HT201569: If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won't charge

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goldenlord52

Q: My iPhone 5 says it's charging but the battery symbol keeps fluctuating?

Ok. A few months back I dropped my phone and the screen smashed into hellfire. it's intact mostly, with a little bit missing, exposing what I think is the back of the external camera. I don't know if that is the cause but I thought it was worth mentioning. Today, my iPhone died. I hadn't charged it because i was too tired, and fell asleep with it on Low Power at about 16%. I woke up this morning and it was dead, as I expected. I plug my charger into the wall and try to charge my phone. The charger is a bit....difficult. One of those where it has to be at a specific angle to charge, but it was more than that.

 

When the phone is too dead to actually start, it shows the little battery with red lines, one line representing 1% of charge, right? And it turns on at 4%. Well, mine goes to 3 bars, then all the bars disappear. Then to 3 bars again, then disappear etc. Appear and Disappear about every half a second. And it just...doesn't want to charge. I have it in the right position for the charger to work, and the symbol showing the USB is plugged in appears, but it still won't charge. What do I do??

iPhone 5, iOS 9.2, 1 year old, NO warranty.

Posted on Jun 18, 2016 11:20 AM

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Q: My iPhone 5 says it's charging but the battery symbol keeps fluctuating?

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  • by Starr.C,

    Starr.C Starr.C Jun 19, 2016 8:18 AM in response to goldenlord52
    Community Specialists
    Jun 19, 2016 8:18 AM in response to goldenlord52

    Hi there goldenlord52,

     

    Welcome to the Apple Support Communities! This is a great place to find helpful resources for the issue you are experiencing with charging and turning on your iPhone 5. I'll be happy to provide you with some information on how to move forward.

     

    Based on what you are describing, I would recommend trying the steps in this article:

     

    If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won't turn on

     

    As it says at the bottom, if you try those things and your phone still won't turn on or charge, it may be beneficial to reach out to us via another one of our support channels.

     

    Best of luck!