iPhone won’t charge
Try a known working power source, firm connections and undamaged compatible accessories. If a temperature, liquid or accessory alert appears, follow that message.
Try this first
1 quick checks · ~2 min
Find your situation
See all the clues. Choose the one that matches what you observe.
An alert appears
Liquid, charging on hold and unsupported accessory have different paths; read the message before reconnecting.
No charging symbol appears
Without risk signals, compare outlet, cable and adapter separately.
Only low battery or a black screen appears
A depleted battery needs time on checked power; do not chain restarts.
Charges very slowly or stops
Distinguish limited power, phone use and battery limit/temperature.
Diagnostic signals
- ObservationAnother cable restores charging
- This points to the original cable or its connection, not a repaired iPhone. If it recurs when moved, stop bending it to maintain contact.
Step-by-step solutions
Read the alert and check risk signals
An alert may mean you should stop charging.
Before connecting, inspect the cable, adapter and port externally. For damage, smell, swelling or extreme heat, stop charging and request service. Do not use damaged accessories or insert metal objects into the port.
For a liquid alert, disconnect the cable and follow the related liquid-detection guide: stop wired charging tests and do not use rice. For Charging On Hold, follow the temperature guide; for Accessory Not Supported, follow that guide. Without an alert or risk, compare accessories.
Change one part of the power path at a time
With undamaged accessories, connect directly to a compatible wall adapter without a hub. Check secure connections without forcing them. Try another outlet while keeping the cable and adapter: if charging appears, review the original outlet; do not repair it yourself if loose or damaged.
At the checked outlet, keep the adapter and try another compatible working cable. If charging returns, retire the original cable; being new does not prove it works. If unchanged, keep that known-working cable and change only the adapter for another compatible one.
If replacing the adapter changes the result, focus on that power source. If no known-working combination works, visually inspect the port without inserting tools; compacted debris, looseness or damage need service. Do not buy parts solely because the symbol did not appear immediately.
Interpret charging that does begin
If the symbol appears but the percentage barely rises, observe with the screen locked and without games. If it improves, power use was contributing; this does not prove a failed battery.
If it fails or is slow only on computer USB, compare wall power using the same compatible cable where possible. Working wall power focuses review on the computer port’s power/state, not a proven iPhone fault.
A pause around 80% can reflect optimized charging, a configured limit on supported models or temperature. Read battery status; do not disable protections to test. For Charging On Hold, use its guide and allow a return to a suitable temperature.
Advanced checks
Continue if the earlier steps did not help. Read each procedure’s precautions first.
Allow time for a depleted battery
Without alerts or damage and with power checked, allow half an hour of charging. If it starts and the percentage rises, depletion or the previous power source becomes more relevant; observe without repeating tests.
If still showing low battery or not starting, use the official forced restart for your model once, explained in the related iPhone won’t turn on guide. Then allow another half hour of charging. If unchanged, request service rather than another indefinite cycle.
Still not working?
If the port only connects when bending the cable, there is damage or it does not charge after the bounded attempt on checked power, stop and request service. Bring each substitution result and the exact message; do not open the iPhone or keep heating it to test.
Sources
Documentation behind this guide. Editorial recommendations are identified separately.
- Apple SupportOfficialIf your iPhone or iPod touch will not charge
- Apple SupportOfficialIf you see a liquid-detection alert on your iPhone
- Apple SupportOfficialIf charging is on hold on your iPhone or iPad
Source review: . A documentation review, not a physical hardware test.
Related problems
iPhone shows “Charging On Hold”
Charging is paused because the iPhone is too hot or cold. Let it return to a normal temperature so charging can resume.
View solutioniPhone shows “Accessory may not be supported”
Reconnect the accessory and check compatibility, cable and connector. Damage, debris or incompatibility can trigger the alert; it does not identify one cause.
View solutioniPhone shows a liquid-detection alert
Disconnect the cable and let the connector dry without heat, rice or inserted objects before trying to charge again.
View solutioniPhone won't turn on or has a black screen
Distinguish no activity, sounds with a black screen, a repeating logo and low battery. Use your model’s restart procedure and the charging path that matches its result, without looping attempts.
View solution