Car Charger Problems with iPhone

[macher]

Hi in the past I’ve used car chargers with my iPhone a couple of times. The couple of times I used a car charger my iPhone had issues like it would first get really hot and the battery would drain and the iPhone was dead. Had to take it the Apple store and get a replacement like 3x in the past 3 years.

I’m currently using an Anker portable battery pack when I’m in the car because I’m concerned that the previous issues might happen again with the car charger.

Can anyone shed some light on the cause of the issues I had with the car chargers? I’m interested in giving it a go again but want to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Thanks!

 

[Newtons Apple]

Some car chargers are crap! A friend of mine burnt the heck out of his interior on his car when it overheated.

The only times I have recharged in the vehicle, it was using on of the vehicle USB outlets.

 

[macher]

Some car chargers are crap! A friend of mine burnt the heck out of his interior on his car when it overheated.

The only times I have recharged in the vehicle, it was using on of the vehicle USB outlets.

Yea what happened to my iPhone is it got fried. Thankfully Apple replaced it all times under Apple Care.

But I prefer to use a car charger when I’m in the car instead of the Anker battery pack.

 

[NoBoMac]

This topic seems to pop up on a regular basis, and does get heated at times re: good vs evil of car chargers. Luckily, my car is old and has an iPod connection kit that only provides 5w @ 1A, so no overheating, but barely keeps up when Maps is in use.

I keep a spare charger in the car for the odd time someone else needs to charge, so have not tested it myself. But, would go with above in that lots of car chargers are of poor quality. Anything less than $10 is asking for trouble. Add in $0.99 cables from the gas station, asking for even more trouble.

I also have a DC/AC converter: noisy, has both USB and an outlet for charging, high quality, but also high price. Have used that in the past to charge iPad while on the road with no ill affect (sorry, don't recall brand).

Here's a recent link for car charger reviews. All are $10 and up.

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-usb-car-charger/

 

[akash.nu]

Use one of the well known brands like Anker or RavPower and you should be fine.

 

[elf69]

Some cheaper chargers don't make contact fully in the aux power socket.

My friends camper caught fire due to bad fittings and sparking inside the aux socket.

As said above a half decent unit will be ok.

I have a "ring" brand aux power splitter with 2x usb (1x1amp and 1x2amp) plus it has a battery level monitor on it too in the form of 4 LED lights.

charges my fiancee SE and my mate 9 at same time no issue.

It cost £15 about 2 years ago.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Yea what happened to my iPhone is it got fried. Thankfully Apple replaced it all times under Apple Care.

But I prefer to use a car charger when I’m in the car instead of the Anker battery pack.

No USB outlets? I like that the best but everyone has their own preferences

 

[macher]

No USB outlets? I like that the best but everyone has their own preferences

In our 2 newer cars there’s USB outlets. The jalopy I drove doesn’t have USB outlets.

 

[iKevinT]

Make sure your iPhone isn’t in the sun on the dash or in a mount, that can cause it to overheat and shut down on a charger or not. Could look at the Apple Store website to see what kind of chargers they sell and get it there or look elsewhere for the best price on the same charger.

 

[PhoneMe1]

I have been using a Belkin 12V for years with no problems.

 

[macher]

I have been using a Belkin 12V for years with no problems.

Thanks going to grab one. Are you able to keep your iPhone plugged in for a long time or do you take it off the car charger when it’s fully charged?

 

[JPack]

Many car chargers offer poor voltage regulation. The voltage spikes from the alternator kill the power management chip in the iPhone.

After an iPhone has been damaged, the battery drains quickly or you get symptoms like fake or no charging.

This has been the case since iPhone 5.
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/19/iphone-5-faulty-chips/

The best bet is to use a battery pack.

 

[Newtons Apple]

I would never leave my phone charging charging in the car unless I was there with it. If things go wrong they can go very wrong. Not sure if most vehicles kill the 12v when the engine is shut off.

 

[macher]

Many car chargers offer poor voltage regulation. The voltage spikes from the alternator kill the power management chip in the iPhone.

After an iPhone has been damaged, the battery drains quickly or you get symptoms like fake or no charging.

This has been the case since iPhone 5.
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/19/iphone-5-faulty-chips/

The best bet is to use a battery pack.

That’s exactly what happened to my iPhone. iPhone would get really hot then drain quickly and die. When I would go to try to charge on a wall outlet iPhone wouldn’t charge.