The Lightning cable I use to charge my iPhone had been charging my iPhone very well until now. Something suddenly went wrong with it. Before I knew it, I began to get a “This cable or accessory is not certified and may not work reliably with this iPhone.” warning repeatedly whenever I use the charger.
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The cable I use to charge my iPhone is Apple certified and is still in pretty solid condition and as such, I started wondering what was wrong with the cable. I searched for solutions I could use to fix the issue and eventually, I was able to troubleshoot it.
Below are the tricks that can be helpful if you are also facing this accessory not certified error on your iPhone.
How to Fix “This cable or accessory is not certified and may not work reliably with this iPhone.”
Ensure Your Cable is MFi Certified
Apple provides a MFi Certification Program. Made for iPhone, Made for iPad, and Made for iPod. All third-party cables and accessories must pass Apple’s certification process to be MFi certified. If the cable you are facing this issue with is not MFi certified, you will keep seeing the warning that the cable is not certified.
What if your Lightning Cable is MFi Certified?
Even if the cable is fully certified, you might face this issue foa couple of main reasons. If the charging port of your iPhone or iPad is dirty or damaged, your charging cable or accessory is damaged or defective. Therefore, try cleaning the charging port with a piece of soft cloth and also make sure that the accessory isn’t damaged.
When Dealing with a Cheap third party cable
If the cable you are using is not Apple certified, you will repeatedy receive the accessory not supported alert whenever you use it to charge your device.
The trick that you can use to avoid getting this alert is:
Turn off your iPhone. While the loading wheel is spinning, plug in the charger. Do not turn on your iPhone for about 15-20 minutes. After a while,turn your iPhone back on. If the warning comes up again, simply dismiss it.
Reboot Your iPhone
Haed resetting device is known for fixing a lot of stubborn issues most of the time. Hence, you should give the trick a try too.
- One the iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE or earlier press and hold on the sleep/wake button and Home button at once until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
- On the iPhone 7/7 Plus, press and hold the sleep/wake button and the volume down button simultaneously until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
- If you use an iPhone X or Phone 8/8 Plus, press and hold the volume up button and then press and release the volume button.Now, you need to press and hold the side button of the phone until the Apple logo comes up on the screen.
Update The iOS Version of Your Device
None of these methods above worked yet? You should try updating the iOS version of your device. I think older versions of iOS might have some issues with charging.
Make sure that your iPhone has been charged to up to 50% and it is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Next, tap on the “General” option and then tap on “Software Update.”
- Here, you should see if an update is available for your device. If there is, download the update and install it. Once your device has been updated, try charging it. The problem should be fixed now if it is caused by the iOS version.
Restore your iOS Device Using iTunes
Though I am quite sure you will not have to come this far, I can’t discount the possibility that you might still not have this issue fixed. It is time to take a pretty hard decision and restore your iPhone or iPad as new using iTunes. As always, make sure that you have your iPhone backed up before you proceed with the process.
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer via cable.
- Next up, launch iTunes on your computer and then click on the Device tab in the top left corner of the window.
- Now, click on “Backup Now.” Now, wait for your device to backup.
- Click on “Restore.”
- Now, simply wait for the restore process to be completed successfully.
If your device still refuses to charge, you should change the charger of better still contact Apple Support. If your device is still under warranty, take it to a nearby Apple Store so it can be checked.
Wrapping Up
So have you finally been able to get the problem fixed? Which one of the tricks above helped you fix it? Share your feedback in the comments section below.
Some one had this problem in my area on more than one occasion. In his situation, it is caused by a build up of pocket fuzz in the phone’s port.
To fix it, he use a can of compressed aire to blow the fuzz out of the port. This solves the problem for him every time. If you don’t carry your phone in your pants pocket, you probably will never have this problem.
Uncertified cables could damage your iPhone or iPad, or the cable itself might easily fall apart.”
Faster than Apple’s own proprietary cables fall apart.
The thing i’d most want to be sure of is that the cable knows when to stop charging the phone.
That explains it. I think it’s a good idea that they add some kind of extra measure to guarantee that the cables are genuine.