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VSlavskii

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 27, 2020
2
0
Posting here to seek advice, see if anyone else has this issue, and what could be possible root causes of this.
MacBook Pro M1 13" 2020: model A2338

The reliability of my USB-C/Charging port has been continuously reducing for some time. External SSDs would not always be detected, charging was becoming more and more unreliable, until charging and USB-C stopped working altogether in May. I took the laptop for Apple Care+ repair. During the repair, they installed a new I/O board, but the device came back with USB ports not functional for either data transfer or charging. It had to be sent back for a logic board replacement, after which it came back working perfectly.

Then, over the last week, the condition of USB ports has been worsening. At first, iPhone/iPad/Android would not be detected for data transfer but they received power from the laptop. Then, only flash drives would be detected and external monitor (USB-C to DisplayPort cable) became unreliable, not always working. SSD would receive power but never showed up as connected in macOS/System Information/Disk Utility. Today, the laptop stopped charging, the USB ports no longer receive or give power and the laptop appears to have no reaction to a connected USB-C charger or any external devices, including flash drive. New Apple Care Plus repair case is pending...

What could be possibly causing the USB-C ports to be failing? No water damage, no drops, no exposure to sand or other adverse conditions. Does anyone else have this type of issue?
 

livmatus

macrumors regular
Feb 1, 2020
129
181
have it repaired again and start using a different charger

I was using a charger from a Nexus phone with my old iPad Air 3 … and the home button was not working while it was plugged

also vice-versa my gf’s old OnePlus One phone killed a bunch of chargers

but I’d suspect either the charger you use or some other accessory is defective and causes harm to the Macbook
 
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Lifeisabeach

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2022
363
375
I agree with livmatus. This is highly unusual and I'd suspect something is happening with your power source. If you aren't plugged into a surge protector when charging, definitely start doing so. And spend the money for a good one. Not just the surge protector, but the charging brick. Apple's are, of course, very reliable, but there are others. I like Anker's products a lot.

The other thing to consider is your actual electrical supply. If you live in a community with unreliable electrical service, or a home with faulty wiring, that could be a factor also.
 

VSlavskii

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 27, 2020
2
0
What’s interesting is that last repair they gave me a new power supply “just in case”, because I complained about loose usb-c port on the power supply. So, it’s been always used with the original power supply, plugged in to a surge protector. I’m located in Southern California, in a rather new apartment building, so power issues are rare.
 
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