good! Flashing orange every time.

- Plugging the charger into the wall first did not help (though I don't doubt it might help in other cases). Nor did trying different wall outlets.

- Cleaning the contacts and the batteries did not help (but is obviously good practice).

- Wiggling the batteries and shifting them slightly in different directions did not help... at first. (The flashing would often go steady for a few seconds, but then return to the error blink before long.)

BUT: wiggling them every which way, waiting to see what happens, then trying again... and again... and again... MANY times... DID eventually help!

So don't give up too soon on the wiggling/re-seating. And if/when you do get the light to stay on... back away softly and don't even breathe! The connection is incredibly fragile. (But not in the way you'd expect: it DOES connect with the batteries enough to know they're there, or else the light would simply be off. So what is the wiggling really doing? I don't get it.)

Sorry, Morgan, but your explanation is not sound. There should be no need to wiggle anything or drift around on a cushion of air. Apple battery chargers work with few exceptions. We only hear of the exceptions, not many people write here to say their charger works brilliantly; it is expected. So if you have an Apple product that appears to be faulty within the warranty period … simply return it for replacement.

You're probably responding to someone else (since I offered no explanation at all—I am baffled by the wiggling fix, but it is truthfully THE only way to make mine work); but in any case I agree: as I stated, it's going back for warranty swap.

Meanwhile, we can call only guess as to the statistical failure rate--but whatever it is, it affects multiple people--and my thanks goes to those others who found the same problem and the same solutions that ended up helping me. I have a presentation to give, and no warranty process will get me charged and ready in time! But wiggling? Yes! My only mistake was to give up too soon at first. To those who share this problem (especially if your warranty is over): that simple fix, however annoying, may well get you going again.

That is working for me! Thank you!

This worked for me like a charm!

Wanted to confirm that surprisingly enough, the "wiggling" solution worked for me as well.

I was having the flashing orange light, too. After reading through here I cleaned the contacts of the charger AND the batteries with a white eraser. And, afterward wiped them again with a cloth. That fixed the problem for me.

Just follow these steps if the led on a Apple battery charger blinks orange:

1. Clean the contacts on the charger with a dry cloth, try charging. If the led still blinks try 2.
2. Clean the contacts of the batteries, try charging. If the led still blinks, try 3
3. Try charging new batteries. If the led still blinks, return the charger for replacement and take the batteries you tries charging with you for testing.

Cleaning the contacts does the trick 9 out of 10 times!