Why is my iPhone no longer charging? Many of us have been there, frantically wiggling the charging cable trying to get the charging icon on our phone screen.

If your iPhone stops charging properly when you connect a cable, the likely reason is that lint, dust, or debris is stuck in your phone’s charging port. This stuff prevents the cable from properly connecting to your phone’s charging components. You may notice that the charging cable no longer fits into the port as well as it used to. Remove the junk files and your phone should charge as expected.

Below we show you how to remove this lint and more importantly, we can also show you how to prevent dirt from entering the charging port in the first place.

Don’t feel dirty. Dust and debris in the phone’s charging port are almost inevitable since few of us live in a white-glove lab environment. The phone is stored in a pocket or bag, which we all know are real reservoirs of dust and dirt.

These tips should work for your iPad and even your MacBook. Any device with a port tends to attract dirt to places you would prefer it not to enter.

I had to make three visits to an Apple Store to find out why my iPhone won’t charge via its cable. After the first time, I had a strong suspicion that it was debris inside the port, but despite my best efforts, I was unable to locate and remove it.

The Apple Genius support people took my phone and inspected it under their special microscope. Spotting the lint under many magnifications, they removed it with what I assume were Apple tweezers and returned the now-working phone to me with a slightly censored look, as if I was too brutal to keep the lint from pants to penetrate their beautiful device.

These tips should work with a Lightning (iPhone 5 to iPhone 14) or USB-C (iPhone 15 and later) port.

Simon Jary / Foundry

How to Remove Lint from an iPhone Port

Gently cleaning the iPhone’s charging port to remove any lint or dirt inside seems easy, but, as my experience shows, these items can fit tightly there and are virtually impossible to see without the one of Apple’s microscopes.

My first advice is to be careful. You don’t want to damage anything inside the phone port for obvious reasons. But chances are you can fix the problem yourself.

The tools you need are basic: a wooden toothpick and something to blow away floating dust. You should have these basics on hand for all your tech cleaning. Compressed air and a lightweight, soft-bristled brush are great tools for cleaning your keyboard, for example.

Step 1: First use your flashlight or torch to inspect the port. Don’t expect to see much, but you might see something that you can remove fairly easily.

Step 2: Blowing the lint should be the next action you take, as it should be less risky to the phone’s internal mechanisms. Our goal here is to dislodge any dirt or dust and release any loose particles that have found their way into the phone port. If it doesn’t come out with a blast of air, it should be easier to remove with the toothpick.

We use a manual air blower to gently blow away the dirt. THE Medsuo air blower comes with its own soft brush for extra cleaning action once you’ve finished blowing.

Of course, you can just use your mouth to blow the dust away at first, but try to make your mouth as dry as possible beforehand. We don’t want spit getting in the way, which could make that lint even harder to remove. .

You can use a more powerful fan by using a compressed air can. Note that Apple doesn’t recommend using this level of cleaning, but if you can’t remove this dirt, this may be your last resort, unless of course taking your phone to the local Apple Store. The fear is that a powerful blast of compressed air could blow this dirt further into the phone, but this area is sealed so that shouldn’t be the case.

However, many internet experts suggest using compressed air. So we suspect Apple is being too cautious.

Consider this a tip: be careful yourself to avoid damaging your phone. Don’t spray the air too close to the port (aim at least an inch from the port) and use short bursts. I don’t want to scare you, but simply be wary of too rough treatment.

Step 3: Once you’ve blown as much air as you dare into the port, try the charging cable to see if you’ve done everything necessary. And check again with your flashlight.

Simon Jary / Foundry

Step 4: If it still doesn’t charge properly without wiggling the cable, take the toothpick and very carefully stroke the top and bottom walls of the port while avoiding touching the interior sides as much as possible. If your iPhone is iPhone 15 or later, be sure to avoid the most vulnerable central part of the USB-C port.

You will almost certainly begin to remove clumps of lint and dirt that have not been expelled by the air.

Do not use a cotton swab or cotton swab, as you can transfer just as easily.

Continue (carefully) until the lint disappears and charging returns to normal.

If you’ve done all you can, it might be time to consult the experts at the Apple Store.

You can save yourself all this trouble if no dirt gets into the charging port of the phone. Read our helpful article on how to prevent dirt from entering iPhone charging port for a simple tip that will ensure you never have to blow or scrape dirt off your phone again.