iPhone 15/Plus iPhone USB-C loose - saw this coming

[janeauburn]

I have a new problem with my usb c iPhone…. My wife still has lightning so when I’m in her car and want to charge my phone, I can’t. The other day she was in my car and it was dark and she instinctively tried to plug my usb c cable into her iPhone and I had to stop her hah.

So much for one charger to rule them all.

Also, my Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, AirPods and Apple TV remote all still take lightning.

The current situation is truly a sheet show. This was supposed to reduce digital clutter? Ha. Fat chance. Now the world is stuck with trying to juggle cables in the multi-year transition to USB-C. After that, you'll see a bunch of useless Lightning cables being chucked in the trash. And after that, USB-C will be replaced with some "better" connector.

It's insane.

And if you think the EU knows anything about technology, think again. It's the EU we have to thank for all of these infernal "accept cookie" notices we see on websites everywhere. Someone there thought that harmless cookie files were dangerous. Ergo, regulation that benefits no one but lawyers. Someone else there got pissed off at Apple because it was too big and used a connector their Android phones didn't use (but one that worked well).

Meanwhile, Germany, the EU's biggest country, is all about "digitalization" now, as they try to catch up with the rest of the world by reducing paper clutter and bureaucracy in favor of easy-to-use websites. Fat chance. Two words are essential to understanding Germany: "Geht nicht." Living in Germany is like living in the U.S. in the late 90s as far as digitalization is concerned. It's effing pathetic.

I like many things about Germany, but the default response there to new tech (and technology in general) is "bah, humbug." And these fear-first scrooges are making hairbrained technology regulations that the world's best companies are forced to follow.

 

[ninecows]

Haha. It's apparent you're tying yourself in knots to justify the disparity in the video.

It's very clear how easily the USB-C cable pulled out of the Macbook. The only reason I didn't show the same thing with the iPhone is because I was holding the camera with one hand and need two hands to pull out the Lightning connector, it's just such a rock solid connection.

The wear and tear on the MacBook port is pretty relevant. Just imagine if you tried to keep your iPhone with USB-C for 3-4 years, a device which gets charged much more frequently.

Try your self. I dont need you to film it. I tried. Apple lightning<->USB C cable and iPhone and non-Apple USB-C charger. 3 out of 3 trials the lightning end came out of the phone. USB-C end stayed in the charger. So if it’s loose on your end Apple just did a bad job with the USB-C plug in the MacBook.

Your video is I’m afraid pretty useless. It’s comparing apples and oranges. How can you tell if gravity is pulling just as much in the dangling phone as you do in the cable on the MacBook?

 

[transmaster]

Agreed.

Y’all are obsessing over something so incredibly silly. For the record, it’s not the iPhone USB-C port, but rather the specific cable you’re using. The actual port is not loose. Some of my USB-C cables fit in nice and snug, while the cheaper ones I own are a tad more loose.

Advice that was given to me on the forum when I was having problems with the supplied OWC TB4 cable on their otherwise very good TB4 Dock was to turn the cable around to see if it made any difference, it didn't, but the Intel certified Anker TB4 cable I installed in its place snapped home for a tight fit.

The major problem with USB cable in general is there are very few available that are registered with USB compliance you can go to the USB site an read a list of cable manufacturers who are registered and have certified cables. USB,org does not have any enforcement power so they are a huge number of totally junk cables being turned out. Stay with solid brand names like Apple, Anker, Cable Matters.

 

[WB2Colorado]

That’s funny because the last 3 iPhones I’ve owned with lightning ports have all started having issues with the lightning port intermittently not working, usually conveniently not long after the warranty expires. I had to just start wirelessly charging my iPhone 12 exclusively because I woke up too many times with the battery almost dead because it got bumped during the night and stopped charging with the lightning port.

 

[johnalan]

FWIW, I'm an engineer so have a more discerning eye for this stuff than the average user, I think.

I have about 30 USB-C devices in my home, and I've got all classes of USB-C cables from cheap ones to high end 40gbps Thunderbolt 4 cables, I also have an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and a bunch of Macs.

Tried some of them tonight to check the wiggle, with both Apple and high end cables:

• Xbox Elite controller, lots of wiggle up and down, left and right.
• Super high end keyboard with high end keyboard cable, same.
• 200USD mouse, same.
• iPhone 15 Pro Max, same.
• 12 ports tested across M1/M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pros, same.
• Very high end PC with Fractal case, same.
• USB-C screens, same.

It's normal for USB-C connections to wiggle a little.

Also FWIW I also think Apple's QA has been the worst I've ever seen it and I started using their products with Tiger.

I for one am elated we finally have USB-C on an iPhone. Proprietary sucks.

 

[sd70mac]

My USB-C charger falls out from the port from time to time from random wiggles when using while charging. I cleaned out some lint that was in the port and it’s a little bit better now, but it will still fall out of its connectors from time to time. The charger will still be in the port but I will notice my phone isn’t charging anymore so I have to push it back in. It can get pretty annoying.

The connections on a MacBook Pro I use have similarly gotten loose, so that cables pull out easily.

 

[DeanL]

I don't know why y'all are concerned about the wiggle. Does the cable actually disconnect? No. So leave it alone geez

Maybe reminding you that Apple also participated in the design of USB-C might be the placebo you need to realise it's not actually a problem?

 

[DeanL]

Great info! But my experience the ports wear out as well over time. Case in point, my 2017 MacBook port was loose using an Apple branded cable. We can make the case that not all Apple cables are high quality, of course…but I believe it’s more than that and is just the nature of variances not only in the cables but the ports themselves. Just today, my Glyph TB3 (USB-C connector) drive disconnected when I nudged it. If these were strong connections, this would not happen as often.

The firsts USB-C MacBook definitely had ports that would become loose over time, but that was Apple's manufacturing.
I've never had issues with subsequent generations.

So reiterating what other people have already said: some USB-C ports are cheap/inferior to some others. If the iPhone USB-C port has issues, it's Apple's fault for not manufacturing it correctly

 

[macfacts]

Get a toothpick and try cleaning the usb c port.

 

[transmaster]

These lamentations of howling and sackcloth remind me of when Apple ditched the worse plug ever invented by mankind the 30-pin dock connector. The caterwauling about; My charging stand won't work, now I have to buy new cables, its monday. The only problem I had for the first few years was absolutely junk cables, including those from Apple. Than Apple played games with the OS's used on the iPhones , Ipod touches, Nano, iPod Classic. Suddenly your Lightning cable would not work any more. In Those days there was no Apple certified cables. Suddenly you would discover your lighting cable would no longer charge you iOS device, and in those days there were no wireless updates You were screwed until you found the Apple cable you pigeoned holed some place. When Anker came into the world it was like mana from heaven.

 

[Sammy in SoCal]

Some people are hell-bent on making a controversy out of everything

 

[transmaster]

Get a toothpick and try cleaning the usb c port.

No, use what we ham radio operators have used for decades I have both of these Caig Deoxit chemicals in my tool kit. DeoxIT® D-Series D5L in the needle applicator. This is a cleaner and lubricator for electronic connections, Potentiometers, phone plugs, etc. You place a tiny drop of Red D series in/on your USB, TB4, Lightning, XLR plugs etc etc. You insert these anointed plugs into the jack and it cleans and lubricates both sides of the contacts. Deoxit Gold is a similar formula to the Red D5L fluid but it is designed for gold contacts. It is what I use most of the time. I save the Red version for heavy duty use. Amazon has the best prices on both of these chemicals. DO NOT PURCHASE THE SPRAY VERSION!!!!!!! The spray version is more diluted and you waste most of it hosing down something. Because you are not wasting any of it these bottles last for a very long time. What happens to me is somebody borrows it and i never seen the bottle again.

 

[transpo1]

The firsts USB-C MacBook definitely had ports that would become loose over time, but that was Apple's manufacturing.
I've never had issues with subsequent generations.

So reiterating what other people have already said: some USB-C ports are cheap/inferior to some others. If the iPhone USB-C port has issues, it's Apple's fault for not manufacturing it correctly

Well, I agree with what you said about different manufacturing— but I think it’s a flawed design if the manufacturing varies so greatly. Even among the ports on my 2021 M1 Max MBP, they all have different qualities of looseness/tightness which leads me to believe— while mostly adequate— these connectors were never designed to be tough.

 

[transpo1]

Try your self. I dont need you to film it. I tried. Apple lightning<->USB C cable and iPhone and non-Apple USB-C charger. 3 out of 3 trials the lightning end came out of the phone. USB-C end stayed in the charger. So if it’s loose on your end Apple just did a bad job with the USB-C plug in the MacBook.

Your video is I’m afraid pretty useless. It’s comparing apples and oranges. How can you tell if gravity is pulling just as much in the dangling phone as you do in the cable on the MacBook?

Haha. I mean, I was holding the cable with one hand for each device (something you may have tried yourself and if you don’t want to believe me, that’s fine, but your loss.

Too bad you didn’t film your test— it would be a lot more believable. And if your Lightning cable came out of the port that easily, there must be something wrong with it as well.

 

[transpo1]

That’s funny because the last 3 iPhones I’ve owned with lightning ports have all started having issues with the lightning port intermittently not working, usually conveniently not long after the warranty expires. I had to just start wirelessly charging my iPhone 12 exclusively because I woke up too many times with the battery almost dead because it got bumped during the night and stopped charging with the lightning port.

Sorry to hear it, that seems very unlucky. I’ve never had an issue with any Lightning port unless A) it had lint in it (easy fix) B) it was an uncertified cable. The Lightning ports themselves were always very robust.

 

[transpo1]

Apple and intel designed the usb-c connection

Whoever designed it could have done a much better job on the robustness of the connector.

 

[Elusi]

Anecdotally the android owners I know have pretty much all complained about this ever since they got their models with USB-C. Welcome to their world! Isn't it nice?

Seriously though I do like the idea of the increased functionality of the port like being able to charge stuff, connect external storage etc. The port change makes sense and makes the phone more useful. Surely there must be a way to make a robust USB-C port within spec, though?

Personally I have not had any problems with USB-C on iPads nor Macbooks. But I suppose they see less day-to-day abuse compared to a phone.

 

[Barbareren]

FWIW, and others may have different experiences, and this is obviously only anecdotal, but I have myself seen a ton of lightning cables and their connectors (both Apple and third party) crap out over time, from regular use. I have never once seen a USB-C cable or connector go down.

Same experience here. I've had too many lightning cables and ports fail on me. Glad they switched to USB-C!

 

[Dust-by-Monday]

Same experience here. I've had too many lightning cables and ports fail on me. Glad they switched to USB-C!

My friend's son's lightning port was bad, so I cleaned it out with a toothpick and now it's perfect again. I've never seen a lighting port actually die, but I'm sure it happens. Just never to any of my lightning devices. I've had keyboards, mice, AirPods, Apple TV remotes and tons of iPhones. All perfectly working lightning ports on them. Not saying it can't happen, but it doesn't seem like a very common thing in my experience.

 

[Barbareren]

My friend's son's lightning port was bad, so I cleaned it out with a toothpick and now it's perfect again. I've never seen a lighting port actually die, but I'm sure it happens. Just never to any of my lightning devices. I've had keyboards, mice, AirPods, Apple TV remotes and tons of iPhones. All perfectly working lightning ports on them. Not saying it can't happen, but it doesn't seem like a very common thing in my experience.

It’s when you actually use the iPhones while plugged in with lightning cables you’ll start noticing connection issues after some time. Try lugging around a power bank for example. Almost everyone I know who has to plug in their iPhones often due to poor battery life have issues with lightning. Anyways, like everyone has pointed out, it’s all anecdotal. I’m just glad lightning is finally gone for good. The other devices you listed, like AirPods and ATV remotes, are rarely used while plugged in, so no issues there. Also they seem to have sturdier ports than iPhones. Lots of people have complained about lightning in various forums, so I hardly think it’s uncommon.

 

[haruhiko]

Yup, I always said the USB-C port is a disaster vs. the secure and reliable lightning connector. Now it's confirmed: USB-C sucks. The connection is fragile at best:

https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/16putnb

Mine is the same.

Thanks, EU. You forced an inferior port on all of us. Horrible.

I can’t agree with you. It was great during my trip earlier when I could just plug in a USB C card reader to the iPhone 15 Pro Max and offload all the photos taken by my mirrorless camera instantly. It’s 10x faster than transferring by WiFi.

 

[LogicalApex]

lol this is a comical post OP. The lightening connector needed to enter retirement.

That said. How would the C connector be any worse than C? Apple had a hand in designing C. So it has a very similar device connection structure. The port is capable of being strongly reinforced with steel to prevent bending on the port opening.

The “risk” of C is the plastic connector in the port breaking. Which I have never seen. But it won’t clog with lint like lightening.

 

[laszlo182]

Wait until he finds out that USB C was codeveloped by Apple.

 

[christlinah]

The Lightning port seems a bit more robust built-wise but aside from this, USB-C is just better in every. single. way. Not only does it transfer and charge faster (at least in theory), it's also so much more versatile and not having to carry a separate cable just for the damn phone (since MBP and iPad is USB-C anyway) is a huge QOL improvement.

Thanks, EU.

 

[Jmausmuc]

Typical EU. Just look at the electric car charger they are forcing us to use vs. the Tesla one the Us will be using going forward.

If you don’t live in the EU, don’t comment on it. It takes a few years of living in Europe to see how this organization literally governs every single aspect of our lives.

It is not fun. It is killing innovation.