I have an iPhone 11 Pro that has intermittent lightning port issues. I can no longer use CarPlay and it doesn't recognize the connection. My USB charger sometimes works, but then it won't. I've cleaned the port as best as I can, but must now use a charging pad in the car. I have a charging pad that it charges on at night, but some days are really long on the battery. I can use Bluetooth for most connections, but miss the CarPlay. Has anyone had their port go bad? Is it expensive for Apple to fix it?
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iPhone 11 Pro lightning port problems
- Thread starter jameslgleason
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There’s still debris inside the port. Likely something has lodged behind one or both of the side spring clips inside the port, preventing them (or it) from snapping securely into the side notches of the male lightning plug.
I have an iPhone 6 Plus that had a messed up lightning port which was messed up for years. I had carefully cleaned it as well as I could and examined it very carefully with a magnifying glass. It looked clean inside to me, but it wouldn’t grab the male plug. Loose connection made charging a challenge.
Then after a few years of lightning plug hell, the port started grabbing the plug better until eventually the connection was fairly secure.
I don’t know what changed inside the port, but I bet some debris around the locking spring tabs finally broke loose and the tabs could then move more freely.
Replacing a lightning port in the iPhone (at Apple) is ridiculously expensive. The entire phone has to be completely disassembled. It’s never worth it to replace the port (at Apple).
I have an iPhone 6 Plus that had a messed up lightning port which was messed up for years. I had carefully cleaned it as well as I could and examined it very carefully with a magnifying glass. It looked clean inside to me, but it wouldn’t grab the male plug. Loose connection made charging a challenge.
Then after a few years of lightning plug hell, the port started grabbing the plug better until eventually the connection was fairly secure.
I don’t know what changed inside the port, but I bet some debris around the locking spring tabs finally broke loose and the tabs could then move more freely.
Replacing a lightning port in the iPhone (at Apple) is ridiculously expensive. The entire phone has to be completely disassembled. It’s never worth it to replace the port (at Apple).
What are you using to clean it?
A toothpick has been suggested around here and is something I've used myself. Just be delicate.
Thank you. I used a toothpick wrapped in a paper towel dipped in rubbing alcohol, but that didn't work. It did reveal a LOT of black grime. I will pick up a can of compressed air and see if that helps. Thanks!
Wrapping the toothpick with drenched paper towel sounds too big to me. You need something small and thin to get into the corners of the port to pull any debris out.
Try using a thin toothpick (without the paper towel), a sewing needle, or a small paperclip. No need to go nuts with scrapping the inside of the port; you should be able to lever out any debris relatively easily.
Paper clip is what i've used in the past, as long as you dont go too heavy handed and really scraping its fine. You need something that has a bit of a point to work out the compressed in fluff, dirt etc.
You guys ROCK! I used a paper clip and dug deep into it and pulled out some nasty black fluff. Now it works. It charges and my CarPlay works again! Thanks so much for the input. I was being far too delicate with it and now I know. Love this place.