Apple Iphone not charging

crwdns2853023:0crwdne2853023:0

Charging my iPhone6s using cheap lightning cables (used for iPhone6 to iPhone 14's) became erratic after a few years of use. As it was being connected, it would sometimes give a sound and show the charging icon, but sometimes it wouldn't. If the cable was pushed in fast it was more likely to work. However the number of failed attempts got worse over the months, and one of these cheap cables stopped working completely.

The older original genuine cables that came with iPhones did not have this problem. The original cables had gold coloured contacts whereas the cheap ones didn't (see images).

crwdns2853024:0crwdne2853024:0

Repair instructions for poor charging connectivity normally recommend removing the lint from the socket, but this didn't work in my case.

What did work on both my cheap cables was giving the 8 contacts on the lightning connector end a good clean. I used a cotton bud dampened with contact cleaner (Kontakt 10 super) gently rubbing it for about 5mins and then repeated.

crwdns2853025:0crwdne2853025:0

Brush off any adhering cotton fibres if applicable- not necessary in my case.

Using a hand lens eg x10 can show progress.

It may work using basic solvents, but contact cleaner contains other chemicals for this task.