iPhone not charging? Before spending money on a repair, try cleaning the port. Here's how to do it safely, and when to bring it in.
I clear lint out of charging ports all day long. It is the most common reason a phone stops charging and it is the one most people never check, because a port full of lint looks empty from the outside.
Here is the part that costs people money. Somebody decides the port is dead, pays for a replacement, and the port was never broken. It just had a packed mat of pocket fuzz sitting at the bottom of it. Two minutes and the right tool and the phone is fine.
This is exactly how I do it on the bench. Same order, same tools.
Plug the cable in and look at the seam where the cable head meets the phone. On a clean port the cable sits flush against the body. If you can see a gap, or if it feels like it stops a hair short and springs back at you, that is lint. The port underneath is fine.
Compare it to another iPhone if you have one around. The difference is obvious once you have seen a good one.
If the cable seats all the way in and still nothing happens, stop here. Cleaning is not your problem. Run these four tests instead and they will tell you what you are actually dealing with.
Two things. A soft brush and one blunt tool. That is the whole kit.
A blunt anti static tweezer. This is the tool that does the real work. The flat blunt tip grips the lint mat and pulls it out in one piece instead of shredding it into smaller pieces you then have to chase. This is the set I would hand someone: iFixit Precision Tweezers Set. It costs about what one shop cleaning costs and you will end up using it on more than your phone.
A wooden toothpick works if this is a one time job. Wood is softer than the pins, so it is forgiving. Light pressure only.
A dry soft brush. A clean toothbrush is fine. This is for loosening the top layer before you go in with the tool.
Skip the rubber tipped port cleaning kits you see advertised. The tip is too soft to grip a packed mat and too fat to reach the bottom of the port. I have tried them.
Power the phone off first. All the way off, not just the screen. The pins in there are live and a metal tool across the wrong two is how a lint job turns into a board repair.
Get light on it. Phone flashlight, desk lamp, whatever you have. You cannot clean what you cannot see, and half the time people tell me the port is empty when it is packed solid. If you wear readers, put them on.
Brush first. Short light strokes across the opening to loosen whatever is sitting on top. Do not jam the bristles in.
Then go in with the tool and pull toward you. This is the whole technique. Work the tip down along the inside wall, get under the mat, and lift it out toward the opening. Never push. Pushing is what packs it tighter and bends pins.
Take each piece all the way out. When something comes loose, bring it out of the port completely before you go back in. Chasing loose lint around inside is how it ends up deeper than when you started.
Stop when you feel resistance. Lint gives. Pins do not. If something is not moving under light pressure, it is not lint and you need to stop.
Test it. Power back on, plug in. If the cable seats flush and it starts charging, you are done.
Metal and pointed. Paperclips, needles, SIM tools. They bend the pins, and bent pins do not come back. That is a full port replacement and it is the single most common way people turn a free fix into a paid one.
Canned air. This one surprises people because it feels like it should work. It does not. It packs the debris further down instead of pulling it out, and the propellant can leave residue on the contacts. Every port I have had to clean twice, somebody hit it with air first.
Blowing into it. Your breath carries moisture. Moisture sits on the contacts and corrodes them, and corrosion is worse than lint because it does not brush off.
Liquids. A trace of isopropyl on a swab is survivable if you know what you are doing. Anything wetter than that is asking for corrosion. When in doubt, keep it dry.
Cleaning helps with lint and debris. If the port itself is worn out or damaged, no amount of cleaning will restore normal function.
Still stuck? Run the four tests here and you will know in about two minutes whether you are looking at a port replacement or something on the board. If nothing charges at all, wired or wireless, this page covers what that usually means.
If you are the person everyone in the family brings their electronics to, the tool I use to settle this in thirty seconds is a FNIRSI FNB58 USB tester. It sits inline between the block and the phone and reads exactly how much power is moving. Zero amps means the port is not passing power and there is nothing left to guess about. Overkill for one phone. Worth it if you fix a lot of them.
The two Amazon links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Both are tools I actually use.
If cleaning doesn't do it, here's what professional repair costs at iMobile Repair Center in Detroit.
Port replacement price depends on your model. Most repairs are done the same visit while you wait. No appointment needed.
See exact pricing for your model → Learn more about charging port repair →Common questions about iPhone charging port cleaning and repair in Detroit.
Walk in at 20503 Dequindre St, Detroit. We'll diagnose it free and fix most ports the same visit.
Or call (313) 900-1032