This accessory may not be supported

Hello,

If an alert says that your accessory isn't supported or certified

These alerts can appear for a few reasons: Your iOS device might have a dirty or damaged charging port, your charging accessory is defective, damaged, or non Apple-certified, or your USB charger isn't designed to charge devices.

1. Remove any debris from the charging port on the bottom of your device.
2. Restart your iOS device.
3. Try a different USB cable or charger.
4. Make sure that you have the latest version of iOS.
5. Contact Apple Support to set up service.

More info here:

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won't charge - Apple Support

I am having the same issue with this error message coming up. I have it on a range of different chargers and even my 3.5mm to lightening bolt connector.

My phone was replaced by apple 3 weeks ago due to an issue with the battery life on my previous device. So, i decided to take my device back into store to have it looked at.

The genius i spoke to said that there was a lot of dirt in the connector which i was a little less than convinced about due to the phone being so old but i went with it and accepted it as an answer. (Note- my new phone has a smashed screen). The genius did however say that even though this was probably the issue, his manager advised that they would replace the phone for the cost of a new screen. I was confused that he even mentioned this to me as he told me the dirt he removed was probably the issue?

I told him i was not prepared to pay for the screen replacement and went on my way.

I got home and yet again, when plugged into various chargers, my phone continued to have this error message and so i could not charge my phone overnight as it would randomly stop during the night.

I decided to go back to the store to discuss what had happened. I told the genius in the store of my issues and he stressed that the phone is ‘out of warranty’ due to the smashed screen. I told him that i did not want a screen replacement but i wanted a phone that charged properly. He told me he could not fulfill my request so i asked to speak to somebody that could do this. He told me he was a senior technician and they do not have the power to do this.

As i continued to try and reason with him, even though he agreed with what i was saying in that, replacing the screen does not affect the charger, and so to ask me to pay for a replacement screen was an unreasonable request, he could not change the warranty policy details. He then told me that he was very busy and due to the long queue was not prepared to continue conversation with me and told me to call AppleCare to escalate my issue. He once again agreed that i had a fair point in not paying for the screen replacement however he could not help.

I left the store and called AppleCare where a very efficient call centre worker quickly forwarded me to his manager as he knew he could not help me with my issue. After waiting for a few minutes, i was put on to a lady working for AppleCare and despite explaining my story she also told me she could not help and that my request was unreasonable as the phone was ‘out of warranty’. After about 10 minutes on the phone to the lady, she asked me if i was nearby to the store i had been in (which i was) and if i was able to put her on to the Genius bar representative that i had spoken to earlier. After waiting for around a further 10 minutes he eventually spoke to her and they finally arrived at the agreement to get me to speak with the branch manager of the store i was in.

My issue was explained by the genius representative and the store manager continued to tell me about how ‘we don’t get into the ifs and buts with the customer’ as it causes confusions. I asked him a simple question, ‘Of i buy a car and it is in warranty and there is an issue with the engine but it has a cracked windscreen, does the car dealer tell me that they will not complete the repair work on the engine until i pay for a windscreen replacement?’ , he replied with ‘I don’t know about that as i am not a car dealer.’. I asked him a further question, ‘does scratched and dents of the casing of the Iphone also classed as ‘accidental damage’? ‘ he replied with ‘yes’. So i asked him why they replaced my other iphone 7 two weeks ago, he told me he could not talk about the previous device.

I asked him if i was to pay for the screen replacement, would they actually replace the screen? He said no, but that the phone would simply be recycled.

I told him that it seems as though apple are aware that there are issues with their phones, however, when they know they need to replace their phones, they try to squeeze every last penny out of you by putting in place biased and unrealistic warranty guidelines. It is not my fault that apple designed their phones in such a way that they cannot replace parts in them. I simply expect to spend £719 on a phone that does one simple thing, and that is charge.

I am extremely disappointed with Apple’s Customer Service

biffhungwell wrote:

So you're telling me the cables I've been using for years all of a sudden will catch my phone on fire.

I'm saying that the chances of something going badly wrong if you're using a cable that is not Made for iPhone certified (which is not the same as OEM) are substantially higher. Sometimes they work but often they stop working.

I've crossed the street against the light and never been hit by a car. Does that make it a sensible idea?

I don't care what phone or cable you chose. Nor does anyone else posting here. If you want Apple to know how you feel, use the feedback page:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

• First, try cleaning the Lightning port on the bottom of the phone. Use a bright light and a non-metallic tool such as a toothpick
• Inspect the cable you are using and verify that it is marked Made for iPhone (MFI) if it is not an Apple cable; replace it with a certified cable if it isn't already.
• Try a different cable.
• Inspect the USB power source and verify that it is Apple's or certified as Made for iPhone.
• Try a different certified USB power source.
• Contact Apple Support using the link at the top of this page.

Yes, Apple IS doing just that. That is why after the upgrade some devices like 3rd party chargers will not work. I have insurance for my iPhone through Asurion, when my I phone was replace due to damage I receive a refurbish one with a 3rd party charger and cable. A year after using them successfully I upgraded to 10.3.2 and now when I plug in my phone to charge the "This Accessory May another Be Supported On iPhone" appears. So yes Apple IS trying to make you and everyone else throw away their 3rd party accessories so they can keep making even more money. I smell a class action lawsuit against Apple for this stunt.

No Apple does not intentionally change the code in updates to mess people's devices up. Every update goes through numerous testing before it is released to the public. Apple doesn't do what's Microsoft does either.

In this case the best thing to do is to contact Apple Support to set up service.

I don't care what phone or cable you chose. Nor does anyone else posting here. If you want Apple to know how you feel, use the feedback page:

http://www.apple.com/feedback

*lol* Then why do you keep replying to my posts with your own opinions??

If it works now it is coincidence. iOS updates do not cause or cure that symptom. There are a small number of things that can cause it:

• Dirt in the connector on the bottom of the phone (the most common cause)
• Using a Lightning cable that is not certified as Made for iPhone
• A defective Lightning cable, or one that has failed - note that there are 4 microcircuits in the phone end of the cable, and they can be easily "blown" from using a USB power source that is not properly regulated or filtered
• Damage to the Lightning connector on the bottom of the phone.

There are no known software issues that can cause this message to appear.

The USB worked since day one that I have my iPad. I upgraded the system to iOS 10.3.1 on last Friday evening, and the problem starts. After 20 seconds plugged and lightening, the message shows "the accessory may not be supported" "Dismiss". I tried the every single steps that were listed on the website, no luck!! Does Apple OS team change the code on monitoring charging system? It looks like every time they upgrade the system always have some people got "downgrade". Sigh...... Are they trying to follow the Microsoft always have side effects on system upgrade? Or they just try to remind the people that "it is the time to buy new accessory".

I am using a lightening cord to USB and split to 3.5mm and getting the same error. Not plugged into power supply. What is the reasoning behind this being unsupported? This is new to the latest update. I have heard of the same problem with just lightening to 3.5 mm adapters as well. They work for a minute so there should be no reason for them to stop working.

mdkinn2 wrote:

That would make sense except I'm getting the message using the original, Apple supplied charger that came with my iPhone. So it doesn't appear to be related to using a 3rd party accessory.

If you're seeing the message with original equipment, it usually means one of two things. One, there is pocket lint or other debris in your charging port. Take a look at it with a good light and a magnifying glass. Clean out any junk with a non-conductive tool such as the stick from a cotton swab. Two, the cable, even though genuine, is defective or damaged. If there's no external damage and it's less than a year old, contact Apple for a replacement.

Mr. Rutherford apparently has his own issues.

I have the same issue regarding the error message " This accessory may not be supported".

The issue has been started when I've updated my iOs software update to 10.3.2. I haven't experienced the same issue before until I've updated it. I hope there is a useful help here aside from basic cleaning of ports and questioning the reliability of my cable. Thanks in advance.

If your cable is from Apple and it is not working then make a Genius Bar appointment at your nearest Apple Store and have it replaced.

If it is from another vendor and is certified as Made for iPhone then contact the vendor that made it.

If it is not from Apple, and is not certified as Made for iPhone, then it probably no longer work.

My nearest Genius Bar is more than three hours away. It would be cheaper to buy a new one than drive there, but the point is I shouldn't have to. Apple is so overzealous in trying to stop third party accessories that it is bricking their own products.

My iPhone 6 plus started with the same issue about a month ago with the original cable. Now, most of the times I must turn on Airplane mode, power off the phone, plug in the cable, reboot and then turn off the Airplane mode. This works every time. I went to the Genius Bar and was told to cough up $550 to replace my phone as this was in their opinion a hardware issue.

Their cables did not work, my cable works all the time when I do the steps above. Therefore, my cable is fine. The connector was checked at the Genius Bar and it is clean. It works all the time as well with the steps above. How is this a hardware issue? Strangely enough, the warranty only expired recently. Quite disappointing overall.