Lightning Cables Failing Due to Corrosion, Cause Unclear

[bobnugget]

Me too! Me too! Got one with my release day iPhone 5 and it's on the way out. It lives on my bedside table with the charger and has never been wet or damp and is definitely showing signs of corrosion. My amazon cables haven't died yet, but then I've only had them for 3 months so far

Also, I have an Apple micro USB to lightning adapter that lives in my car. My car had a bunch of water leaks under the windscreen/door seals so is always damp... The lightning adapter is fine so far!

 

[OC40]

Same thing here. I first purchased 6 Amazon cheap lightning cables. Within 4 months all were dead. I purchased 10 Apple Lightning cables and have have zero failures since then. Same experience with the old sync cables. I have a wall of 6 Lightning cables for iPhones and iPads that get charged every night, plugged in and out, zero failures. Never have had a frayed power cable either. My old boss would complain that his Mac's charging cable would break every 6 months; always yanking by the cable, well duh.

Lightning cable has been a sweet invention, small, and convenient and being able to be plugged in, in the dark, without looking, is awesome.

I wish apple would produce a 5-6 inch lightening cable (the amazon 4 inch was a tad too small). It is perfect for cars.

 

[nburwell]

I haven't encountered any issues (yet) with any of my lightning cables. However, I am on my second 30-pin to lightning adaptor, which I had to replace due to the connector corroding.

 

[marclondon]

Apple's lightning cables are among the worst product it's ever shipped. Sure, if you're ultra careful with them they may be fine but in normal use with say a family sharing an iPad they fail quickly. Just look at the ratings on the Apple Store. The cheap third party ones are mostly useless as they are not certified. The Amazon Basics one is quite good - that's the latest one I've tried but now has exposed wires but still works.

I've had one cable replaced by Apple on the second attempt. The first time I took it to an authorised repair shop and instead of a new cable I got a brand new iPad 4 back... and it wouldn't charge because of course it was the cable all along...

M.

 

[dumastudetto]

It's amazing how people don't take care of their products, and go blame the manufacture when they break their things. Out of the 20 some OEM Apple USB cables and power adapters that I used over the last 10 years, none of them shows sign of fraying. Some power adapters eventually failed, but not from frayed cable.

Not saying Apple's products and peripherals don't ever fail, but frayed cables are usually the users' fault.

Agree 100%. Apple's cables are among the highest rated and most durable in the industry today. But that doesn't make them resistant to the insane abuse some consumers put them through.

This is a non-story.

 

[JAT]

A friend of mine was always using her iPad while it was plugged in and the way she was holding it was causing the cable to bend and it eventually frayed. She got a new cable and doesn't have it plugged in when she's using it. No fraying, cable looks brand new.

This is the problem at my house. My kids and wife have gone through so many cables it's hilarious. (to others that don't have to pay for new ones) And that's both Apple and non-Apple cables. The rule is now that they are not to ever use electronics when plugged in.

Of course, my wife won't follow that rule since I made it. But I can make the kids fall in line.

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Agree 100%. Apple's cables are among the highest rated and most durable in the industry today. But that doesn't make them resistant to the insane abuse some consumers put them through.

This is a non-story.

No, they are some of the least durable cables, possibly THE least durable from a company anyone has heard of. Too thin, too much focus on pretty. Where on earth do you people get these ideas? They have good ideas, like ADB, Firewire, Lightning, but the physical cables they make are weak.

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I wish apple would produce a 5-6 inch lightening cable (the amazon 4 inch was a tad too small). It is perfect for cars.

Sure? I use their 18" cable in car and find that it is just barely long enough sometimes. I've never had an issue thinking it was too long, even when there was a couple extra inches to spare.

 

[everything-i]

Yes...I do not care if cable is uglier...it is just a cable...no one really care or babying it..

My cheap micro USB cable is stronger than any Apple cable....

I am using my iPad more like a laptop... I have a keyboard cover and I always have my cord plugged in while I am using it... Because of the chartering is pulling the cord...it is freaking easy to fraying the cord...

Image

In that case why not get a nice braided cable like the ones on Etsy. They are way stronger than the Apple cables and about half the price too. As I said there are alternatives if you want bulkier stronger cables.

 

[Spinnetti]

Wow.. its haters vs. fanbois? My cables aren't fraying, and are just on my night stand, so no water issues, but I do have the corrosion issue on just a few pins. Clearly they aren't "Gold" as gold doesn't corrode, but "Gold Colored" or maybe an overly thin real gold coating that is wearing through to the underlying substrate. I'm thinking its galvanic corrosion due to slightly different material chemistry on the pin coatings between the devices and cables - probably the power pins due to enhanced voltage delta... Any EEs on here jump in? Last night my phone went spazy with disconnecting/reconnecting on its own (spotty connection), and my boss's did the same in the car. Even if I have to get new cables, its not like the whole ecosphere is horrible - I still prefer these to the old 30pin jobbies.

 

[TimeSquareDesi]

Yeah when they replace them for free it certainly seems that way.
/sarcasm

You are missing the point. Do you have any idea the # of people that buy a new cable any way? That's yet another revenue stream hence my comment. Building things that last forever is not profitable!

 

[Kenrik]

My lightning cable died within the first two months. I purchased a Amazon Basics Lightning cable and have not had any issues for more then a year. The problem is Apple makes crappy quality cables.

 

[pmz]

You are missing the point. Do you have any idea the # of people that buy a new cable any way? That's yet another revenue stream hence my comment. Building things that last forever is not profitable!

The bold is correct. And not just for planned obsolesce. You think Lightning cables are expensive at $19? Imagine what they would cost if Apple built them to hold up for years.

I'm not saying the cables should be cheap crap...but some happy medium between cheap and indestructible is appropriate.

 

[marclondon]

I'm not saying the cables should be cheap crap...but some happy medium between cheap and indestructible is appropriate.

There's no getting round the fact that Apple's lightning design is on the crap end of the scale. The magsafe power connector, in contrast, is a triumph.

In many of these consumer devices the input/output jacks are a huge point of failure and often given very poor testing and components. The headphone jack socket on some older iPods was one, and i had to spend £30 getting the guitar lead socket on my son's Marshall amp repaired as it was soldered to the circuit board - horrible cheap design. And there have been many more.

M.

 

[TonyYYZ]

Agree 100%. Apple's cables are among the highest rated and most durable in the industry today. But that doesn't make them resistant to the insane abuse some consumers put them through.

This is a non-story.

lolwut? There is so much evidence out there that point to the exact opposite. Apple manufacturers their cables for aesthetics over durability.

You'd be hard pressed to find a failed Micro USB cable, but you can find a failed iPhone or Macbook cable all over the place.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

Here's what my lightening cable looked like after 6 months before getting a free replacement. Some of the contacts corroded (not surprising since I have sweaty hands and the house I was living in didn't have AC), and it got bunched like that from me using my phone while it was plugged in next to my bed. So far the replacement cable has help up since summer. I also had trouble with my t-shaped MagSafe from my 2009 MBP. Also got that replaced for free. I also had to throw out two pairs of earbuds after a year of use each because they developed a short somewhere in the cable (but surprisingly those lasted longer than earbuds from Skullcandy and Sony...). That's probably because I wrapped them around my iPods...

The 30-pin cable from my iPod classic is holding up pretty well. It's one of the ones that has the buttons on the side. Also no issues with the replacement L-shaped MagSafe or the MagSafe2 for my new rMBP. I've also been using the earpods from my iPhone 5 since January 2013 with no problems thanks to the included case.

 

[SimonTheSoundMa]

iPhone 5 = usually outside warranty. Apple didn't exchange my cable after it stopped working. They told me I could buy a new cable for £15, so I decided to buy 10 cables for £8 on eBay, that's £0.80. They still seem to work. Maybe Apple should try copying the knock offs.

I've never had that problem. Walk in to an Apple Store with cables or headphones, the swap them there and then no questions asked. Lost count of USB cables but had three headphones replaced.

 

[SimonTheSoundMa]

Never had an Apple data cable go bad but the insulation on every white MBPro Magsafe power cable I've owned has eroded and failed - the insulation starts to crack (not at the ends - about a foot away from the Magsafe) and green corrosion begins to ooze out. I've had 3 Magsafe MBPros so far and Apple replaces the first AC adapter that fails this way under AppleCare but all subsequent failures for that laptop have to be replaced on my own dime.
It's obviously something I'm either doing or my body chemistry because my wife & I replace our MBPros at the same time and her MagSaf cables last the life of her book.

I have had that happen.

What also hasn't made much in the news is the cables used for the Apple TVs. Mine turned from black to white; it is zinc bis (N,N’-dimethyldithiocarbamate) that was used in manufacture. Some people have very bad allergic reactions that would put them in hospital. Nikon and Canon had a similar problem and did product recalls with some of the dSLR grips going white.

 

[JAT]

There's no getting round the fact that Apple's lightning design is on the crap end of the scale. The magsafe power connector, in contrast, is a triumph.

It's not the Lightning design, it's just poor cable design, esp the minimal strain reliefs they use. Those are 2 different things. Lightning is wonderful.

 

[alphaod]

I just had one cable replaced last night for corrosion or burn marks.

Had a few others replaced over the course of the last couple months.

It seems like before that the cables were all good.

The problem cables are all the Apple ones. No problem with the third-party cables by Belkin, Griffin, Amazon, etc.

 

[alec6542]

I don't get all these people defending it, but the fact is: there is a serious and undeniable design flaw with the lighning connector. Every single one, and between my brother and me we have bought about 10 or so since September 2012, have either stopped working completely or they only work one way due to one or more of the pins corroding and turning black. This is a FACT, and no amount of "you're using it wrong/you're abusing it" apologists can dispute or refute this. If this were the case, how come not a single 30 pin cable I've owned over the years, and I've owned a lot, has ever just ceased to function? Even my 30 pin to lightning adapter, which despite lasting the longest of all my lightning accessories, finally had two pins turn black a few weeks ago and now only works one way.

 

[TechRead3r]

I can't help but wonder if that's happening on the cable, what's going on with connectors inside the iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc. While I understand that Apple makes these literally with pennies on the dollar, some people that are going threw like 10+ are just outright ridiculous. There is definitely something wrong if you go through that many in the life time of your iPhone. I've had my fair share of problems with the cable but in no way have I gotten that much trouble from it.

Hint: You can always get a free replacement cable from Apple by simply telling them that you purchased the cable separate from the phone. As long as the cable falls under a "1 year" time limit its considered still under its own warranty.

 

[alec6542]

Hint: You can always get a free replacement cable from Apple by simply telling them that you purchased the cable separate from the phone. As long as the cable falls under a "1 year" time limit its considered still under its own warranty.

For those who don't live near an Apple Store (most AASP's don't swap out defective accessories), you can have Apple RMA you a replacement cable. The process is very easy if you have a phone under AppleCare. They'll send you a replacement no questions asked. However, for cables bought separately from an phone, if you just call and try to get a replacement cable simply under the cable's warranty, you'll need to have a good story in order to get a replacement RMA'd to you, and there's still a chance they'll say no. The last four times I've had to do this, I got transferred to a senior advisor, who at first always insist they can't do anything. Persistence is key, and if you stay polite but firm, they will eventually relent. It's a PITA, but it's the only way to get these things replaced.

 

[TechRead3r]

you'll need to have a good story in order to get a replacement RMA'd to you

Really? The last few times I did it, they didn't even hesitate. In fact, I've never been denied a replacement on headphones or wires. I always say I got them for a gift like a couple months ago.

 

[alec6542]

Yes! Bad luck or they've loosened their policies since the last time I've had to do it (2 months ago). What department did you call? It also might depend on which department you call when try to get your replacement.

 

[TechRead3r]

Whenever I call it's always iPhone iOS. Whenever I walk in just whoever I see generally. I literally got one last week by walking in and saying "hey man this cable is starting to cut in and it when I charge" *hold up cable* and literally no more than 3 mins later he came back with a replacement for me.

 

[CPx]

I wonder how many people with fraying or failing cables are winding them wrong. For example the power cables for Macbooks encourage you to wind them really tight around the brick, and if you wind it wrong, I can see how you could really chew a cable up over time. (I realize Apple cables are more delicate than others, but that's not my point.)