When I charge my iPhone 6s using the Apple lightning cable, the charge percentage decreases sometimes. I bought a new cable (Apple certified Anchor cable) and I see the same behavior. Sometimes the percentage does not change. Eventually it does get charged but only after pressing hard or jiggling the cable.
Any ideas where the issue might be?
By Mani, 10 March, 2017
Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories
Comments
What’s at the other end of the cable?
What’s at the other end of the cable? A wall plug, MacBook, hub? Have you switched things around at that end to make sure that’s not where the problem lies?
Sounds like.
It sounds like a loose port on the phone to me. Have you ever dropped it?
Weird
@Dalia, I have tried the power plug and the iMac. It does not matter. @Jeff, no I don't think I dropped it anytime. It is weird - the percentage goes down as if it is drawing power from the iPhone instead of giving it. Tell me, do you have to lock it when charging it? In my case, it does not matter.
Locking does
Locking does make it charge faster. Also when charging it its best not to keep looking at it. Leve it be for like 15 minutes or so then check it. Another thing to check is how many apps you have open in the backround as that could be drawling energy from the phone. If you want to clear the phone's ram with out closing any aps. First hold down the power button until the power off phone option shows. Then hold down the home button untill it goes to page2. Then you will notice that all your apps are open but it won't say active after the app. You have to hold down the home button for like 3 to 5 seconds.
Have a friend?
Hello,
Is it in a case? Have you tried removing it from the case to make sure nothing is interfering with the connection?
Next, do you have a friend or family that can bring their cable and charger to try it on your device? Conversely, you can also try your cable on their device to see what happens. If the other person’s device charges with your cable then the cable is okay. If their cable doesn’t work on your device but works on their device, then it’s your device.
You already tried turning it off then back on?
HTH and good luck.
Charging tone
Hi,
The moment that I connect my iPhone 6S to charge, a couple of obvious things happen.
Firstly, the phone itself emits a tone to announce that it is connected and charging.
Second, if I am charging my phone via USB on my MBP, iTunes opens on my Laptop and the devices Sync.
If neither of these things happen immediately you connect your phone to power, then you may well have a problem.
I also encourage you to look, as a previous Poster suggested, at what impact a case may have on the connection. I have a slimline case on my iPhone6S, if I insert the lightening adapter carelessly, it can feel as though it is plugged in when it actually isn't.
HTH
@SeaNoEvil00
Pocket Lint?
If you carry your phone in your pocket, it's possible that the port has some lint inside it. Ask a sighted person to look. I haven't had this problem, but I think that if you use a paper clip, you should be able to grab the lint from within the port, if it is in there.
HTH
Thank you all for the suggestions
Per David's suggestions, I found that it is not a cable issue since my wife's iPhone charges with no issues. I too have a slimline case and I will ask my wife about the lint( I do put the iPhone in my pant pocket). I discovered I never had auto-lock set. Could that be a potential issue?
auto-lock does help, but..
Auto-lock does help, but it's not the solution you want in this case. Does your iPhone make a short tone sound when you plug it in? When this happens, VoiceOver should say, charging device battery, followed by the current battery percentage i.e. if it's at 45%, it'll say charging device battery, 45%. Also, are you charging via an electrical outlet or via USB? Remember, every iPhone comes with an electrical charging block. You plug the large end of the lightning cable into the center of the block, and the other end of the cable plugs into your phone. The 2 prongs on the opposite side of the charging block plug into a standard electrical outlet. You should have no trouble knowing if your phone is actually charging. The case that the phone is in can also be a factor. If you do set auto-lock i'd recommend the 5 minutes setting. This allows you to do anything you need to, without the phone locking so quickly. I hope this helps.
I don't think anyone has said
I don't think anyone has said anything about this, but I surmise that possibly the battery might start to be failing. I could be wrong, but sometimes I've seen this if the battery starts to get old and worn down.
More suggestions
Hello,
Okay. The cable is good and that’s good to know.
If you think the connector has a contaminant, use a vacuum cleaner. Take the vacuum hose and hold it against the charging port of your device. If you can’t see what’s in the opening, have someone check it for you. Inserting something in the port may damage it. But if you must, use something non metallic like a toothpick.
If you suspect it could be a battery issue, download an app called battery life. It’s free and it works with VO.
Worse case, back up your device and do a factory restore.
HTH and good luck.
I think it is not accessible
Thank you again for the outpouring of suggestions. I am going to try every one of them. My wife thinks the fit on the iPhone end is not snug (it wriggles a little) and that could be the cause of the erratic behavior. If that is true, I think I will pay a visit to the Apple store.
I just love Applevis for the support I receive. Thank you again.
Agree with ya on that. Do you
Agree with ya on that. Do you mean the cable wobbles around in the iPhone end, in the lightning port? If so, you might have a damaged lightning port. Either way, I'd run to the apple store and see what they say about it. I'd say that's your best bet in this case.
Battery Life app?
I found several apps with the name 'Battery Life'. Can the previous poster tell me which one is the correct one?
Update on my issue: I still haven't visited the Apple store. I am able to charge it by making sure the lightning port fits snugly into the iPhone.
Thanks again.
it could be the case
I haven't had the time to go through every single comment posted here so if this is a repeat thing I apologize. Some cases don't allow the iPhone to be charged very easily. If you have it in a case, take the phone out of the case and try plugging it in and charging it and see if that doesn't solve the issue. I have a particular battery case that works well, but doesn't allow for easy charging. That's bad design on the part of the people who made the case I suppose. The other thing you can try is to get an original lightning cable, not an iPhone certified made for iPhone one, but the same type of cable that comes with an iPhone. Try that, and see if you have the same issues.
Yup.
Hello,
The app is called Battery Life, check device run time by a person named Robert. Sorry, I can’t post the link right now but it is in the app store.
It’s a good app since it’s tells you the approx run time of your device based on the battery condition as well as the battery wear.
If possible, try not to wiggle the connectors as you can damage the connector on the phone itself. If the apple store gives you a crazy price to fix your phone, consider buying another phone and selling your current phone on ebay as is.
HTH and good luck.