Lightning connector broken off inside iPad?

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO MINE AND IT IS ME AND MY HUSBAND. MY GRANDSONS COME SOMETIMES BUT THEY ARE 9 AND 13 AND THEY DO NOT ABUSE IT.

Same exact thing that happend to mine and I know for a fact mine has not been abused and I know how to unplug a cable.

If you were to look at the reviews and ratings for this cable, you'll see that there are many people who disagree that Apple has produced a high quality cable:

http://store.apple.com/ca/reviews/MD818ZM/A/lightning-to-usb-cable?page=0

My experience hasn't been great either, with my cable splitting at the 8 pin end within four months of purchasing my iPad 4. When I took it to the Apple store both the salesperson on the floor and the Genius Bar rep automatically accused me of mishandling the cord by pulling it out by the cable rather than at the connector--something which I did not do. I was told that they didn't split that easily, but after reading all the reviews, I think that the just don't want to admit that Apple has made such an inferior product.

You may be just one of the lucky ones whose cable is made a bit sturdier. . . either that or your a loyal employee of Apple. ;-)

I have an iPad Mini. The (plug) that you plug your charger into (on the iPad), is NOW in the iPad. Not the charger piece, but the plug part on the iPad is no longer visible. Are some of you saying that Apple won't be able to fix this?

Yes, that is what I am saying Summervilla. Apple does not agree that the lighting connector could be faulty. Unless you have the Apple Care, they will not replace it for you. You must buy a brand new iPad. At least that was my experience. The tech continued to insist that I abused the iPad and therefore would not replace it.

I could offer links to the Amazon reviews, but I'm not going to waste that much time. You are free to search for yourself. Amazon does sell the Apple lightening connector and it it is a genuine Apple product. And, just to clarify, the connector my daugther was using was the original, out of the box, connector that came with her iPad. It was not the replacement that I ordered on Amazon (that was for my iPhone 5 after the connector shorted out on me - which, by the way, was the original connector that came in the box).

I went to an authorized service center awhile ago to check my iPad who has a broken lightning connector inside of it. They couldn't pull out the part of the lightning connector stuck inside. Since they don't open iPad for repair, they advised me to call Apple hotline to request for free replacement. Since it is not defective but cannot be used because I cannot charge it anymore. Have to call their tech support tomorrow because they are not open for

Sundays. Praying that they will replace my ipad for free. If they won't replace it for free I rather go to the unauthorized technician who will open my ipad and charge me only @ $25 than to pay $425 for the replacement fee.

Ok, Here's the thing!

The lightning adapter end is obviously a faulty product!

The solution to all your problems, take a very fine bladed screw driver and slide it down the side of the socket and the end that has come off will spring out really easily, get an assistant, preferably an attractive one, to hold a light which will high light the end stuck in the socket.

If anyone one is unsure I could post a youtube video!

Good luck just saved myself a fortune.

I just got the same issue with my iPad mini. Seems like the apple service centre unable to rectify it on the spot and mention that this may not covered under warranty. Obviously the connector and the port itself is not reliable that should be recall and replace without any charges. I never had any issue before until that day it broke. Not even a year it couldn't stand normal usage.

I also just had the same issue today. The metal casing and the end of the lightning connector broke off into the socket. I am very diappointed! I did not jerk or pull on the cable and cannot explain how this happened. When I took it in to the store to be looked at all the tech suceeded in doing was getting it more firmly lodged inside the socket. I have only had the device since July, and it was brand new when issued to me.

I had an iPad brought to me this afternoon from a co-worker to fix the problem of a broken off lightning connector from an accessory device. I first headed for the toolbox for needle-nose pliers or tweezers, but I took a closer look and relized there was one great option to fix this -- glue.

I took a plastic twist tie I had sitting around and I bent it in half and glued the two ends to the broken connetor then pulled it out.

It's probably safest to turn the iPad OFF first. Make sure the twist tie is bent and aligned for a good flat fit before applying Krazy/Super glue (not model cement, etc.). IMPORTANT: apply a small amount of glue ONLY to the twist tie. Don't risk trying to put glue on the connector in the hole. I recommend placing the iPad face down on a soft surface. Then with a steady hand, place the twist tie ends straight into the hole onto the middle of the broken connetor and HOLD it with a steady hand. After maybe a minute, you should be able to gently let go and the twist tie should stay. Tip the iPad up and lean it against something safely with the connector straight up to let the glue dry for 15-20 min. Then gently pull the twist tie evenly straight out to remove the broken piece!

I had the iPad returned to a happy co-worker within 30 min.

Later, thinking about this again, cutting a small plastic zip tie would have worked well too.

Message was edited by: Nerdificator

Thanks for the helpful tip for extracting the broken off Lightening connector.

If this is a company iPad, you should now be in the process of getting the iPad away from whomever this employee is. Look at the damage that is very evident in the photo of the connector port. Compare the area surrounding the connector port of the iPad with the broken off connector and the area around the connector port of the undamaged iPad in your second photo. This is not accidental damage, this iPad and it's Lightening cable have been seriously abused by the employee or possibly one of their kids.

Good eye, Dah•veed. That's partially why I took that particular photo. I know it was improperly treated, but it was unintentional. As I was told, this was actually a slip of the iPad while handing it from one person to another during a demo. The iPad was caught, but apparently part of the quick grab involved overstressing our small accessory device made with an Apple connector. The connector seems to have a weak spot right where the side indentations are.

And just a further note to any DIY fixers, I would NOT recommend using the broken cable/accessory and Krazy/Super glueing it back on in order to extract the broken piece because it may fit too well and the glue would be squeezed out the edges and end up gluing everything to the sides of the iPad connector hole!

Edit;

I see what it is that you were calling the indentations. They can only be seen from the side. But I don't find that area to be week. I just tried to break mine again in that spot with pliers and with normal hand pressure it can't be done.

You can see that where your connector broke would require an extreme amount of torq. I have purposely tried to break my Ligtening cable with a pair of pliers and with normal pressure it can't be done, not even back by the plastic housing, let alone where the one you have broke.