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Paddle1

macrumors 601
May 1, 2013
4,830
3,180
Yes thats normal. First time with iphone 6. the apple genius knew the problem and fixed it in seconds. Know i just do it every few months when it happens by myself
That's interesting. I wonder what kind of factors cause this, obviously clothing and possibly climate. I've never had to actually clean the port, the most I do is blow on it to get dust out.
 

3166792

Cancelled
Jul 5, 2022
188
333
How did they fix it?
They just cleaned out the dust from the connection port?

And with what tools?
A thin toothpick to get to the back of the port, a clean, thin paintbrush and a little bit of compressed air (like a camera lens duster) will make the port as good as new. Just don't scrape the contacts. The Lightning port is quite easy to clean and pretty robust.
 

Andeddu

macrumors 68000
Dec 21, 2016
1,648
2,048
image.jpg

My 13’s lightning port is plugged up no lint can get in. I do that because I have transitioned over to wireless for everything and don’t require the lightning port anymore.

I have never had that issue with my prior iPhones though… never had to remove anything from my 6S, SE, 8 and 12 Mini because lint never really accumulated in the port for me.

I guess it depends on how your pockets are. I tend not to have much lint in my clothing so even my 8, which I used for 2.5 years, had no issues.
 
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Hele

macrumors member
May 14, 2022
99
76
Rhode Island
A friend of mine has taken his to Geek Squad on two occasions to have his cleaned. He works in the building trades and also cuts grass and does landscaping so there’s a reason why his pockets and environments can be extra dusty and cause this.
 

antiprotest

macrumors 601
Apr 19, 2010
4,056
14,289
This is a known issue with the iPhone 14 Pro, or that is especially severe with the iPhone 14 Pro.

Lightning cables disconnect and reconnect with the slightest movement. Seems to be a hardware issue with the port. Not lint. Not dust. Not cable issue. Not user error.

Because of this I gave up on the lightning port altogether for charging and accessories and moved to Qi charging and bluetooth headphones full time instead.

 

Brandon42

macrumors regular
Jul 24, 2019
189
573
I had to replace the port on my XS Max as it had become loose fitting even when clean and would not reliably charge as a result. That said, it is much more common for the cable to wear out.
 

JapanApple

macrumors 65816
Sep 16, 2022
1,310
4,271
Japan
View attachment 2251516
My 13’s lightning port is plugged up no lint can get in. I do that because I have transitioned over to wireless for everything and don’t require the lightning port anymore.

I have never had that issue with my prior iPhones though… never had to remove anything from my 6S, SE, 8 and 12 Mini because lint never really accumulated in the port for me.

I guess it depends on how your pockets are. I tend not to have much lint in my clothing so even my 8, which I used for 2.5 years, had no issues.
WOW, I love it when people do this. I did this on my Apple 14 Promax. I only use Megasafe charging. I don't like dust or lint etc. in the port.
 
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iphonefreak450

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 14, 2014
793
141
The toothpick cleaning seemed to work. I did this as gently as possible WITH THE PHONE BEING SHUTDOWN completely.

However, next time If I plan on cleaning the lint from the connection port with a toothpick again, how do I exactly position and move the toothpick so that I avoid scraping the contacts or to avoid damage to the connection port?

Is it going in a circular motion or just side to side motion once the toothpick is inside the connection port?
 
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Tagbert

macrumors 603
Jun 22, 2011
5,670
6,637
Seattle
The toothpick cleaning seemed to work.

However, next time If I plan on cleaning the lint from the connection port with a toothpick again, how do I exactly position and move the toothpick so that I avoid scraping the contacts or to avoid damage to the connection port?

I did this as gently as possible but would like to know the exact method.

Is it going in a circular motion or just side to side motion once the toothpick is inside the connection port?
i would brush the toothpick along that bottom of the port and avoid scraping the long sides where the contacts are. You could lift the lint toward the short sides as there are no contacts there. Look at your lightning plug to see where the delicate contacts are vs the rest of the plug and use that as a guide.
 

Flamingdeathbolts

macrumors regular
Jun 30, 2023
116
230
My 14 Pro does this about once a week where it doesn’t charge when plugged in and I don’t have any lint in charging port. Figured it’s because I use cheap aftermarket Amazon 6ft charging cables.
 

iphonefreak450

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 14, 2014
793
141
i would brush the toothpick along that bottom of the port and avoid scraping the long sides where the contacts are. You could lift the lint toward the short sides as there are no contacts there. Look at your lightning plug to see where the delicate contacts are vs the rest of the plug and use that as a guide.
The way I did it is by having the phone screen facing towards me. The phone should be facing the opposite direction?

Please someone post a picture on how the phone or the connection port should be facing when cleaning the port with a toothpick. I would appreciate it.
 

Reggaenald

Suspended
Sep 26, 2021
864
798
That’s normal and it happens to many people. Clean your pockets regularly, check the port once you notice something.

For me personally it’s more annoying when the speakers get blocked by lint and dirt.
 
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iphonefreak450

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 14, 2014
793
141
Can someone please post a picture on the correct way to position the phone when cleaning the connection port with a toothpick?

I did this with holding the phone with the display screen facing towards me.
 

Tagbert

macrumors 603
Jun 22, 2011
5,670
6,637
Seattle
The way I did it is by having the phone screen facing towards me. The phone should be facing the opposite direction?

Please someone post a picture on how the phone or the connection port should be facing when cleaning the port with a toothpick. I would appreciate it.
From images I’ve seen it looks like the contacts for the lightning port are on the backside.

Still, I would use more of a side to side motion and stay away from the long sides of the port.
 

Reggaenald

Suspended
Sep 26, 2021
864
798
Can someone please post a picture on the correct way to position the phone when cleaning the connection port with a toothpick?

I did this with holding the phone with the display screen facing towards me.
it really doesn't matter. I never ever worried about the port on any lightning iPhone when using wooden toothpicks, you can go haywire with them. just be cautious with metal or plastic picks
 
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sunapple

macrumors 68030
Jul 16, 2013
2,753
5,146
The Netherlands
I have build up of lint in the port too, but these days I don't use the port at all. I do recognise trouble with charging from the past.

I am reading you have moved on from 13 Mini, anyway I would like to add that 20W MagSafe charging my 13 Mini every night to 100% for 13 months has reduced battery health by 5% only. Fairly normal IMO.

We'll see if that continues to be 5% a year or not, probably it will go down faster and needing replacement after 2-3 years. I suppose 80% would be the lowest before you run into trouble, but I'll probably go for an earlier replacement.
 
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