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HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,666
1,447
Los Angeles, Ca
I have an iPhone 7 Plus that still works great. The only issue is that the charging lightning port on the bottom no longer grasps a lightning cable firmly and hence usually can’t use the phone while it’s charging. When it’s place firmly it charges without issue, but the slightest jiggle can cause the charging to stop.

I see that Apple released smart battery cases for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 but not the Plus variants. I also see that Apple release smart battery cases for the iPhone XS and XS MAX but wonder if they ever released anything compatible with the 7 Plus.

At the end of the day, I need a case for my iPhone 7 Plus that’ll connect via lightning so I can keep using this phone for another year or two. Although the new iPhones are cool, my current one is no slouch.
 

tonybarnaby

macrumors 68020
Dec 3, 2017
2,385
1,741
Nope, no official case. Not only that, but I’m not so sure a case will fix your issue. My 8+ has a loose charging port too, and a battery case didn’t work. It kept stopping the charge when I moved too much. I only tried one case, but I wouldn’t assume a battery case of any kind will fix your issue. There are tons of them on Amazon for under $30. I use a wireless charger now, but that won’t work for a 7+ unfortunately
 

akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,824
16,931
Just a thought, have you checked for lint in the charging port? If you haven’t already, You might want to use a toothpick to try and clean the port and see if it’s all down to gathering lint in there.
 

Shadowbech

macrumors G3
Oct 18, 2011
9,038
5,894
Just a thought, have you checked for lint in the charging port? If you haven’t already, You might want to use a toothpick to try and clean the port and see if it’s all down to gathering lint in there.
Definitely this. While at the apple store, one customer complained about loose lighting port. Tech specialist simply took something small like a paper clip and removed lint and after that it worked and is tight again
 

maerz001

macrumors 68020
Nov 2, 2010
2,422
2,314
Definitely this. While at the apple store, one customer complained about loose lighting port. Tech specialist simply took something small like a paper clip and removed lint and after that it worked and is tight again
Yep. I had the same issue and it was just dirt
 

yticolev

macrumors 6502
Sep 27, 2015
298
274
Toothpick is unlikely to dislodge impacted lint (but will work with fluff). It took me 10 minutes with a hard steel implement to clean it out a few weeks ago. Examined under a bright light, it looks like there is no lint, just discolored metal (the discoloring was actually lint). The impacted lint tightly bound to the metal housing. Pretty incredible really. Light user and it took about 20 months of use before the lint started interrupting charge or data. Cleaning totally fixed it, as it did once before on another two year old phone by an Apple Store genius. I cannot tell you how happy and relieved I was after that visit. Charging port worked again as if new.
 

HappyDude20

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 13, 2008
3,666
1,447
Los Angeles, Ca
Toothpick is unlikely to dislodge impacted lint (but will work with fluff). It took me 10 minutes with a hard steel implement to clean it out a few weeks ago. Examined under a bright light, it looks like there is no lint, just discolored metal (the discoloring was actually lint). The impacted lint tightly bound to the metal housing. Pretty incredible really. Light user and it took about 20 months of use before the lint started interrupting charge or data. Cleaning totally fixed it, as it did once before on another two year old phone by an Apple Store genius. I cannot tell you how happy and relieved I was after that visit. Charging port worked again as if new.

Whoa, whoa.

Okay, so using a flashlight I can see at the very end what looks to be discoloration and im lead to believe it could be "impacted lint" as you've stated. It looks like discolored metal but who knows.

Ive already taken a toothpick and cotton swab with alcohol solution to try to remove it but no luck. Its been this way for 2 months now. Any real tips to help me clear it would be of big help. I'll try to post a photo here later today.
 

maerz001

macrumors 68020
Nov 2, 2010
2,422
2,314
U also see if the white lightning connector is not flush with the bottom case.

Shut it off it down and use a needle to remove lint
 

yticolev

macrumors 6502
Sep 27, 2015
298
274
Whoa, whoa.

Okay, so using a flashlight I can see at the very end what looks to be discoloration and im lead to believe it could be "impacted lint" as you've stated. It looks like discolored metal but who knows.

Ive already taken a toothpick and cotton swab with alcohol solution to try to remove it but no luck. Its been this way for 2 months now. Any real tips to help me clear it would be of big help. I'll try to post a photo here later today.
Again, toothpick isn't going to work. Try a paper clip. I used a dental pick which is stronger (and sharper) than a paper clip and it was still some work. Yes, when the discoloration is gone, the lint should be gone. However when I did this a couple weeks ago, the discoloration was also on the sides of the port. Stuff kept coming out after I could no longer see discoloration. Just keep going until nothing else comes up.
 
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