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iPhone 5 Will not Charge - Please Help!!

R

randomguyishere

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 24, 2010
126
2
I have an iPhone 5, 32GB.

I was about to make a phone call on 8% battery and before I could press the call button, the phone died. This has happened before several times - I was not surprised.

However, when I plug in the iPhone to a wall adapter, the screens turns on with a red battery and lighting cable icon below it (see picture). The screen turns on and off every 10 seconds or so.

I thought that this screen mean the iPhone is charging. But it has now been an hour and the phone is still showing this screen. It is also worth mentioning that I am jailbroken on iOS 8.x.x (forget the exact version, but it is one of the later iOS 8's).

Can anybody help me? Please and thank you.

Also, even when unplugged and I try to turn the phone on, the same screen with the lighting cable/battery icon shows up...
 

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Usually this is a bad connection issue caused by crap (technical term) in your charging port.
 
Another question - am I correct in assuming that the lighting bolt under the battery icon indicates charging? Or is this telling me to plug it into a charger?

The only "legitimate" Apple charger I have is for my iPad Mini, and I have been using that to charge my iPhone for the past month or so.
 
Okay. So now I have an Apple USB connecting it to my Macbook Pro. If I hold it at a certain angle so not to disrupt the USB-iPhone connection, the lighting bolt under the battery goes away. Does this mean it is charging?

UPDATE: As I am typing this, the Apple Logo just showed up and the iPhone just vibrated, iTunes recognizes it, and it is turned on!!

NOW.... how do I avoid this in the future? Will the $30+ Apple iPhone charger guarantee this doesn't happen again? I will buy one if so! Should I still look into cleaning the charging port with compressed air?
 
Dodgy charger and dirty port are the two common non charging issues that pop up.

As for spending $$$ on an apple charger isn't going to stop future failures.
 
Now that I am out of the woods, I owe you a huge thank you for responding so quickly to my post... at a time most people are asleep!

Recently (since this weekend), I get the "unsupported accessory" message when I plug the phone into my iPad charger. It also doesn't charge all the time when I use the iPad charger (have to hold it at the special angle to get it going, then gently set it down). Wouldn't an accessory charger that is supported by Apple help (will probably get an Apple 5W USB power adapter)?

I will get the port cleaned ASAP. Can you recommend a product or homemade tool for this? I am afraid that I'd disrupt something in there if I use a toothpick...
 
randomguyishere said:
Now that I am out of the woods, I owe you a huge thank you for responding so quickly to my post... at a time most people are asleep!

Recently (since this weekend), I get the "unsupported accessory" message when I plug the phone into my iPad charger. It also doesn't charge all the time when I use the iPad charger (have to hold it at the special angle to get it going, then gently set it down). Wouldn't an accessory charger that is supported by Apple help (will probably get an Apple 5W USB power adapter)?

I will get the port cleaned ASAP. Can you recommend a product or homemade tool for this? I am afraid that I'd disrupt something in there if I use a toothpick...
Click to expand...
Which end of the cable are you 'holding at a special angle'? If it's the phone end then it's not the power brick that's your issue. If it is the brick end then I would buy a 10/12w iPad charger personally as they are universal anyway.

Just a can of compressed air will do. Most office supply or computer stores stock them.
 
Gav2k said:
Which end of the cable are you 'holding at a special angle'? If it's the phone end then it's not the power brick that's your issue. If it is the brick end then I would buy a 10/12w iPad charger personally as they are universal anyway.

Just a can of compressed air will do. Most office supply or computer stores stock them.
Click to expand...
Uh-oh... it's the iPhone end that causes trouble. Perhaps cleaning the port with compressed air will help a bit with that?
 
you iPhone 5 battery may need replacing.
is it still holding up enough charge against normal usage?
 
Tulani said:
you iPhone 5 battery may need replacing.
is it still holding up enough charge against normal usage?
Click to expand...
It probably does need replacing. The battery suddenly jumps from the mid twenties to anything below 15%. Once I hit 15% it turns off within an hour. Oh, and whenever I take a picture with the battery below 25%, I see a massive battery drain especially when I don't close the camera app in multitasking.

Gav2k said:
Try a different cable
Click to expand...
I'll pick up another cable as well. The cable that I use with the iPad wall adapter is from Apple, but it is possible there's a problem with it. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.
 
From your answer... Have the battery replaced and your problems will go.

There is actually a batch of iPhone 5 with bad battery that Apple acknowledges
 
Tulani said:
From your answer... Have the battery replaced and your problems will go.

There is actually a batch of iPhone 5 with bad battery that Apple acknowledges
Click to expand...
Will Apple do this for out of warranty iPhones? I bought the phone on Craigslist a couple year ago.
 
So if its just the port that needs to be cleaned, walk into an Apple store and ask them. I have had them do it for me multiple times - the genius guys dont even log in a ticket. Its totally possible that I got lucky but I havent used Apple care - just walked in, looked confused and they have done it in 30 seconds. :)

Good luck.
 
See the other thread in this section about pocket fluff....easy to clean the port out yourself and not always a great idea to use compressed air as it could blow the fluff inside the phone instead of out. Better to use something to have a prod inside and pull it out.

I had a similar issue, cleaned it out and worked fine since. I used a straightened paper clip which probably isnt the best thing to use but it worked and my phone survived!
 
A drop of WD-40 works wonders for dirty ports on various devices, including my Garmin 510.
Power off the phone and hold upright. spray a drop onto the charging tip and insert into the phone and remove several times, wiping on a cloth or tissue paper. Give the port several minutes to dry before turning on.

I was able to revive an iPhone 5 that I found on a hillside that had been there for several months. It would not take a charge. The WD-40 worked to clean out the port, which had a fair bit of encrusted dirt inside.
 
Hi All, Hope someone can help. my battery was bad so decided to replace it also the back camera. anyway once changed phone would not start working again checked connects etc but eventually only while plugged in the phone started working. so left charging and battery showed 98% when i decided to remove from plug and black screen straight away seems only to work while phone is plugged in does this mean the new battery doesnt work or software? if not plugged in when i start the apple symbol appears and goes to black screen if i keep try then i get the battery screen which is in red empty. any tips would be greatful thanks
 
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