iPhone 5s 'This cable or accessory is not certified and may not work reliably...' help?

I'm having the same annoying message with my 5S since the latest system release. Even MFI certified cables and adapters give the same message, which is annoying to say the least. If Apple thinks they can now design their products to force customers to use only their OUTRAGEOUSLY priced cables and chargers, they stand to lose a lot of customers. This is pure and simple corporate greed. Forget the nonsense about technical specs and safety- it boils down to being a good corporate citizen with an awareness that monopolies are not good for any society. I thought that the post Jobs Apple would have a bit more of a responsible, philanthropic bent; but I was dreaming.

Have you tried cleaning the pocket lint and other crud from the lightning connector on the bottom of the phone?

One complicating issue is that you may want to check is the iPhone receptacle which can get clogged with dust and lead to intermittent charging problems. This happened on my phone and I thought it was a bad cable.

I also however feel it is unfair and bad business for Apple to block non-certified power sources. They have not provided any information about why they need a higher standards for power input devices then the rest of the world or how adding a chip to block non-Apple products helps their customers.

pdx_biker wrote:

I also however feel it is unfair and bad business for Apple to block non-certified power sources. They have not provided any information about why they need a higher standards for power input devices then the rest of the world or how adding a chip to block non-Apple products helps their customers.

Let's call it experience. Customers complaining that their devices have melted, caught on fire, shocked them.....all sorts of unsavory things. This information is not secret. An internet search will reveal customers reporting incidents occurring with off-brand power sources. If you have no quality assurance (which cheap power supplies built in China do not), then all sorts of bad things can happen. Apple has decided to ensure that if you are plugging your device or your computer into a power source, that the source you are using is safe and has been tested for use by the products for which it was intended. Apple doesn't just certify its own cables, so it is not like they are trying to force you to purchase their product. They just want you purchasing a product that they have tested and certified to be safe for use and safe for the sturdy but very intricate electronic device that you have paid a lot of money for.

You wouldn't use a power cord that wasn't UL-certified, would you?

GB

pdx_biker wrote:

I also however feel it is unfair and bad business for Apple to block non-certified power sources. They have not provided any information about why they need a higher standards for power input devices then the rest of the world or how adding a chip to block non-Apple products helps their customers.

Gail covered it. There are at least 2 very specific reasons:

1. The technology is patented. If you don't defend a patent you lose it. And Apple will license any manufacturer who can demonstrate that their cable meets all specifications.
2. The purpose of the chip (actually 3 chips) is not to block non-Apple products. The chips implement added functionality, such as digital to analog conversion. As the chips are custom-made for Apple no uncertified cable can exactly replicate the functionality of the Lightning cable because the chips aren't available to them.

Hi.I also have this problem.Since i've changed a screen on my I phone 5 which uses ios 8 appears this text when i plug my geniune charger as before(This cable or accesory is not certified .......)I've tried about three different cords to exclude that issue.Also i wiped the charging port but no result.Please please please , If anybody knows what's wrong with my i phone help me.. Is this a hardware or software issue? Probably i charging port is dead?I know somebody can get me happy 🙂 thanks in advance

I have the same problem with my original Apple charger and cable.

The problem started out of the blue. One day I was able to plug my phone to the charger and charge. The next day I started getting this message and my phone won't charge.

Again - this is the original Apple charger+cable which have been working for months.

Try cleaning the lightning connect on the bottom of the phone. Use an air blast or a non-metal toothpick and a magnifying glass to see what you are doing.

Thank you Lawrence.

I took the phone and cable to an Apple store. The Apple guy at the store:

1. Thoroughly examined my cable from end to end, checked the cable. It was almost comical. He wanted to make sure it was an original Apple cable. Finally he was satisfied that it was indeed an Apple-made cable.

2. Then he cleaned the lightning connector socket. Indeed there was something there which he took out with a paper clip (metal! :-) ).

3. Then he plugged the phone to the power using my cable and charger - still same problem. The phone would not charge and the message about certified cable was displayed.

4. Then he used a new cable and charger - it worked.

So this proved that :

1. The problem was not with the phone itself.

2 That although my cable is a Apple made cable, it was rejected by the phone.

The Apple guy said he didn't understand why my cable stopped working and said it is looked like a software problem - my cable should not be rejected. Again - this is a cable which has been working fine for years.

I ended up buying a new cable (for 29 AU$) . It ***** but what can I say...

The dreaded message popped up on my device today. I dismissed it and the lightning symbol which usually means it's charging appears but in this instance it wasn't (I checked 15 mins later and charge remained the same). I unplugged and re-plugged the cable. This time the message did not appear, however, the device now shows Not Charging (even though it is, but at a snail's pace). At the moment of typing, it's still charging s-l-o-w-l-y and I'm keeping my fingers crossed hoping the message won't randomly pop up like what some others are experiencing even though their device does not have any cable plugged in.

I noticed this problem appeared AFTER I did a full sync/backup on the pc (using the same cable). On the pc, it shows as Not Charging, which I took as normal since I see that every time my iPad 2 is plugged in. Anyway, this is the first time I was doing it even though I got the device a few months ago. It was plugged in for hours due to transfer of purchases. I'm wondering if this causes it to be somehow 'locked' in USB charging rate and what it would take to trigger off the normal AC charging. I run a battery doctor app while charging and while it usually displays a green bar when on AC charge, it now shows a yellow bar.

On an android smartphone, we can see the setting on whether our phone is on AC charging by tapping the Battery under Settings. I noticed the same problem of my android device being locked in USB charging rate especially after I used a powerbank with lower output (i.e. 1A instead of 2A) or plugged into the pc for a long period of time. However, the charging returns to normal after a few normal charging via AC adapter.

Too bad there isn't any indication on our apple device except the Not Charging message to imply the charging current/rate is not at its optimum. Does anyone know how to reset the charging rate for an apple device?

First, have you tried cleaning the Lightning connector on the bottom of the phone? That is the most common problem both for the "not certified" message and failure to charge. I especially suspect this is the cause because unplugging and re-plugging fixed it temporarily, but repositioning the cruft in the port.

Note also that most computers cannot supply the minimum current (1 amp) necessary to charge an iPad; if you connect an iPad to a USB port the computer will sense an over-current condition and disable charging through the port. It will still sync, but not charge. Except for a few newer computers (and Macs since 2010) the maximum current available from a computer port is 0.5 amps.

Also, 1 amp is sufficient to charge, but only if you are not using the device at the time. If you are running any apps that use energy this will result in an overcurrent condition and charging will stop.

This is evil form of monopolizing every single thing. There is no doubt Apple phone is great but simple things like allowing alternate charge cables, allowing alternate charge cases, power blocks etc should be allowed to use under the user's own risk. No one is going to sue apple, if they put a disclaimer and allow to use.

Aru_roark74 wrote:

This is evil form of monopolizing every single thing. There is no doubt Apple phone is great but simple things like allowing alternate charge cables, allowing alternate charge cases, power blocks etc should be allowed to use under the user's own risk. No one is going to sue apple, if they put a disclaimer and allow to use.

NO, this is Apple protecting the user and the user's phone. Someone DIED last year as a direct result of using a counterfeit adapter. And counterfeit cables have caused damage to iPhones. Apple does not require that you use an Apple cable, but they DO require that the cable meets Apple standards. There are many Apple certified non-Apple cables available. Likewise, you can use any USB adapter that meets the USB international standard. And there are dozens of charge blocks and charging cases that work just fine. Apple doesn't even make a battery powered charger.

The lightning cable has 3 microcircuits in the phone end of the connector. Using inferior chips will damage the phone. And the user will still blame Apple, disclaimer or not.

I started having this problem with my iPhone 5 a few weeks ago, but first now took the time to Google the problem. How can I tell if my cable and charger are Apple or not? I simply don't remember if I have purchased off-brand ones or not. Surely one or more of my cables and chargers are the originals (I have three of each), but they all look alike to me! But it doesn't matter which I use to charge, I still get this message (which comes up repeatedly while the phone is not being charged).

There's a tip for that: Identify counterfeit or uncertified Lightning connector accessories - Apple Support

But also try cleaning the lightning connector on the bottom of the phone. A toothpick and a bright light are good tools for this.