You plugged a Lightning cable into your iPhone, but you received a scary pop-up as soon as you did. It says “Liquid Detected In Lightning Connector” and you’re not sure why. In this article, I’ll explain what to do when your iPhone says there’s liquid in its Lightning connector!
Why Does My iPhone Say “Liquid Detected In Lightning Connector”?
If you have an iPhone XS or later, your phone can detect liquid in your Lightning port. When it does, your iPhone might display a Charging Not Available error that says “Liquid has been detected in the Lightning connector.”
If you see this message displayed on your iPhone, unplug it from its charger and leave it out to dry for several hours. While your iPhone dries out, avoid plugging anything, such as headphones or another charger, into its Lightning port. The liquid present in the Lightning port could permanently damage your iPhone’s hardware.
We don’t recommend tapping Emergency Override to charge your iPhone. If your iPhone supports wireless charging, it might safer to charge your iPhone with a Qi-enabled wireless charger while your charging port dries. However, if your iPhone was exposed to a lot of water before this error message appeared, it’s probably best to avoid wireless charging as well; it’s possible that liquid has spread to other components of your iPhone.
How To Dry Out Your iPhone
Turn off your iPhone and leave it on a flat surface. If possible, surround your iPhone with desiccants, which can help it dry out. You can often find small desiccant packs in shoeboxes or shipping containers.
Then, it’s time to be patient. Try not to pick up or move your iPhone for a while. The notification you receive on your iPhone may say it’ll take “several hours” for the connector to dry.
Check out our other article to learn more about what to do when your iPhone has water damage.
What Not To Do With A Wet iPhone
We want to debunk some bad information about iPhone water damage. We’re sure you’ve heard that rice can be used as an at-home fix for iPhones exposed to water. Do not put your iPhone in rice.
Rice does not absorb moisture well, and it’s possible grains of rice could get stuck inside your iPhone. Putting your iPhone in rice now may just make this issue with the Lightning port worse!
Similarly, do not attempt to dry your iPhone using a hairdryer or air compressor. Either of these may just blow the liquid in the Lightning port further into your iPhone, potentially causing more damage.
Crisis Averted!
You’ve fixed the problem and the Lightning connector is dry. Make sure to share this article with friends and family to teach them what to do if they see the “Liquid Detected In Lightning Connector” pop-up on their iPhone. Have any other questions? Leave them down below in the comments section!
Except that my phone presents this message CONSTANTLY now since the last update, even when there’s no possible way that there is liquid in the charging port.
I used a hair dryer on “cool” setting for five minutes right on the port. Bingo!
Doing a quick reset did the trick for me. Started charging right away.
press up volume, then down volume then press and hold the side button (your right) until you see the apple logo again.
👍🏼
I had the misfortune of having my iPhone 12 Pro slip into the pool back in August 2022. It was only in the water for maybe 25 seconds and when I got it to the surface, I immediately dried it off and let it fully dry out. I did not try to use the Lightning connector for 2 days and let it wireless charge. The iPhone works perfectly and suffered no damage at all. When I did plug in the Lightning connector I got the message “Charging Unavailable” due to water in the Lightning connector. I unplugged it and looked… Read more »
do You have to take your phone case off when you have a water detection
Same scenario here. I recently received this error and it’s almost 2 weeks and sometimes my phone stop charging because of this. My phone and my charger is not even wet and I still try to do what their website states regarding liquid detected but nothing works.
I’ve been using a third party connector for almost 3 months and the error just occurred last August 28 up until now.
Does anyone figured out if this is a bug? I will also schedule an appointment to service center .
reminds me if how my rca headphone cable adapter stopped working after a sw update. I suspect this is due to 3td party cables. Some product manager sat in a room in Cupertino and pitched this as a way to sell more peripherals. Am I wrong? Happened after a sw update not a water event and had days to dry. I will buy an apple cable and if this fixes it I think I am also headed to Android.
I did an upgrade and my phone has been giving me the message that my charger is wet to disconnect and let it dry. I tried a new charger and it did fine for 2 days but now giving me the same message. My charger or phone is not wet.
i’m a lifeguard at a pool so I got very concerned about this problem. I don’t really know what goes on in the lifeguard office while I’m not in there could’ve got gotten something spilled on it and not known. I tried via like vibration sound thing from YouTube to try to get it out and it didn’t work so then I just let it sit charging port down so I could get it to drip out. That also didn’t work so then I just straight to vigorously like a fool and not just the job
These comments sure helped, thanks folks! I admit exposing my iPhone XR to some water (rain, etc). but never immersed. After around a day of drying out the message still persisted. So I switched the phone on/off, the message still came up, I used another 3rd party cable, and then it didn’t! But that cable has other issues and stopped recharging, and so I went back to the first one, the message came up again, but this time I emergency overrode it, and it’s charging 😅.
I turned my phone off and on and it did the trick
This is definitely a big issue. It’s been doing that when I plug in my phone, but only at home. Phone never got wet.
I just tap the emergency override and let it charge.
Mine started doing it tonight. Never been around water. Apple does this on upgrades so you will have to buy a new phone. I avoided the upgrade forever until the other night. I just said screw it and hit emergency override and it started charging again. We will see if it lasts.
Have the iPhone XR. Took it out of the otter box and the liquid warning was gone immediately and was able to charge phone
I bought a 3rd party charger from the store as I had left mine at home and I got this message immediately. I used my Apple branded lightning charger at home and it worked fine no message. It’s likely a glitch with 3rd party chargers since the last update.
I found a simple fix for the iPhone12 bug. I found that the older Anker portable charger and cables I had were compatible only up to iphone 11. They kept turning charging on and off or showing the lighting cable has liquid error with the iPhone 12. So check the specs of whatever cables or chargers you have from your previous iPhones; don’t assume they will work on your upgraded model phone. There is a new Anker portable charger, USB-C 20000 mAh Power Bank specifically designed for iPhones 12 & 13. It works flawlessly and charges continuously. No error messages.… Read more »
Definitely seems like a bug issue. Never had my phone near water , I got the message and immediately took the charger out, it looked like it was indeed wet! But how? I was literally sitting in my work chair and no where near water . Seems like anyone who have updated their phone has the same issue. I even held back on updating my phone until recently.
What’s your iphone? I just bought one that is brand new and only three days old. It’s only my third time to charge and is in no way wet or near water!
I just updated my iPhone yesterday and today I’ve received that message, I haven’t been near water, I don’t get it
I am having the same issue that started yesterday
I agree. Just bought my phone from the Genius bar and was told it was brand new. Was never near water and get the message all the time, sometimes after charging for an hour or more. Definitely a bug
Yeah mines did that as well first time ever seeing that message.. It’s annoying.. I turned my phone off (a hard restart) & it worked & now charging. I will say a little water did touch my charger today after wasting it in my bed So that was the problem for me. I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max
I have one too but there is no water involved! I just got it a few days ago and wasnt even using it heavily since i still rely on my old samsung phone
Seriously mines started yesterday and it’s dead now and it’s still not allowing me to charge it? Solution apple!?!?
Oh no…
Any updates?
Try wireless charger
I have an iPhone 13 pro and this is the third time I have had this issue. No my phone has not gotten wet!I’ve had iPhones since the iphone4 and this has never happened. As much as these cost this should not be happening!
Do you have any updates about ur phone?
I have an IPhone 11 and the same issue is with mine. I left it overnight to dry but it still won’t charge. Anything else I can do?
My iPhone 11 Plus did this today. Not near any water/moisture. Restart removed the error.
Same thing happened to me. Tried this and it worked. Thank you!
I’m very annoyed, I’ve got the same thing that came up with my iPhone 12. And it’s about to die and I really don’t want to leave it!
I have an XS. I took my phone to Verizon. Since I have extended warranty they are sending a refurbished one. It’s better then having this error coming up.
So i just started having this issue today, used my cell till 10 pm yesterday and no water anywhere in my bedroom and today i have this message that it wont charge because of water issues, what water issues? Besides restarting it what can be done to stop this message?
Happened to me for the first time ever today. Phone isn’t wet, but I’m wondering if it’s the new charger I just purchased? My iPhone 11 is about 18 months old.
Just upgraded my iPhone XS Max to the new iOS and never had this issue til now. My battery sucks and I need to charge it but it won’t let me!! Fix issue asap!!
There has gotta be something going on with the iPhone 11s…my daughters said the fluid thing and she said its been nowhere near fluids. My other daughter has the same exact phone, it will be interesting to see if hers does it.
I’ve got an 11 Pro Max, it is a few days old, and I already am having this problem 😒
Me too!!! I updated my phone and I’m having troubles with that message, any solution?
It is a glitch. I got my iPhone 11 this new Year and I am very disappointed with this glitch I’d rather get a Samsung cause this made me think I broke my BRAND new phone. Thanks you for the help though, if I ever do expose my phone to water I will use those methods.
While I know I shouldn’t…I take a cotton swab, not the cheap ones where the cotton comes off easily, I pull some from the tip and dip it in alcohol and use it in the charging port. I know alcohol is great drying up water at times so I figured I would try it and it worked well.
Just tried this and it worked straight away was surprised
I had same issue on my iphone 13 pro max but after restarted its working ok.
I had same issue on my iPhone 11 also. I had an iPhone X which am using all the time, but I don’t have this kind of message. I only receive it on my iPhone 11, which I am not using at all. I think something is wrong with my iPhone 11, but I think that problem is from the factory.
Mine is doing the same thing it’s so annoying. I have the iPhone 11 . My phone isn’t even wet!
Mine too, annoying.
I’m having the same trouble. My phone has not been anywhere near water. It has been sitting on the end table overnight. This is the third time I have had this problem.
Most comments here have been made in the last few days. I also had this message pop up. Although I did shovel the snow with my phone in my inside pocket, it exposed to snow. I’ll leave it dry near a radiator but yeah, weird
My iPhone 11 Pro has not been anywhere near water and the Lightning connector should not be wet, so why am I receiving this error message? Is there a bug in iOS 15.3?
There isn’t a bug with iOS 15.3 as far as I’m aware. I’ve been in a similar situation where I received the message but never thought I exposed my iPhone to water. Give it ~30 minutes to air it out, then try charging again.
100% a bug. I never had this issue til I updated my phone and I get this error message almost every night.
My phone is doing the same thing. Its saying there is water in the lightning port and I know for a fact there isn’t. And I’m not able to charge my phone. F’ing BS!!!!
mine just started doing this and it’s making me mad
My phone hasn’t gotten wet and goes all day without charging so why am I still getting this stupid error
Me too! It says this all the time when my phone isn’t wet?!
Same here brand new iPhone 13 pro max in waterproof case never exposed to water get message all the time since I got the phone definitely a bug that needs to be fixed
Me too. iPhone 12 never been by water. Day after update I received same message about iPhone connector being wet. I switched charging cable to Apple cable and problem fixed