If you are having problems charging your iPad or iPhone, you are not alone, If your iOS device does not charge, follow these steps. Please note that while your iPhone, iPad mini or iPod may not have a problem charging using the USB port on your computer, the iPad requires considerably more power. This means some USB ports may not have enough power. If your device doesn’t charge when you connect it to your computer, first step to resolve this issue is:
- Disconnect your device from your computer.
- Connect your device to the power adapter that came with your device.
- Plug in the adapter to a electrical outlet.
If you are still having problems:
- Unplug the charger from the iPad/iPhone and then replug.
- Reset your device by pressing and holding both the sleep and home buttons for about 10 to 15 seconds (ignore the red slider) until you see the Apple logo; don’t worry you won’t lose any content.
- If resetting doesn’t fix it then try a different charger and/or cable. If something is wrong with your cable, it may not provide any (or enough) power to charge the battery. If you are using a third party cable, make sure you are using the cable that came with device.
Related:
- iPad mini not charging? Fix
- iPhone/iPad losing charge while plugged in
- iPhone 4S won’t charge to 100%
Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.
Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.
In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.
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Refusal for an iOS device to charge can be a software problem.
You’ll know if it is if the iOS device recognizes that a charging cable has been plugged into the device, but does not show that it is charging.
Often the device pushes a notification to the lock screen that the device must be unlocked for the cable to function.
That is the evidence you’re looking for.
Whether you find that evidence or not, do the following (because it will only work if the cable is recognized, so you’ll find out, anyway.)
THE WORKAROUND:
Unplug the charging cable.
Turn off the iOS device.
Plug in the charging cable.
-> You will notice that the iOS device powers back up on its own.
After powered up, turn off the device again (do not unplug the cable)
Now, your device is charging while turned off.
I’m guessing the software is not able to interfere, and that is why it works.
You will not be able to see the progress of the charge until the device is turned back on.
I’m going to backup my iOS device, reset it and start from scratch as if it were a new device.
I wish I could report if that works, or not. I’m betting it will.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your insight and sharing your experience and thoughts.
Has this procedure worked for you?
I was using my ipad air while i was charging it and it suddenly stopped working. I took the cable out and it was all black so i guessed it was burnt. I used the iphone charger but that didnt work too. I remember that sometines i use thw iphone charger and it worked. I hope the actual ipad isnt burnt.
My ipad air is dead and my charger is not charging I’ve tried to south cords but nothing is working
Switch not south
My iPad 4 (8gig) hasn’t been charging properly for the last few days. I’ve tried different chargers, but this hasn’t sorted the problem at all. And all the chargers I tried have been genuine apple chargers, the first one using the original charger head that came with my iPad and a genuine apple lighting cable lead I bought at a tech store after my original lead was lost. This charger had been working fine for months. Then I tried my fathers genuine head and cable (head from his iPad and cable from his iPhone) and it only charged 10% overnight. We are in cold conditions (-0*C) so maybe that’s effecting the charging speed.
Did you try holding down the lock button? The lock button is the rounded rectangular button in the top right corner of your iOS device. Some people try using the home button (the circle one) or don’t press the lock button for long enough. Maybe try a different power socket. Has your iPad been exposed to extreme temperatures? If it has been in heat over 35 degrees Celsius your battery might be permanently damaged, meaning it might not have enough power to start. Don’t charge your iPad below 5 degrees Celsius, because this will cause the battery to charge slowly and not give it the power it needs to start up. Don’t worry though, if cold has been the case as soon as you warm your iPad up it will charge fine again.
Hope some of this helps. Good luck.