So you have noticed that your iPhone is charging slower than usual but can’t find the exact reason? Well, it’s not uncommon, the cause of the problem lies in the charger or the cable. However, there can be other factors as well. Here I have created a step-by-step guide to help you pinpoint the problem and resolve it. Let begin.
Fix iPhone Charging Slow
1. Is the Cable and Charger properly Plugged in
It has happened to me more than once, so I would recommend you check if all the connections are attached properly. Make sure the charging brick is properly plugged into the wall socket and the switch is turned ON. Also, make sure that the cable is fully inserted in the brick and the lightning port is snuggly inserted in the iPhone. You should see a stable charging icon on the top right of the iPhone. If everything is properly connected and still your iPhone is charging slowly, proceed to the next step.
2. Is it an Apple Authorized Charger
There are plenty of knock-off chargers available on the Internet which can’t offer the claimed power output. So check if you have an original Apple Charger that came with the box or an MFi (Made for iPhone) certified accessory. If you have an appropriate charger and still it’s charging your iPhone slower then let’s troubleshoot the next scenario.
3. Is the Charger powerful enough?
The standard 5W charger that comes with the iPhone outputs 1000mA or 1A current and would take around 3 hours to fully charge an iPhone Xs Max. A higher watt (maximum limit is 20W) charger would charger your much iPhone faster. If your charger doesn’t offer 5W charging, try another charger that can offer at least 5W output, or even better, either buy a 20W MFi charger from Amazon or if you have an iPad, use the iPad charger to charge your iPhone. This doesn’t harm your iPhone yet charge it quite fast.
Here’s a few values chargers operate at;
- 5W: 5V & 1000mA or 1A
- 10W: 5V & 2000mA or 2A
- 15W: 5V & 3000mA or 3A
If your charger has values similar to the values above and it still isn’t charging properly, proceed to the next step.
4. Check the Lightning connector for Carbon buildup
With constant use, the lightning connector develops a layer of corrosion on the 4th or 5th pin which results in irregular current transmission and can lead to slow charging. Check the lightning connector of the cable and if there is black residue, clean it with rubbing alcohol and some Q-tips until the metal pin starts showing. If you’ve cleaned the pin and still the iPhone is charging slowly, proceed to the next step.
Source: discussions.apple.com
5. Check for debris and lint in the lightning port
The lightning port on the iPhone can gather unintended debris, bits, and pieces in the port that can get stuck inside and cause disruptions while charging your iPhone. Flash some light inside the port to take a look and if you see some dirt or debris, use a pin or a Qtip to scoop out the bits. Try charging your iPhone again and see if the charging speed has returned to normal. If not, move to the next step.
6. Are you charging the iPhone wirelessly
Wireless charging is inherently slower than wired charging and the problem is worsened if the coils don’t align properly. iPhone 12 comes with a magnetic ring to snap the wireless charger in perfect alignment. But if you have an older iPhone (iPhone 8 or newer) that doesn’t have MagSafe, try placing the iPhone in the dead center of the charging pad to improve the charging speeds.
7. Check the Battery Health
The battery is a consumable item in a smartphone and it degrades over time. If a battery has come to an end of its lifecycle then it may stop holding a charge and take a long time to charge. To see the battery health, navigate to the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Battery Settings. Tap the Battery Health section to reveal the health stats.
You would see a percentage, next to Maximum Capacity as shown below. If your iPhone shows a warning then it may be the reason for slow charging. If the battery health is normal then proceed to the next step.
8. Disable Battery Optimized Charging
8. Disable Battery Optimized ChargingThis is the rarest of circumstances where your iPhone might be limiting the charge itself. Introduced on iOS 13, optimized battery charging learns from your behavior to optimize the charging in favor of battery life. For example, if you plug in your iPhone at night and pull out in the morning, the iPhone would keep the iPhone at 50% the whole night and charge the iPhone fully just one hour before you wake up.
It might be that you’re iPhone is in the optimized charging mode and that’s why it’s not charging quickly because it believes you don’t need to use the iPhone for some time. You can try disabling the optimized battery charging to turn off this feature. Navigate to Settings> Battery> Battery Health> Disable Optimized battery charging> Turn Off Until Tomorrow.
Final Words
I hope these steps would have helped solve this problem. It can be tricky to figure out where exactly the problem lies but I have listed all the possible scenarios which might lead to slow iPhone charging. If it is still a problem, you should contact Apple and they can take a thorough look at what’s wrong. What do you think? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter.
Also Read: How to Fix “Can’t Upload Photos in Apps on iOS 14”
