Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple did not engineer lightning charging right

I haven't had lightning based iPhones and iPads as long as I had 30 pin dock connector based modes, but out of the 6 units, I haven't had a bad cable yet.

The 30 pin dock cables tended to fall apart after about 2 years. We'll see how the lightning cables fare.
 
I had a lightening cable go bad, but you could tell that it was corroded or something. One of the pins turned black. It also had the bubble ring form around the cable right below the plug. A Genius replaced it no questions asked. It was last summer before iOS 7. I've had some recent trouble with third-party cables, but no issues with my Apple branded cables.

I still use the 30-pin cable for my iPod Classic that I got for Christmas in 2006. Never had a 30-pin iPhone, but the one that came with my boyfriend's 4S was in rough shape.
 
I've had iPhones since their debut, and only twice have I had to replace a faulty cable:

One was a 30-pin and the other was a Lightning, both failed due to the bubble-ring around the connector, likely an internal fray of the wires due to normal use.

Two cables out of my ten or so devices, I'll take it. Replaced each with an AmazonBasics certified Apple accessory cable and never had a problem with those.
 
red41 said:
Because it's hard to go down to the Apple store. It's easier to buy them and the go online and complain about it. Also the OP is right, Apple needs to recall all of their iphone 5 and 5s until his iphone cable starts working. Remember this is OP's domain.
Click to expand...

1. No, because some products are out of warranty.

2. Oh how sarcastic, because of course, Apple has never had any problems in that deparment.. remember how safe was magsafe?

514567370_b06008842d_b.jpg


Apple themselves peddled back and changed it, because it was poorly designed
 
Tiger8 said:
Problem started on Friday, what could cause such thing? The phone was never dropped, been handled with extra care, and haven't had issues at all.

I have a strong hunch it's an iOS glitch, it's software blocking the charging process by misidentifying the cable in my opinion.
Click to expand...

you obviously have no idea how a "machine" works..
 
Tiger8 said:
1. No, because some products are out of warranty.

2. Oh how sarcastic, because of course, Apple has never had any problems in that deparment.. remember how safe was magsafe?

Image

Apple themselves peddled back and changed it, because it was poorly designed
Click to expand...

Funny how they changed back to that design with the MagSafe 2 though.
 
Tiger8 said:
Problem started on Friday, what could cause such thing? The phone was never dropped, been handled with extra care, and haven't had issues at all.

I have a strong hunch it's an iOS glitch, it's software blocking the charging process by misidentifying the cable in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Based on your 'diagnostics' either the phone is at fault or the USB or charger socket you are connecting it to.
 
Tiger8 said:
where did I say the whole design?

Google it, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of users who have had issues with apple cables not charging their phone, even their 5s. Some had to erase and do a full restore. Like I said, it's IOS trying to be 'smart' and incorrectly identifying Apple cables as knock offs, tell me, how is that considered a well designed product? I thought the whole point of apple is software and hardware that 'just works'
Click to expand...

um thousands out of millions. And how many of those where confirmed issue?
 
irnchriz said:
Based on your 'diagnostics' either the phone is at fault or the USB or charger socket you are connecting it to.
Click to expand...

After a lot of frustration, I bit the bullet and did a factory reset, and a restore.

iPhone charged fully during the restore from PC. Same phone, same cable, same PC I used. So I guess it is a software glitch.

Thanks to everyone who actually suggested solutions.
 
Last edited:
Tiger8 said:
After a lot of frustration, I bit the bullet and did a factory reset, and a restore.

iPhone charged fully during the restore from PC. Same phone, same cable, same PC I used. So I guess it is a software glitch.

Thanks to everyone who actually suggested solutions.
Click to expand...
Seems like it being a software related thing would have been one of the more fairly straightforward likely/top conclusions based on what you mentioned: that you (and supposedly many others) noticed this with iOS 7, but supposedly no one noticed it with iOS 6 (based on what you said), even though iPhone 5 phones and a few other devices had the lighting port and used the lightning connector while running iOS 6 for a long time before iOS 7 came out. You even mentioned that yourself.
 
C DM said:
Seems like it being a software related thing would have been one of the more fairly straightforward likely/top conclusions based on what you mentioned: that you (and supposedly many others) noticed this with iOS 7, but supposedly no one noticed it with iOS 6 (based on what you said), even though iPhone 5 phones and a few other devices had the lighting port and used the lightning connector while running iOS 6 for a long time before iOS 7 came out. You even mentioned that yourself.
Click to expand...

True man, a lot of people thought that I am talking about hardware engineering, and the discussion quickly went to hardware

Still pissed at iOS going rouge on apples own cables, it does not make sense
 
Anecdotes in and of themselves are never that helpful. I've has 20+ Apple cables over the years and haven't had a problem with a single one. Not one. And no issues charging either. No one I know of all the Apple users I know has had a problem either. In fact, had I not read this thread, I wouldn't have even known this issue existed!
 
I understand your frustration but your approach is all wrong.

Have you done any trouble shooting? Like at all?

Have you tried rebooting your phone? Holding the sleep button while also holding the home button. Hold it down until the apple logo shows and release.

Have you tried a restore to your phone? It could be that the OS is messed up.

Have you spoken to apple about your problem?

I have an iphone 5 and like 10 lightning cables and I have not had any issues with any of them. *yes I use all 10 long story*

Tiger8 said:
It's a typical scenario when a software tries to do too much, and cannot do it reliably, but the vendor does it anyway.

I have an iPhone 5, 1.5 year old now, always used Apple / Apple certified third party cables, now all of a sudden it stopped accepting the genuine Apple cable, giving me the error that 'this cable is not certified' and refusing to charge.

I cleaned the 'lint' in the lighting port on the phone (funny, I thought Apple claimed to have converted to it saying that 30 pin one gathers dust... I never had a single problem with 30 pin) and it still does not work.

It charges for like 2 minutes and then gives the error message and stops. I think it's a software glitch.

Thank you Apple for screwing your loyal customers!
Click to expand...
 
huh?

Tiger8 said:
1. No, because some products are out of warranty.

2. Oh how sarcastic, because of course, Apple has never had any problems in that deparment.. remember how safe was magsafe?

Image

Apple themselves peddled back and changed it, because it was poorly designed
Click to expand...

What does being out of warranty have to do with you getting your issue diagnosed? How would you know it's not covered if you don't try?

----------
Tiger8 said:
After a lot of frustration, I bit the bullet and did a factory reset, and a restore.

iPhone charged fully during the restore from PC. Same phone, same cable, same PC I used. So I guess it is a software glitch.

Thanks to everyone who actually suggested solutions.
Click to expand...

You're saying the issue was completely solved by a factory reset, yet it took you a while to even try it (though it takes less than a half hour)?

What exactly do you do for a living again?
 
Well then don't roll over the cables with your chair and you'll be fine.

Tiger8 said:
1. No, because some products are out of warranty.

2. Oh how sarcastic, because of course, Apple has never had any problems in that deparment.. remember how safe was magsafe?

Image

Apple themselves peddled back and changed it, because it was poorly designed
Click to expand...
 
Small White Car said:
The OP isn't totally wrong.

I've had to throw out 6 lightning cables over the past year and a half. (All Apple-made)

I had maybe 3 of the old dock-connector type cables go bad over the previous 8 years.

If the lightening cable IS well designed then it means Apple's build qualify has gone to crap. I honestly don't know which it is.
Click to expand...

Everyone in my family has had the same lightning cables since the iPhone 5 came out...
 
pragmatous said:
I understand your frustration but your approach is all wrong.

Have you done any trouble shooting? Like at all?

Have you tried rebooting your phone? Holding the sleep button while also holding the home button. Hold it down until the apple logo shows and release.

Have you tried a restore to your phone? It could be that the OS is messed up.

Have you spoken to apple about your problem?

I have an iphone 5 and like 10 lightning cables and I have not had any issues with any of them. *yes I use all 10 long story*
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes I did. I reboot the phone, it didn't work, I tried various cables, I tried charging from power, PC USB, Mac USB, and even a portable battery pack, didn't work.

I did a full restore it eventually worked

----------
26139 said:
What does being out of warranty have to do with you getting your issue diagnosed? How would you know it's not covered if you don't try?

----------



You're saying the issue was completely solved by a factory reset, yet it took you a while to even try it (though it takes less than a half hour)?

What exactly do you do for a living again?
Click to expand...

A factory reset is/should be a last resort. I can't do it unless I'm home near my PC and/or at least wifi.

How does a factory restore take less than half an hour? The process takes minutes however restoring your phone takes a good hour or so, with all app and music transfers, and then chances are you would need to get updates for the apps if you haven't done the app transfer back to iTunes.
 
It's funny, because I have never in my 24 year life of owning Apple products had a single "Apple Cable" go bad or cause problems (Even the ones that Apple SAID had problems) But by all means, your fringe case is certainly a large enough sample size to deduce that all Apples cables are crap.

Sometimes things happen, I don't understand why you are so sure of your diagnosis and won't just take it to an Apple store. I know people that had had cable problems, even out of warranty and Apple was more than happy to make it right.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back