Iphone 4S not charging when it is ON, but getting charged when it is OFF. Not connecting to PC/Laptop.

Inspect the charging port area for dirt/debris/fluff build-up that may be preventing a good connection and use a wooden toothpick, soft clean toothbrush, or a can of compressed air to clean it. Also look for bent or broken pins. Try another cable and/or charger block (be sure to always use a genuine Apple certified brand) in a known good outlet. If you're using a USB port, try another port. If you're using a hub, try a direct connection. If you're using a USB port in the front of a desktop computer, try one in the back. If all these fail, make an appointment at your nearest Genius Bar to have the device evaluated.

Amish/ Selvars4, i have exactly the same issue. I'm sure its software issue as mine has done it also just last week. i had it happen previously about 3 months ago also. the phone would only charge via a USB from a pc or if the phone was turned off.The way i got it working last time i kept reloading previous version of the phone back up and finally it worked normally again. It was always visible to iTunes so not an issue. Last week though i have had exactly the same problem as Selvars and itunes cannot see it now, and not charge by any device except when turned off. I did a backup and iTunes sync about 2 days before this problem started. (now thinking back it was the same when i had the previous issues with charging) this time its invisible to iTunes, pc,won't charge anywhere except turned off. i left it plugged into pc where it wasn't visible and then about 40mins later it recognised it. so i did a factory restore and update then reloaded a back up. it now is visible to pc and charges from pc and power adaptor but won't charge from a dock. Strange and Frustrating. Suvzero

letting you know , that it is working fine again now. It slowly comes back to normal usage by itself. First it started to charge again off the power socket and then after a couple of days the pc. It still wouldn't see a dock when plugged in. Then a few days later the dock would recognise it but it wouldn't charge and only play music. A portable power source wouldn't work either. then a few days later the dock is now charging and now the battery power source is also charging it again. i won't be connecting to iTunes for a long time via cable and see if the problem occurs again but fingers crossed it was just some kind of software glitch from iTunes.

Hello I had the same issue with both of my iphones. The first one I had was a 4 and second a 4s. I took it to a certified apple tech (iclinic) and they too said it was going to be the charging port. Needles to say once they changed the charging port it still did the same thing the phone wouldn't charge and it wouldn't connect to the computer it would charge with the phone off. The tech told me that I would have to get a new phone there was nothing he can do. He even tried connecting a new battery just to see if that would some how fix the issue, but that didn't work also. Please if anyone has any resolution with this issue please post. I am thinking its a software issue.

It's not a software issue. It's probably your charging port. But to make sure, you should make an appointment at the Genius Bar to have your device evaluated by the techs there.

That's indicative of hardware problems. The only way Apple will resolve it is if you take it in to the Genius Bar to have the device evaluated (make an appointment first).