Is there anything quite as terrible as waking up to a halfway-dead iPhone? Well, yeah. But it’s still an annoying situation. Maybe you forgot to charge it up overnight, or perhaps there’s something wrong with your iPhone’s wireless charger.
As long as your iPhone supports wirelessly charging, you should be able to use it. (Keep in mind that only the iPhone 8 and newer models have wireless charging.)
But if your device is wireless-enabled and you’re still running into charging issues, there could be something else going on. Let’s take a look.
Whether your iPhone is charging extremely slowly or not charging at all, here are a few things you should try to troubleshoot your specific issue.
Make sure your wireless charger is plugged in
Make sure you’re using a high-quality, Qi-enabled accessory — and make sure it’s plugged in.
This may sound like a “no duh” suggestion, but it’s something to check before proceeding to any other steps. Make sure that your Qi wireless charger is plugged into an outlet or power strip that’s working.
For example, you’ll want to make sure your wireless charger is a Qi-enabled accessory from a reputable brand. Wireless chargers that don’t support Qi, or shoddy options from sketchy companies, may not work with your iPhone.
If there is a charging port between the power cable and the charging mat, try cleaning out the charging port with a Q-tip and see if the charging mat works better.
Restart your iPhone and update your software
When in doubt, restart your iPhone.
In many cases, glitchy or buggy behavior can be easily rectified by a simple restart. That’s the case for the iPhone’s wireless charging feature, too. If you’re running into problems wirelessly charging your iPhone, you may want to power down your iPhone or perform a Hard Reset.
Performing a Forced Restart on iPhone X/XR/XS.
Similarly, Apple routinely patches software bugs that could inhibit wirelessly charging. Even if you aren’t actively experiencing charging issues, you’ll want to install the latest available software whenever you can.
If charging issues persist and you suspect it could still be a software bug, then you may want to perform a DFU Restore. This is one of the deepest “resets” you can carry out on an iPhone. Just read our guide on how to do it.
Take off any cases from your iPhone
Take off those thick iPhone cases before charging.
In theory, only metal cases will interfere with Qi-based wireless charging. But in practice, sometimes thicker plastic cases can cause problems, too.
Particularly thick iPhone cases, like LifeProof or Otterbox, can inhibit wireless charging because of the distance they create between an iPhone and a charging coil. That may lead to slower charging speeds or wireless charging that doesn’t work at all.
More than that, some cases can inhibit an iPhone’s ability to stay cool while charging. Heat isn’t the best thing for electronics — and if your device is overheating while charging, it could reduce your battery’s lifespan.
Be mindful of iPhone placement on the wireless charger
Make sure your iPhone is placed properly on the charging pad.
How you place your iPhone on a wireless charger is, arguably, the most important thing you’ll want to keep in mind when using Qi-based solutions.
To put it in layman’s terms, Qi uses a charging coil to wirelessly transfer energy to your device. But these coils can be finicky. If your device isn’t properly aligned with the charging pad’s coils, then you could run into problems.
If the iPhone is too far away from the charging coil, then charging speeds may end up being ridiculously slow. Similarly, if the coil and iPhone aren’t aligned properly, charging may not take place at all. Worse still, you may even get a charging ”ping” or see the charging indicator working normally — even if the device isn’t charging. More likely than not, this is why many users wake up to half-charged devices.
If all else fails …
If you’re still running into problems with wireless charging on your iPhone, there may be a damaged component or hardware issue with your device. Try a different wireless charger unit to see if it works; otherwise, we recommend taking your iPhone to an Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider so they can diagnose and fix the problem.
We are hopeful that Apple will be releasing its own AirPower brand of wireless charging mats soon that will power your Apple iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and maybe even the Apple Pencil.
Do you plan on upgrading to the new AirPower chargers when they are released ?
Mike is a freelance journalist from San Diego, California.
While he primarily covers Apple and consumer technology, he has past experience writing about public safety, local government, and education for a variety of publications.
He’s worn quite a few hats in the journalism field, including writer, editor, and news designer.
I recently (like, 15 minutes ago?) posted my experience with my iPhone X that suddenly stopped charging wirelessly, and I found the problem.
About 6 months ago, I bought a Scosche Magic Mount for my truck, and rather than stick the magnet to the back of my phone, I just sandwiched it in between my plastic case, up next to the camera. I guess over time, the magnet slipped down to about the middle of the phone, and this was interfering with the wireless charging (after all, it’s magnetic in nature). I ignored the troubleshooting that said to remove the case, since it always worked with the case before, but I had forgot completely about that little magnet that I chose not to stick to the phone. Perhaps this may help other users who, like me, have a magnetically powered accessory, and may not be considering it for your troubleshooting steps. HTH someone.
Much like Robert posted on February 3, 2021, my iPhone X has been charging wirelessly for as long as I’ve owned it – a little over 3 years. Yesterday, February 17, it stopped. I have several wireless chargers around the house and none of them are charging it, but the rest of the family have no issues. Phones range from iPhone XR, 8-Plus, SE (2020) and all of them charge on all of the chargers as they always have. I did a reboot of the phone but no luck. I hesitate to do a hard reset / restore since it’s such a pain, but I have grown quite dependent on wireless charging so will try that soon if I can’t find any other remedy. Taking the phone in to the Apple Store is also fairly inconvenient considering where it is located related to where I live, and the fact that I don’t leave my neighbourhood much due to limiting contact thanks to COVID-19. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
My iPhone XS Max stopped charging wirelessly this past week. Then it started charging again. Then it stopped. I shut down my phone. Powered back up. No dice. I disconnected power cord from charger and reconnected. No dice. Unplugged it from the wall and replugged. Same. Took my phone out of the case. No luck. I then tried to charge my girlfriend’s older iPhone 8 – NO PROBLEM CHARGING. So obviously the problem is with my iPhone XS Max. Not sure what to do now. Any suggestions?
I have an IPhone 6s Plus, in to which I have a QI wireless charger card. It’s about the size of a credit card sits in the cover I have for the phone and plugs into the lighting cable connection. It works great I can plonk my phone down on a pad next to my chair or on the bedside table and it will charge without having to connect the cable. The moment I downloaded iOS 13.6, this stopped working. The QI is detected by the pad, but the phone doesn’t enter charge mode.
Apple won’t help to fix it, it’s not an Apple supported product, which I get up to a point.
The real issue came when I asked three tech to fall me back to iOS 13.5.1 on which I know this works.
The response was “we don’t do that”.
So apples update leaves me with less functionality and they can’t or won’t fix or help move back to the iOS that I know works.
Not happy at all
I recently (like, 15 minutes ago?) posted my experience with my iPhone X that suddenly stopped charging wirelessly, and I found the problem.
About 6 months ago, I bought a Scosche Magic Mount for my truck, and rather than stick the magnet to the back of my phone, I just sandwiched it in between my plastic case, up next to the camera. I guess over time, the magnet slipped down to about the middle of the phone, and this was interfering with the wireless charging (after all, it’s magnetic in nature). I ignored the troubleshooting that said to remove the case, since it always worked with the case before, but I had forgot completely about that little magnet that I chose not to stick to the phone. Perhaps this may help other users who, like me, have a magnetically powered accessory, and may not be considering it for your troubleshooting steps. HTH someone.
Much like Robert posted on February 3, 2021, my iPhone X has been charging wirelessly for as long as I’ve owned it – a little over 3 years. Yesterday, February 17, it stopped. I have several wireless chargers around the house and none of them are charging it, but the rest of the family have no issues. Phones range from iPhone XR, 8-Plus, SE (2020) and all of them charge on all of the chargers as they always have. I did a reboot of the phone but no luck. I hesitate to do a hard reset / restore since it’s such a pain, but I have grown quite dependent on wireless charging so will try that soon if I can’t find any other remedy. Taking the phone in to the Apple Store is also fairly inconvenient considering where it is located related to where I live, and the fact that I don’t leave my neighbourhood much due to limiting contact thanks to COVID-19. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
My iPhone XS Max stopped charging wirelessly this past week. Then it started charging again. Then it stopped. I shut down my phone. Powered back up. No dice. I disconnected power cord from charger and reconnected. No dice. Unplugged it from the wall and replugged. Same. Took my phone out of the case. No luck. I then tried to charge my girlfriend’s older iPhone 8 – NO PROBLEM CHARGING. So obviously the problem is with my iPhone XS Max. Not sure what to do now. Any suggestions?
I thought the wireless phones started with the 8, not the 6s
i’ve tried 3 wireless charging stations, none work. it has to be a faulty phone.
I have an IPhone 6s Plus, in to which I have a QI wireless charger card. It’s about the size of a credit card sits in the cover I have for the phone and plugs into the lighting cable connection. It works great I can plonk my phone down on a pad next to my chair or on the bedside table and it will charge without having to connect the cable. The moment I downloaded iOS 13.6, this stopped working. The QI is detected by the pad, but the phone doesn’t enter charge mode.
Apple won’t help to fix it, it’s not an Apple supported product, which I get up to a point.
The real issue came when I asked three tech to fall me back to iOS 13.5.1 on which I know this works.
The response was “we don’t do that”.
So apples update leaves me with less functionality and they can’t or won’t fix or help move back to the iOS that I know works.
Not happy at all