Are you sure the connection is actually broken? I ask because it’s not uncommon for so much lint and fuzz to get stuck in there that a solid connection can no longer be made which then breaks charging and data transfer. If you shine a light in there, can you tell if there’s anything in there? Fine tweezers or something like a sickle probe (a finer dental scaler) can be very efficient at removing whatever is in there and interfering with a solid connection.
I hate the idea of using anything metal for this. A carefully-used wooden or plastic toothpick has always worked for me.
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This happened to me earlier in the year in London - I could charge magnetically but not via a cable. I went to the nearest Apple Store and one of the genii used the Apple sim removing tool to extract a surprising amount of gunk from the (lightning) port. He said it was common to see in people who wear jeans (guilty) as the material fluffs a lot in the pockets.
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Would compressed air be safer?
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I really don’t know, but I have my doubts whether it would force it out rather than just compress it in further. Me personally, I’d be reluctant to force compressed air into something which is weather sealed for fear it could damage the seal - but that’s purely speculation.
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Thanks for the suggestions Tidbiters. I have tried a toothpick in there to no avail. I do like the sim removal tool suggestion and will give it a go. What about spraying contact cleaner on whatever probe I use? - A small amount and definitely not in the socket.
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Toothpicks worked for me with Lightning. But in the days of USB-C I find them just too thick — the last thing you’d want to do is exert lateral pressure on the contact support tang within a USB-C receptacle (that’s where all the electrical contacts are, after all).
I’ve never damaged anything with my fine sickle probe, so I’m comfortable doing that. SIM eject tool sounds like a good alternative since many will already have that lying around somewhere.
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I’d take it to the Apple Store and let them do it. They’ll also check if it’s something else.
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I’ve found that the flat plastic pick commonly found in Swiss Army knives works very well for clearing gunk from an electronic port.
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It’s deceptively hard. I work the toothpick down each side in a gentle scraping motion and then try to loosen things at the bottom. One time, I’d done this multiple times without any effect and then the last time, a massive wad of lint came loose and fell out. Charging / syncing resumed! So it’s a bit of a dark art.
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Just a bit curious—did you even try using compressed air?
I mainly use Dust-Off Disposable Compressed Gas Duster.
But just do a search for “compressed air duster” as other brands are sometimes less expensive but just as good.
I use short squirts releasing bursts of air. I do it a few times at different angles. This usually works – 99% .
Glad the wooden toothpick worked for and dd not mess things up.
Gladder that your phone is working again. When my iPhone 8 went kaput, it wasn’t dust it was a bad chip according to a local electronic repair service. It was out of Applecare Warranty. Had to buy a new phone.
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I got tired of the schmutz in the port. Bought a plug designed just for that. Easy to remove when needed. It even came with a little keeper to attach it to the charging cord… Search portplug on Amazon.
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What are people’s thoughts on silicon port plugs? It seems like they’d keep the port clean of debris, but might be a problem if you got the phone wet and would need removal for drying. It sounds like it has worked for @TGarf. Has anyone had a negative experience with these?
Kevin
FWIW, I use whatever’s on sale at Micro Center when I’m the store. This is usually the “Big Can Of Air” from Inland (their store brand).
It shouldn’t be a problem. I’d avoid metal picks because:
- They may scratch the contacts
- They’re conductive and may short something or introduce ESD.
But any non-conductive soft object (like a wooden or plastic toothpick) should be just fine. Like @josehill, I use the plastic pick from my pocket knife. It’s soft, plastic and small/flat enough to easily fit into a Lightning (or USB) port.
Depending on which chip died, a repair shop capable of board-level repair might be able to fix it. But the labor charge may end up costing so much that a replacement phone makes more sense.
Some phone cases (e.g. the Otterbox Defender series) include a cover for the charge-port.
If the plug is working properly, it shouldn’t allow water to get into the port.
But if it does, or if you’re afraid it might, just remove the plug. This shouldn’t be difficult to do - they’re designed to be removed so you can charge the device. (Not every compatible device has wireless charging.)
A person at the Apple store showed me how to use the SIM removal tool. One face of the hole has no metal contacts and so he would push in the tool, slide to this face and then drag up, I had lots of fuzz. I have since paid for small pieces you insert into your hole to fill it up while it is in your pocket. Then at night remove this piece and plug in for charging. I even found a small rubber piece to connect to the charging cable which can hold this protection piece overnight.
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I’ve seen a suggestion to cut a plastic straw to form a flattened piece suitabl to put in the hole, and it seems to work.
Which face of the charging port has no contacts?
On my 7th-gen iPod Touch and iPhone 15 13 mini, the contacts are on the lower (furthest from the screen) edge of the Lightning port.
If you shine a flashlight in the port, it is pretty obvious.
Oh, how we wish!
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Oops. Typo. Meant to say 13 mini.
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