TnD1w

Q: Iphone 5 lightning port charging problem - SOLUTION!

Just wanted to share a solution to my charging problem.  Very quickly my phone developed a problem where I couldn't get it to charge.  The connector didn't feel sloppy, but if I twisted it to the side, I could get it to make a connection.  However, if I let go or bumped the phone it would immediatly disconnect.  Sometimes it would take a easy dozen tries to get the phone to establish a connection.  Often I'd come back only to find that it had lost the connection and stopped charging.  Took it to the Verizon store and it worked fine on their cords.  Could be the cord, but I have multiple cords stashed in different locations and they all went bad at the same time.  That suggests to me that it's the phone and not the cord.  I tried to fish for some lint in the port and that definetly seems to be part of the problem.  I used a bent paperclip with no ill effects, but I'd be more comfortable with a flat toothpick.  Just stay away from the sides of the port as I don't know how fragile the connection wires are.  In my case, I was going for the bottom of the port.  Reach into the port and try to scrape out any packed in lint from the back of the port.  I'm thinking the lint may prevent the plug from fully seating thus creating a poor connection.  This helped a fair amount, but the connection still needed improvement.  Last night I bought a can of electrical contact cleaner and thought I'd give it a try.  I'd admit that I was a bit nervous to spray this into my phone, but I needed to try something.  Using the included tube, I sprayed a tiny amount of cleaner into the port.  The cleaner will get outside the port, but I don't see any signs of damage to the Belkin case, phone body, screen or disposable screen protector.  While the port was still wet, I grabbed a cord and plugged it in several times hoping to agitate the solution and mechanically clean the connection.  A mini q-tip would work even better.  Instantly I found a signficantly improved connection.  Plug it in and boom, good connection.  First try every time.  No wiggling necessary.  I did this last night at home and I just plugged the phone in at work; again got a good connection.  Now, I only tried this last night, but it certainly looks like the problem is dirt, grime and maybe a touch of corrosion that's causing the problem.  Clean the port out to remove any debris and then apply a quick shot of contact cleaner and you should be good to go!

Posted on Aug 16, 2013 6:52 AM

Close

Q: Iphone 5 lightning port charging problem - SOLUTION!

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

first Previous Page 12 of 13 last Next
  • by zipflash,

    zipflash zipflash Jan 18, 2016 9:02 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 18, 2016 9:02 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thanks so much for posting.  This totally works.  Some clues for others who may try it:

     

    1.  Standard round toothpicks are slightly too big to fit to the back of the Lightning port.  So you may think you are getting back there, but you actually aren't.  I shaved my toothpick slightly with a knife, and then it fit.

     

    2.  On my phone, most of the lint was compressed in the two corners BEHIND the spring-loaded clips inside the hole at left and right.

     

    3.  I kept thinking I was done, and then would find another pocket of lint.

     

    4.  You can tell you've hit another lint spot if you press gently with the toothpick, and it gives a little, i.e. you've hit something squishy.

  • by rich276,

    rich276 rich276 Jan 18, 2016 6:09 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 18, 2016 6:09 PM in response to TnD1w

    Excellent post! Other comments to this post suggested using a toothpick (phone was powered off by the way just in case) to clean out the gathered lint in the charging port...mine had a lot of lint! I then spraying compressed air in the port, waited a few minutes and then powered on my phone. Works like a charm so far!

  • by codeblue3638,

    codeblue3638 codeblue3638 Jan 22, 2016 7:45 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jan 22, 2016 7:45 AM in response to TnD1w

    i know this is an old post ...but i'm having the same problem in 2016....i took my iphone 5c into sprint office because of the charging problems..they too said it was lint...but soon after i got home it did the same....i tried buying a new charger cord...it wasn't a white one like the one that came with it...it was blue....and no luck still the same...couldn't get it to charge...unless i held the cord at a certain angle....so i bought a new white one like the one that came with it...no luck....i can get it to charge i lay it down...then it'll cycle off and on and off and on continuously and it's just laying there...very aggravating..i repeat clean it it doesn't help...it's a defect in the phone...i've been an iphone owner for years....but i'm going to switch soon to a more reliable phone....when i originally took my phone in for this problem it was under warranty...but of course not any more....i guess they can put you off long enough for warranty to expire....i have been a iphone owner for a long time...i use to always brag about it...tell people how much i liked it...but not any more....a piece of equipment that cost that much should be reliable for several years or more...

  • by zipflash,

    zipflash zipflash Jan 22, 2016 10:20 AM in response to codeblue3638
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 22, 2016 10:20 AM in response to codeblue3638

    Can't guarantee this will help you, but...

     

    I just had this problem, and just solved it a few days ago (January 2016).  I was so sure that all the lint was gone.  I was certain the problem was the connector.

     

    I was wrong.  There was more lint!  Working gently with a toothpick (dry wood does not conduct electricity, so nothing will short out), I found more lint, and more, and more, until boom, all of a sudden the phone was charging again.

     

    On mine, most of the lint was hiding in the deep far edges of the connector hole, behind the little clips just inside the opening.  The process reminded me of a circus clown car:  I would not have believed so much lint could fit inside that little hole.

  • by walczajg,

    walczajg walczajg Jan 29, 2016 7:49 PM in response to Dr.JJ
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 29, 2016 7:49 PM in response to Dr.JJ

    Worked like a charm!

  • by Coffee_boy,

    Coffee_boy Coffee_boy Feb 4, 2016 9:04 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 4, 2016 9:04 PM in response to TnD1w

    You're a genius!!! Why couldn't I have thought of that  LOL!!! Thanks for the advise......2 minutes it took to fix a problem that's been bugging the **** out of me for the past month!!!

    Thank You, Thank You!!!!!

  • by abowles3,

    abowles3 abowles3 Feb 4, 2016 9:25 PM in response to redrock1000
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 4, 2016 9:25 PM in response to redrock1000

    Yep. Toothpick worked great. Was ready to buy a new phone out of sheer frustration with no power charging. Thanks all!

  • by Hemal modi,

    Hemal modi Hemal modi Mar 16, 2016 11:30 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 16, 2016 11:30 PM in response to TnD1w

    Worked like charm...!!! Facing this issue from past 2 months and i streched out rubber from my 2 charing cables as i thought it would be cable issue. i should google this thing prior. Saved me

  • by Ktimilsina,

    Ktimilsina Ktimilsina Apr 18, 2016 8:59 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apr 18, 2016 8:59 AM in response to TnD1w

    WOW! I couldn't think there was this simple solution. I just pulled a penny size lint from 5C charging port and voila! it started charging every time. Now I am going to check on my other iPhones that has charging issues. Never thought dirt will be blocking it... Thank you so much for posting this solution!

  • by Manbeer,

    Manbeer Manbeer May 3, 2016 5:14 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 3, 2016 5:14 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thank u sooo much for this simple solution... i was thinking of the expenses for buying a new iphone, when i reached this page... loved the simplicity of the solution... just did the toothpick part & its working gr8 now... will try the contact cleaner too later... Thank u...

  • by Rings o' Neptune,

    Rings o' Neptune Rings o' Neptune May 4, 2016 11:13 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 4, 2016 11:13 AM in response to TnD1w

    My experience:  no lint, but on close inspection of the connector, I noticed pin 4 on both sides of the connector had a black build-up.  This was apparently carbon, as after I'd cleaned it, the connector metal was pitted (indicating there had been some arcing between it and the phone contacts (!!!).  This also indicates that there should be similar charring & pitting on the phone-side contact.

     

    It took quite a bit of rubbing with a toothpick and 70% rubbing alcohol to clean the pin on the cable again.  (I don't know if 90% alcohol would make it easier to clean or not, but next time I would try it.)

     

    As far as cleaning the phone-side contact for connector pin #4, that's pretty dicey:

    • The contacts are raised, "springy" wires.

    Issues to deal with, given the structure, small dimensions and lack of visibility on the phone-side:

    • You can rub only "in and out" -- not side to side -- on the contacts.
    • It's nearly impossible to access only 1 pin in the hole at a time.
    • You don't know what the conditions are on the pins.
    • You don't know when your cleaning effort is complete.

    I turned the phone off, and used an alcohol-saturated toothpick in the connector hole.   Afterwards, I let it dry for many minutes.

    This technique seems to have worked.

    The good news is that the contacts seem to be on the "back" side of the connector hole only.

     

    Caveat emptor!

  • by jaytee135,

    jaytee135 jaytee135 May 5, 2016 10:07 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 5, 2016 10:07 AM in response to TnD1w

    Brilliant, thanks for this - and to all the other added tips and mods. Didn't have a toothpick, so I split a matchstick and that worked fine. Never realised I had that much lint in my pocket!

  • by Jeffijoe,

    Jeffijoe Jeffijoe May 6, 2016 9:08 AM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 6, 2016 9:08 AM in response to TnD1w

    Thanks a ton! The toothpick did the trick!

  • by fuzzygoblin,

    fuzzygoblin fuzzygoblin May 6, 2016 6:50 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 6, 2016 6:50 PM in response to TnD1w

    i have had the same problem for weeks saw you post and tried it but without the spray i cleaned the port out then i got a small nail file and gently rub the terminals to remove any corrosion now it works just like the first i had the phone thanks saved me a trip to the apple store or geting a new port and try fitting it myselg

  • by lean689,

    lean689 lean689 May 15, 2016 7:49 PM in response to TnD1w
    Level 1 (4 points)
    May 15, 2016 7:49 PM in response to TnD1w

    Thank you very much! It solved my problem!

first Previous Page 12 of 13 last Next