iPhone jumps between charging and not when moved around but doesn't seem to acknowledge it?

[ThatSomeone]

A few months ago I first noticed that my iPhone 13 stopped charging when it was plugged in and I picked it up in the morning, indicated by the battery icon. It didn't make any noise or vibrate when the icon changed to charging again half a second later and I thought it was nothing. But it kept happening, and a while latter it actually did play the connect sound while it happened and I was sure something was wrong. I swapped the USB-C to Lightning cable with another one I had around, the issue seemed to disappear and lead me to believe it was the cable. I got an appointment at the Apple Store where I couldn't reproduce the issue, but they checked the port and told me nothing was wrong. I had the cable replaced at my carrier's shop and considered it fixed.

But the other day I saw it again, and tonight I've seen it happen a dozen times as I've moved the phone around or picked it up... And every time I check the battery page in settings after it's happened, it doesn't say charging was interrupted(apart from the time it actually played the sound)?

Does anyone have a clue as to what's wrong here? It's completely random as well, sometimes I can go for weeks without it happening at all.

 

[MilaM]

I have experienced this myself with my iPhone 13. In my case it happens with a somewhat worn down IKEA charging cable. When it first happened I therefore blamed it on the cable.

It is very strange though. Just yesterday my iPad Pro 2018 did not take a charge from the original charger and cable. Had to restart it, and only then it started charging again. So apparently a software bug could also be the culprit.

With Lightning you also have to check if there isn't lint inside the receptacle. It tends to build up over time.

 

[fatTribble]

I’ve had a similar issue when I plug in to charge overnight. I’ll pick up the iPhone to read news or something while it’s plugged in. Sometimes it will fluctuate between charging and not charging. The battery icon does change for me. I checked the cable one day and twisted it every which way and it was rock solid. It’s a newer cable too. Something seems screwy.

 

[ThatSomeone]

I have experienced this myself with my iPhone 13. In my case it happens with a somewhat worn down IKEA charging cable. Therefore I can't be sure that the problem is actually the cable.

Interesting, and you see the exact same behavior as the one I described? I always blow air on the port before inserting the cable after having an iPad Air clog up on me, guess it didn't make much of a difference for this device. I just find it very strange how this could even happen before it turned 1 year.

It is very strange though. Just yesterday my iPad Pro 2008 did not take a charge from the original charger and cable. Had to restart it and only then it started charging again. So apparently a software bug could also be the culprit.

I assume you meant 2018? I've had a similar occurrence a few months ago where mine jumped between charging and not just by moving it around, but it at least played the connect sound and hasn't happened since. I've also had this issue with mine, hasn't happened in a while though.

I’ve had a similar issue when I plug in to charge overnight. I’ll pick up the iPhone to read news or something while it’s plugged in. Sometimes it will fluctuate between charging and not charging. The battery icon does change for me. I checked the cable one day and twisted it every which way and it was rock solid. It’s a newer cable too. Something seems screwy.

iPhone 13 as well? I've also tried to reproduce it several times myself since it started to no avail. Though tonight it happened almost every time I picked it up or swiveled it around, and now I can't reproduce it

At least I managed catch it happening several times in a row on camera tonight it for my next appointment though.

 

[fatTribble]

Mine is a 14 Pro Max

 

[MilaM]

Yes, iPad Pro 2018

Regarding the iPhone 13. Very similar observation. Since the cable is not the newest, I thought it was just a bad contact. It happens rather rarely, therefore I have not paid too much attention to the problem. I don't charge overnight though, I top the battery up only in the evening while watching Tv.

 

[MilaM]

Now I also remembered another strange occurrence. Last summer the same device complained about water inside the charging port out of the blue. There was no water though. I'm pretty sure about that. It was the first time any iPhone of mine ever complained about that. Happened only once though.

 

[ThatSomeone]

Mine is a 14 Pro Max

Yes, iPad Pro 2018

Regarding the iPhone 13. Very similar observation. Since the cable is not the newest, I thought it was just a bad contact. It happens rather rarely, therefore I have not paid too much attention to the problem. I don't charge overnight though, I top the battery up only in the evening while watching Tv.

Do you also use the official Apple 20W charger? My work iPhone 12 has never done this, even when I swapped with the cable my 13 did this with.

 

[russell_314]

A few months ago I first noticed that my iPhone 13 stopped charging when it was plugged in and I picked it up in the morning, indicated by the battery icon. It didn't make any noise or vibrate when the icon changed to charging again half a second later and I thought it was nothing. But it kept happening, and a while latter it actually did play the connect sound while it happened and I was sure something was wrong. I swapped the USB-C to Lightning cable with another one I had around, the issue seemed to disappear and lead me to believe it was the cable. I got an appointment at the Apple Store where I couldn't reproduce the issue, but they checked the port and told me nothing was wrong. I had the cable replaced at my carrier's shop and considered it fixed.

But the other day I saw it again, and tonight I've seen it happen a dozen times as I've moved the phone around or picked it up... And every time I check the battery page in settings after it's happened, it doesn't say charging was interrupted(apart from the time it actually played the sound)?

Does anyone have a clue as to what's wrong here? It's completely random as well, sometimes I can go for weeks without it happening at all.

It is possible that the replacement cable has become defective. If I have any problems, that's the first thing I check. Try another cable and see if the problem still exists.

If you use the phone a lot while it's plugged in cables will die quickly. Before when my iPhone's battery didn't last all day, I would replace cables often. Now I don't have this issue because the battery on my iPhone lasts long enough where I don't think about plugging it in except at night.

 

[ThatSomeone]

It is possible that the replacement cable has become defective. If I have any problems, that's the first thing I check. Try another cable and see if the problem still exists.

If you use the phone a lot while it's plugged in cables will die quickly. Before when my iPhone's battery didn't last all day, I would replace cables often. Now I don't have this issue because the battery on my iPhone lasts long enough where I don't think about plugging it in except at night.

Why would cables die more often being plugged in a lot? I used the charger & cable from my iPhone XR(5W+Lightning cable) and I had no issues using it like I do today with it for 4 years. Then in November I bought a 20W charger and started using the USB-C cable I got with my 13, and the issues seemed to start within the month.

I find it incredibly hard to believe that I've somehow burned through 2 cables within a month because I use my phone a bit while it's plugged in during the morning and evening.

 

[russell_314]

Why would cables die more often being plugged in a lot? I used the charger & cable from my iPhone XR(5W+Lightning cable) and I had no issues using it like I do today with it for 4 years. Then in November I bought a 20W charger and started using the USB-C cable I got with my 13, and the issues seemed to start within the month.

I find it incredibly hard to believe that I've somehow burned through 2 cables within a month because I use my phone a bit while it's plugged in during the morning and evening.

I was talking about how if you use the phone while plugged in vs just plugging it in and leaving it. The cord gets moved and flexed more.

I’m not saying the cable is bad or good. I’m saying it’s the first thing I would look at when troubleshooting. I’ve personally seen multiple cables fail but never seen a charging port fail although it’s a possibility.

 

[MilaM]

Do you also use the official Apple 20W charger? My work iPhone 12 has never done this, even when I swapped with the cable my 13 did this with.

I use two different IKEA chargers most of the time. They are the simplest chargers you can get, with no fancy USB PD protocols, or any other proprietary voltage/current negotiation going on. I believe they can provide 5V 1.5A max (~8W of power).

It's just a gut feeling, but I think the charging circuitry (or it's firmware?) of the iPhone is just not well designed. Nowadays every component has it's own program running. I'm am certain the power management of the iPhone is no different. I never had these kind of charging problems with earlier iPhones (5, 7, Xs) though.

@russell_314 is of course right. The most obvious conclusion would be, that it's a cable issue, or a problem with bad contacts in the receptacles on either side. But then after experiencing the charging problem with my iPad, I was really surprised that buggy software or circuitry on the the phone/tablet could also be at fault.

I was thinking about going to Apple with this. But the problem is so hard to reproduce, they probably would not believe me it was happening 🤷‍♂️.

 

[ThatSomeone]

I was talking about how if you use the phone while plugged in vs just plugging it in and leaving it. The cord gets moved and flexed more.

I’m not saying the cable is bad or good. I’m saying it’s the first thing I would look at when troubleshooting. I’ve personally seen multiple cables fail but never seen a charging port fail although it’s a possibility.

I see. I never do any super wacky moves when it's plugged in, just pick it up or move it a bit. I did think it was the cable at first despite the fact that it had only been in a box for a year until I got the new 20W charger, but now it's started happening again within a month of having it replaced with a completely new one..

I use two different IKEA chargers most of the time. They are the simplest chargers you can get, with no fancy USB PD protocols, or any other proprietary voltage/current negotiation going on. I believe they can provide 5V 1.5A max (~8W of power).

It's just a gut feeling, but I think the charging circuitry (or it's firmware?) of the iPhone is just not well designed. Nowadays every component has it's own program running. I'm am certain the power management of the iPhone is no different. I never had these kind of charging problems with earlier iPhones (5, 7, Xs) though.

@russell_314 is of course right. The most obvious conclusion would be, that it's a cable issue, or a problem with bad contacts in the receptacles on either side. But then after experiencing the charging problem with my iPad, I was really surprised that buggy software or circuitry on the the phone/tablet could also be at fault.

I was thinking about going to Apple with this. But the problem is so hard to reproduce, they probably would not believe me it was happening 🤷‍♂️.

Are you also using the Apple USB-C to Lightning cable? I've also been wondering if it's a software bug, but after that one time where it did actually play the sound it had me thinking otherwise. And this only happens as I move the phone around or touch the lightning connector, which really makes me think it's a hardware error.

I just don't understand where the problem is and why this only happens periodically on different cables. At least I have it on camera for my next appointment, but if they find nothing wrong with the Lightning port I can only conclude that it's the 20W wall charger, USB-C protocol or something on a microscopic level. And if this is happening to other people around the world, and on the latest flagship phone, surely it's documented somewhere..?

 

[MilaM]

Are you also using the Apple USB-C to Lightning cable?

No. Just USB-A to Lightning.

I think your issue is different from the one I observed. In my case the iPhone won't charge at all when plugged in, or stops after a while. Disconnecting and reconnecting starts the charging again. But it happens very and is difficult to reproduce. It happened with different cables and different chargers.

I never had it quickly connecting and disconnecting while plugged in.

 

[ThatSomeone]

No. Just USB-A to Lightning.

I think your issue is different from the one I observed. In my case the iPhone won't charge at all when plugged in, or stops after a while. Disconnecting and reconnecting starts the charging again. But it happens very and is difficult to reproduce. It happened with different cables and different chargers.

I never had it quickly connecting and disconnecting while plugged in.

Ah, did you try Apple branded chargers and cables as well?

 

[t0rqx]

I’ve had a similar issue when I plug in to charge overnight. I’ll pick up the iPhone to read news or something while it’s plugged in. Sometimes it will fluctuate between charging and not charging. The battery icon does change for me. I checked the cable one day and twisted it every which way and it was rock solid. It’s a newer cable too. Something seems screwy.

I read that yours is a iPhone 14 Pro Max. I have the exact same issue. What is weird is that when I twist turn rock it like a rollercoaster it does NOT disconnect. I have no issues when plugging it in, only sometimes randomly when plugged in and using it at random times it will reconnect in a split second. Something is indeed fishy and i believe it is software related, especially reading there were charging reboot issues. Glad I found this topic, I reported to https://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone/ I would suggest more people do.

Again, it is completely random and NOT often or rapidly like you would see if there was something broken.

I see it often with my Anker lightning cables which are new (2 of them). Did not see it occur with the original apple cables until recently where it sometimes would show a white battery icon and then reconnects to charge at 100% only. Whereas with the Anker it happen around 41% 83% and 93%.

 

[t0rqx]

Mine is a 14 Pro Max

When did you purchased yours and when did you notice it happening?

 

[t0rqx]

A few months ago I first noticed that my iPhone 13 stopped charging when it was plugged in and I picked it up in the morning, indicated by the battery icon. It didn't make any noise or vibrate when the icon changed to charging again half a second later and I thought it was nothing. But it kept happening, and a while latter it actually did play the connect sound while it happened and I was sure something was wrong. I swapped the USB-C to Lightning cable with another one I had around, the issue seemed to disappear and lead me to believe it was the cable. I got an appointment at the Apple Store where I couldn't reproduce the issue, but they checked the port and told me nothing was wrong. I had the cable replaced at my carrier's shop and considered it fixed.

But the other day I saw it again, and tonight I've seen it happen a dozen times as I've moved the phone around or picked it up... And every time I check the battery page in settings after it's happened, it doesn't say charging was interrupted(apart from the time it actually played the sound)?

Does anyone have a clue as to what's wrong here? It's completely random as well, sometimes I can go for weeks without it happening at all.

Did you solve the issue?

 

[ThatSomeone]

Did you solve the issue?

I went to the Apple Store a few weeks ago and told them the cable wasn't the issue either as it still occurred with a branch new one. As usual, I couldn't reproduce it.. The tech checked the port multiple times and thoroughly cleaned it, also told me they couldn't see any rust or corrosion. Even checked the USB-C port on the charger and the cable with their magnifier tool. They then told me to "mix and match" my wall chargers and cables if the issue still persisted, and if that didn't work, something was defective with my phone. I hoped that the cleaning was going to help, but unfortunately I saw the same thing occur the morning after...

But then something happened a few days later when I used the same wall charger + cable with my work iPhone, it did the same thing for the first time! Jumped on and off charging, and even played the charge dime when I held it in a certain angle for a few seconds where it jumped off despite being firmly plugged in. And it did the same thing again a few days later.

I switched my personal 20W brick + USB-C cable with the ones I got from work, and I haven't seen the issue in over 2 weeks now (knock on wood). I really don't understand how the wall charger could be the culprit as the issue occurs when I move the phone/cable near the port and it's still at the wall end, but I don't have any other explanation as the issue did indeed start a few weeks after buying it. The only difference between the one I bought personally and the one from work is that mine is made in India and the work one is from China.

 

[fatTribble]

When did you purchased yours and when did you notice it happening?

I got mine on launch day. It probably started happening a couple of months ago

 

[Flynnsworth]

I've had the same issue with an iPhone 15 PM for a few weeks now, and a similar issue with an M1 MacBook Air. I had initially presumed the MacBook charging port was starting to go as the issue continued with brand new cables.

For anyone experiencing any of the following issues:
- Device charging icon goes off and on almost at random, sometimes rapidly and sometimes intermittently
- Moving a device while its charging will stop the device from charging
- Charging cable only works on 1 side rather than either side
- USB-C devices not recognised when plugged in to Mac / iPad / iPhone
- USB-C devices randomly disconnecting from Mac / iPad / iPhone
- Multi cables, new/old, official/non-official all having the same problem
- Liquid / Humidity warning when inserting the cable, preventing you from charging your phone

The solution that worked for me:
- Clean your USB-C ports!
- Turn off your device
- Use a small Dust Blower / Air Blower to gently and repeatedly blow compressed air into the port.
- Use 'Foam Swabs', a small wooden toothpick or something non-metallic such as a small Spudger Tool to clean inside the USB-C port around the connection.

Be gentle and take your time. Don't use anything too heavy such as a can of compressed air.

You can see from the image below that my Foam Swabs are covered in dirt. The issue is now fixed on my iPhone and MacBook.