Why is my iPhone not charging?

Have you ever been in a situation where you left your phone plugged into a charger to charge, only to find out a few hours later that the battery percentage has not even moved?

This scenario is actually more common than you think and you may not be the only one to experience it.

So, you must be dying to know why your phone won’t charge or is charging but at an excruciating slow snail pace? Well, here are 5 reasons why this may happen.

Your cable or wall adapter isn’t connected properly

This might seem pretty obvious, but there have been numerous times when I thought my phone was being charged, only to find out that the wall adapter wasn’t even plugged into the outlet.

So best practice is to always check that the wall adapter or even the charging cable is properly connected before leaving your phone to charge in your absence.

Your cable or charging port is dirty

Sometimes having a dirty cable or charging port can hinder the ability of your device to charge. The accumulation of dust and debris can block the electrical signals, and can even disconnect the charge - make sure to check for corrosion on the cable connector, or any fluff and dirt that may be lodged inside your phone’s charging port.

To avoid this issue, you should always keep your charging port and cable clean and away from debris. You can clean your cable or charging port by:

To clean your cable connecter, carefully use a cotton tip to apply a bit of rubbing alcohol (99% and above is recommended) onto the connector. Then using a toothpick, gently clean the dirt and corrosion off. Be careful not to scrape off any of the gold connectors. Then get a dry cloth or another cotton tip to wipe and dry off the connector.

To clean your charging port, first turn off your phone before starting. Carefully use a sharp object to gently scoop out any debris that may be inside. Note that you should do this at your own risk and be careful not to damage any connectors inside the phone. Try not to use a metal object unless you're confident.

If you're not confident in cleaning your own accessories or charging port, pop into one of our stores and our friendly technicians will help you with the problem.

Find your nearest store here.

Your charging accessories are damaged

Are your charging accessories fraying or bent? Damaged charging accessories can be another reason why your phone may not be charging as it's supposed to. These can also be very dangerous as they can cause electric shocks, fires or damage to your phone and other properties.

For your safety, please refrain from using damaged phone accessories as your health is not worth saving a mere $10 or so.

If you’re looking for new phone accessories, look no further because you can shop for all necessary phone accessories here.

Your charging accessories aren’t MFI certified

Are your charging accessories MFI certified? MFI certified cables are built with a chip inside the connector that controls the amount of current being delivered. Uncertified cables do not have this chip, thus they cannot control the current and can overheat your devices and accessories - they’re mostly poorly constructed and unregulated.

Using a non-certified cable can accelerate the age of your iphone battery and the excess current can fry the chip in your phone which controls battery recharging, therefore causing charging issues.

If you need a MFI certified charging cable, you can find them here.

Your phone’s software might be the culprit

If you tried all of the above and your phone is still not charging, the cause may be beyond the surface such as software issues.

Try resetting your phone - this will allow you to check if your phone’s software is the culprit behind your phone’s changing problems.

Not sure how to reset your phone? Here’s some instruction that you can follow to restart your iPhone 12, 11, X, XS, or XS:

Press and quickly release the volume button, press and quickly release the volume down button. Then, press and hold the side button.

When the apple logo appears, release the button.

If you have a different iPhone model, please check out Apple’s guide to restarting your phone here.

Did you try everything, and your phone is still not charging? Your phone may be experiencing some other issues and it is time to visit a phone repair specialist.

Find your nearest repair store for professional expert advice here.