Since the SIM removal tools are basically soft aluminum…you might create a slight “hook” near the end by sliding a sharp kitchen knife across near the tip. This hook tip would help grab lint balls deep in a Lightning or USB3 socket.
This would be my fear, along with accidentally holding the compressed air can (if used, vs. a compressor type with hose, etc) crooked so that it shoots liquid propellant into the port.
That aside, I too have had luck with fine-tipped tweezers or single point picks, flashlight and magnifying lenses to make sure the port is clear, even when helping family members who don’t wear jeans or carry iPhone in a pocket!
Maybe as a last step after picking the lint out I’d hit the port with air from a couple of angles to get the last tiny bits out 
But golly, where is the Apple $59 Lint Removal Wand we’ve all been waiting for?
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Frankly I don’t recall. Now with my plug I don’t get fuzz. Maybe it is mentioned in some of the other comments or available off the internet.
I thought the SIM removal tools are Liquidmetal? So they’re an alloy of a bunch of metals, but no aluminum. Although it’s been a while since I’ve purchased an iPhone so maybe they’re just aluminum now.
I’d also be careful not to create burrs or points while modifying the tool that could damage the contacts in the slot.
Fascinating info about Liquidmetal! First I’ve ever heard of it.
Of course, it’s important to avoid any metal bits getting loose in the port. My idea is just to provide a slightlier “grabby” surface that will snag a wad of lint.
I’ve never been able to get out much fuzz with a wooden toothpick or other implement. After my second appointment at Best Buy (just because it’s much more convenient than my local Apple Store) to get my port cleaned, I’ve been careful to make sure that the phone is always put in my pocket port down to minimize port schmutz. It’s been over a year and so far, so good but I might need to look into a cap.
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Here is a related study of the “lint” problem:
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It’s much more interesting than that.
Pretty much any metal you come into contact with is an alloy–a mixture of elements, most of which will be metallic elements, but not all. (Carbon is a big part of what turns iron into steel.) Pure elements, not only pure metals, aren’t usually all that useful on their own. Pure platinum is very soft with a dirty grey color and most people would find it quite unappealing. Diversity in composition is what makes virtually any material useful, controlling important properties such as toughness, hardness, a particular melting point, color, etc.
Virtually all metals and alloys are crystaline or a mixture of different kinds of crystals. They’re normal solids and have a specific melting point. Sometimes they’re soft enough to be malleable, but solids all the same.
Liquidmetal is one of the trademarks for a metallic glass. It’s an alloy (well, a bunch of different alloys), but not crystaline. It’s a true glass. There’s no melting point, it just softens and gets runnier as it heats. This gives it some nice properties such as being easy to mold, easy to use as a coating, good corrosion resistance and more. But like everything it has tradeoffs–it’s less likely to show beginning signs of failure such as small cracks, so can fail suddenly and completely with no obvious warning (more important for things like aircraft parts than phones). It’s also still expensive which is likely why apple didn’t proceed from sim pins to bigger parts.
As for using it to clean out ports, being a glass doesn’t stop it from being quite hard. It can almost certainly scratch contacts
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Ah. You’re think of this: Liquidmetal - Wikipedia
When I read your comment, the only thing that came to mind was liquid metal thermal compound. Something you wouldn’t use to construct any solid object. (See also Liquid Metal vs. Thermal Paste: Is Liquid Metal Better?)
This worked for me: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVT51B4B A port cleaning kit. And I have a pretty good set of small tools and swabs, etc, from doing model trains. They worked OK up to where they wouldn’t work (and the plug wouldn’t stay in the phone’s socket.) I had that problem with both USB-C and Lightning connectors. The challenge is cleaning the crud from the corners at the bottom of the socket, that’s what prevented the plug from making full contact.
Wikipedia cites this AppleInsider article from 2010: Liquidmetal created SIM ejector tool for Apple’s iPhone, iPad
So it was definitely used for the tool bundled with the iPhone 3G and 3G iPad. It was used as a test of the factory’s manufacturing capabilities.
Apple didn’t include a SIM ejector tool with the iPhone 4 or any one the ones I bought (4S, 6+ and 13 mini). If they shipped tools with other devices, I don’t know what they are made of.
I assumed they were carved from a single piece of precision-machined aluminum, each edge delicately chamfered to create surfaces that feel warm and alive in your hand. Every surface meticulously finished through a proprietary anodization process that creates a soft, tactile experience while ensuring the aluminum develops a beautiful patina over time. Chamfered edges catch light with surgical precision, creating subtle highlights that seem to breathe with the ambient environment. The tip itself diamond-turned to tolerances that approach the theoretical limits of what’s possible, then hand-polished to a mirror finish…
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I assumed they were carved from a single piece of precision-machined aluminum, each edge delicately chamfered to create surfaces that feel warm and alive in your hand. Every surface meticulously finished through a proprietary anodization process that creates a soft, tactile experience while ensuring the aluminum develops a beautiful patina over time. Chamfered edges catch light with surgical precision, creating subtle highlights that seem to breathe with the ambient environment. The tip itself diamond-turned to tolerances that approach the theoretical limits of what’s possible, then hand-polished to a mirror finish…
Magnificent!!
Dave
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Excellent work, but I think you should include “stunning” a few times.
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I used a sharp knife to carve the rear end of a matchstick flat and then used the flattened matchstick as a non metal and fairly small tool to get the lint out. I also tried dipping it in some alcohol. Not sure if the alcohol had any effect.
Yes, the dust/lint can get very packed into the bottom of your iPhone’s Lightning port. Surprising how much until you realize that every time you plug it in you are effectively packing the lint deep into the hole and flattening it. So you need to carefully poke the corners and lever it a bit to dislodge.
There are thinner toothpicks and wood is best due to it being a little “soft” and not likely to scratch. DO use a magnifier so you can see where the metal contacts are so you can try to avoid them. Mostly try not to rake across the metal contacts (like running a stick across a fork’s tines, ie. perpendicular).
I would only use the compressed air to help eject anything you loosened from the bottom of the hole. If dirt/lint are packed in there it is unlikely you will free it with just compressed air.
Also, the “air” coming out of those cans is not the best thing to breathe in higher quantities. Do it outside if possible.
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Hey it just occurred to me, reading latest posts, maybe there is a vacuum with a small enough nozzle, so any remaining dust stirred up by tools could be removed, vs. compressed air blowing some bits out and wedging some in tighter…
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Maybe this
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Maybe, but it would surprise me if any vacuum kit includes a nozzle small enough to fit into a Lightning/USB port. The nozzle would have to be needle-thin.
Just stumbled on this guide from iFixit.
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