Navigate
X

My iPhone Says “This Accessory May Not Be Supported.” Here’s The Fix!

    David Lynch
  • 5 years ago
    • Categories: Power

You plugged in your iPhone to charge it, but something’s not working right. It stopped charging and an interesting pop-up appear on the screen — your iPhone says “This accessory may not be supported.” In this article, I’ll explain why you’re seeing this message on your iPhone and show you what you can do to fix the problem.

Why Does My iPhone Say “This Accessory May Not Be Supported”?

Your iPhone says “This accessory may not be supported” because something went wrong when you tried to plug an accessory into your iPhone’s Lightning port. A variety of different things could be causing the problem:

  1. Your accessory isn’t MFi-certified.
  2. Your iPhone’s software is malfunctioning.
  3. Your accessory is dirty, damaged, or completely broken.
  4. Your iPhone Lightning port is dirty, damaged, or completely broken.
  5. Your charger is dirty, damaged, or completely broken.

The steps below will help you diagnose and fix the real reason why your iPhone says “This accessory may not be supported.”

Try Connecting The Device Again

The first thing to do when your iPhone says “This accessory may not be supported” is try connecting it again. Tap the Dismiss button and pull your accessory out of your iPhone’s Lightning port. Plug it back in to see if the same pop-up appears.

Is Your Accessory MFi-Certified?

Most of the time, the “This accessory may not be supported” pop-up appears shortly after you plug your iPhone into a power source to charge it. In most cases, the charging cable you’re trying to charge your iPhone with isn’t MFi-certified, meaning that it wasn’t made consistent with Apple’s design standards.

The charging cables you can buy at your local gas station or dollar store are almost never MFi-certified because they are so cheaply made. In some cases, these cables can also cause significant damage to your iPhone by overheating it.

If possible, charge your iPhone with the cable that it came with. If the charging cable your iPhone came with isn’t working, you can exchange it for a new one at your local Apple Store, so long as your iPhone is covered by an AppleCare plan.

Restart Your iPhone

Your iPhone might be saying “This accessory may not be supported” because of a minor software glitch. When you plug an accessory into the Lightning port of your iPhone, your iPhone’s software determines whether or not to connect to the accessory.

Try restarting your iPhone, which can sometimes fix minor software problems. If you have an iPhone 8 or earlier, press and hold the power button, then swipe the power icon left-to-right across the display. The process is similar for the iPhone X, XS, and XR, except you press and hold the Side button and either volume button until slide to power off appears.

Wait 15-30 seconds, then turn your iPhone back on by pressing and holding the power button (iPhone 8 and earlier) or the Side button (iPhone X and newer). Once your iPhone turns back on, try connecting to your accessory again.

If it works, then a software glitch was causing the problem! If you’re still seeing the pop-up on your iPhone, move onto the next step.

Inspect Your Accessory

Now that you’ve eliminated the possibility of a charging cable that’s not MFi-certified and a minor software issue, it’s time to inspect accessory. Most of the time, the accessory you’re trying to use when you see the “This accessory may not be supported.” pop-up is a charging cable.

However, any device or accessory that plugs into your iPhone’s Lightning port could cause the alert to appear. Take a close look at the Lightning connector end (the part of the accessory that plugs into your iPhone’s Lightning port) of the accessory you’re trying to use.

Is there any discoloration or fraying? If so, your accessory may be having trouble connecting to your iPhone. This was the case recently for me, as some damage to my charging cable caused my iPhone to receive the “This accessory may not be supported.” pop-up, even though I got the cable from Apple.

Exposure to water could also damage the Lightning connector of your accessory, so if you recently spilled a drink on your accessory, that could be why it’s not working.

If your charging cable is the accessory that’s causing the problem, also take a close look at the USB end. Is there any dirt, lint, or other debris stuck in the USB end? If so, clean it out using an anti-static brush or unused toothbrush. If you don’t own an anti-static brush, you can find a great six-pack on Amazon.

Take A Look Inside Your Lightning Port

If the accessory is in decent shape, take a look inside the Lightning port on your iPhone. Any gunk, dirt, or debris could prevent your iPhone from making a clean connection to your accessory. If the “This accessory may not be supported” notification is stuck on the screen or won’t dismiss, this is often the problem.

Grab a flashlight and take a close look inside your iPhone’s Lightning port. If you see anything that doesn’t belong inside the Lightning port, try cleaning it out.

How Do I Clean My iPhone Charging Port?

Grab an anti-static brush or a brand new toothbrush and scrape out whatever is clogging up your iPhone’s Lightning port. You might be surprised at how much comes out!

Once you’ve cleaned it out, try plugging your accessory in again. Move onto the next step if your iPhone still says “This accessory may not be supported.”

Examine Your iPhone’s Charger

If your iPhone says “This accessory may not be supported” when you try to charge it, there could also be an issue with your iPhone’s charger, not the Lightning cable. Take a close look inside the USB port on your iPhone’s charger. Like in the previous step, use an anti-static brush or brand new toothbrush to clean out any gunk, lint, or other debris.

Make sure you also try charging your iPhone with multiple different chargers. If your iPhone only has charging issues with one charger, then it’s probable that your charger is causing the problem.

If you keep seeing the “This accessory may not be supported” pop-up regardless of what charger you use, then your charger isn’t the problem.

Update iOS On Your iPhone

Some accessories (especially those made by Apple) require a certain version of iOS to be installed on your iPhone before they can connect. Go to Settings -> General -> Software Update and tap Download and Install if a software update is available. Check out our article if you have trouble updating your iPhone.

Before you can install the update, make sure your iPhone is charging or has at least 50% battery life. When the installation begins, your iPhone will turn off and a status bar will appear on the display. When the bar is full, the update is complete and your iPhone will turn back on shortly after.

Perform A DFU Restore On Your iPhone

Although unlikely, there’s a small chance a deeper software problem is causing your iPhone to say “This accessory may not be supported.” By performing a DFU restore, we can eliminate this deep software problem by completely erasing it from your iPhone.

When you perform a DFU restore, all of the code on your iPhone gets deleted and reloaded back onto your iPhone. For a complete walkthrough, check out our guide on performing a DFU restore on your iPhone!

Repair Options

If your iPhone still says “This accessory may not be supported” after you’ve followed all of the steps above, you may need to get your accessory replaced or iPhone repaired. As I mentioned earlier in this article, you can get the charging cable and wall charger that came with your iPhone replaced if your iPhone is covered by AppleCare.

It’s also possible that your iPhone Lightning port is broken or damaged and has to be repaired. If your iPhone is covered by AppleCare, schedule an appointment at the Apple Store near you and have a tech take a look at it. We also recommend an on-demand repair service called Puls, which sends a certified technician to you who will repair your iPhone on the spot.

We’re Here If You Need Support

Your accessory is working and your iPhone is functioning normally again. You’ll know exactly what to do the next time your iPhone says “This accessory may not be supported.” Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading,
David L.

View Comments (85)

  • hi, my recharger was working perfectly, till one day stopped recharging the Iphone, i have to reboot my phone so the recharger start working. the moment i remove the charger, i have to reboot the phone. can you help me with this problem. my iPhone is up to date

  • I cant keep my phone charging long enough to even do the update. For my phone to update it has to be on 100 or charging

  • I keep getting the accessory not supported message without my phone being plugged in.
    It started with my iPhone 8 plus but last fall I upgraded to iPhone 13 and still see that message.
    Not when any accessories are being used.
    Any idea why this may be happening?

  • I have cleaned the lighting port and is well charging but the battery percentage is still at the same where it is

  • I closed my ipad and it is stuck on the screen where I need to enter my passcode yet I cant dismiss it, anyone can help?

  • I purchased a lightning earphone adapter that worked fine for 3 months before giving me the "device not supported" message. I bought one from another brand that also gave me this message after working fine for 3 months. I now have a 3rd that is working so far. Any ideas about what I can do before this stops working?

  • OKAY. Press the volume up and volume down button and then hold the power button (do this quick). The Slide To Power Off screen will pop up, but continue to hold the power button. This is an automatic reboot for when the screen is frozen. It worked for me :)

  • My phone has been stuck with the screen saying "This accessory may not be supported" and it won't let me press dismiss or do anything to use my phone. My charger plug on my phone is clean. It charges but it wont let me restart my phone. I tried taking out the SIM card. Help me out, I don't have money to buy another phone.

    • This is crazy because I am having the same issue. My charger is clean and works, but it got tugged on by my dog. Now the Accessory Not Supported sign is stuck on my phone and the rest of the screen is active so I can't turn it off. Should I just let it die and then recharge it?

  • Help! My earpiece doesn’t work on my iPhone.
    It’s saying Device Not Supported and it came without the phone brand new. It's not picking up AirPods either. Please help.

  • Mfi compatible? All my chargers are up to spec. Leave it to apple to find a way to kill the charge anyway. May not like my IOS? Why NOT? It has always been happy with it as it is. Run a DUI (or whatever)? I don't even know what that is, and I don't want to know. Suggest you shift your concentration from packaging (à la Jobs), to functionality.

  • Clean and clear the Mophi of any worn rubber. I removed what was left of the cushioning rubber and now it works.

  • I’m having this problem with my headphones adapter. It’s been having this problem lately, but before I could just fix it by taking it out and putting it back in. However, for some reason now it’s won’t work even after all these steps. Has anyone else has this problem and if so then how can I fix it?

  • its still says "this accessory may not be supported" its like it froze but I'm going to leave it to die then charge it. My only question is will it still be on my screen when its fully charged?

  • I have changed the charge three times so far.
    The chargers stop working after a while and it gets very hot. Also, the chargers and the cable are original and the cable is still healthy. What is the reason? please help.

  • I've also seen that message when charging my iPad through the USB slot on the Magic Keyboard and then the power goes out. I live in a country where power outages happen quite frequently.

    When that happens, I get the message that the accessory is not supported.

  • Why is it that only iPhone experiences this message almost exclusively?. All other phone manufacturers (i.e. Samsung, Motorola, etc) do not experience this issue as often as Apple iPhones.

    • This is an iPhone specific issue which has to do with Apple's proprietary Lightning port. If devices don't match their requirements when being plugged in, this message may show. Android devices on the other hand use USB-type connections which are not proprietary.

  • Thank you sooo much!!! I had no clue of what my phone meant, but after reading your article and solutions, I got through. The only thing I had to do was to clean my charger and charger port. But thank you!!!! You were an amazing help!!!! If this happens again, I'm sure this article would help. And you were right, I was surprised with the amount of dirt that came out! :)

    • I have same problem and has to dismiss in every time I plug in. Just next don't buy apple products. I will not going to buy apple. just got less than half price on ebay from Hong Kong(brand new in Box), but did not supply original accessories. My phone is working good for 3 years. fuck the apple and I have that company. I used all sony laptops(2) for last 25 years vaio books, just low memory, but work well. now bought chromebook by HP and working great and don't have to think about hacking or viruses etc. Very safe to use online deals and banking. My Lumia is working well and love that phone, but MS stopped to support that phone, but still I use for navigation free of subscription with male and female voices and works better than car navigation, because the software frequently update the map.

    • HELP!!!! My phone is frozen in "accessory not supported"! Tried everything i know and no luck! Completely frozen!

  • Thanx this works for me im just clean all the port and the cable things connectorsan i try and works i change cables and nothing i clean and fix all, thanx

  • im also hve this problem too , so the problem is cause of the chager so my iphone was not the problem right ?

  • Honestly check if its y’all’s box plug in thingys cuz I just plug my charger into my other box and it’s working fine

  • I’ve had this charger for over a year. It’s not “Apple” but worked until recently. I’ve done all of the “enter your passcode to use this accessory” things I’ve found but it still won’t charge either of our iPhone 8’s or our iPads.

  • My phone only says this accessory is not supported when I’m charging my phone and I try to use it but if I just leave it alone it will charge

    • Same here I’ll be playing a game or sum then it pops up and then I’ll plug it back in and leave it alone then it will charge for a while

  • I keep plugging in my charger that I got with the phone but it still wont stop popping up do u know anything I can do to stop this?

  • we took a flight on Qantas, & relied on the planes USB points to connect 3 BRAND NEW cables bought only days earlier. Upon plugging in on the plane, EVERY cable began stating “unsupported USB DEVICE”. We eventually gave up, or ignored the errors, and manage to charge a few percent in some cases. We eventually gave up and asked the flight staff to charge for us.
    when we arrived home we discovered ALL our cables used on the flight no longer worked reliably, and after a few seconds charging, refused to charge. It was like the plane had “infected” all our cables, & each decide we used it in infected the device. We have now gone thru over 6 cables! Surely there is a way to “reprogram” brand new cables after this drama!!!?? I have heard of viruses via USB chips but thru a plane ride was a little weird! Help!

  • I was having this issue with my favorite portable battery. Your article here prompted me to take a close look at the metal contacts on the Lightning connector. I saw what looked like two tiny specs of corrosion or gunk. I remembered an old trick from 'back in the day.' I rubbed a pencil eraser across the gold contacts and I no longer get the error popping up! I'll try the toothbrush trick on the iPhone's port as well since I carry the phone in my pocket. Thanks.

  • My iPhone keeps on saying(accessory not supported) I tried everything, and I just recently installed a new software but ITS STILL NOT WORKING! Please help me!

  • " This accessory may not be supported" popped up no biggie I'll usually just dismiss it & it'll be fine. It popped up again today & it won't let me dismiss it. I can't even turn my phone off because the stupid thing wont go away. I keep clicking dismiss & it's not reacting & I can't afford a new phone right now. Someone please help.

  • I dumped water on my phone while it was charging and ever since Ive gotten the message saying its not supported and my phone stops charging.. I have the iphone 11 that says its waterproof.. what do I do

    • Unfortunately, water proof and water resistant are two very different things. Your phone is water resistant, not water proof. It might have been ok if you had dumped the water on it while it wasn't charging, but since it was charging at the time it probably damaged not just the phone, but the charger itself. I recommend trying a new charger, and then if that doesn't work you should explore your repair and replacement options.

  • My charger doesn't work with my phone, but does with my AirPods, and my phone works with other chargers. What's the problem?

    • I'm not 100% sure on this but it might be that your AirPods charge at a lower wattage than your phone, so if the cable you're trying to use isn't strong enough to power your phone, but might be strong enough to charge your AirPods. However, I suspect that the AirPods charging on that cable might be relatively slow compared to the other cables you have that are successfully charging your phone.

  • My iPod I saying this accessory may not be supported should I leave my iPod alone or what!

  • The cord I purchased a week ago suddenly is giving me the not supported message?

    Tried everything, phone charges on another cord and this cord works with my ipad... any ifeas?

  • David, i believe most readers were hoping you would tell us how to use the products that are not supported. I am assuming that you do not know and/or it is not possible. in which case i have a follow-up - david, why must apple take and take and take from it’s fans and users? why do we have to change charging platforms, earphones, etc etc every single time we upgrade?

    a more considerate approach might engender consumer trust.

    • Products that aren't MFi-certified are pretty hit or miss, so it's tough for us to know which ones will work and which ones won't.

  • Hi! I just solved this by connecting the iphone to my computer and pushing accept when the prompt to trust the computer appeared.
    Afterwards I was able to use the old cable to charge my phone.

  • I followed all the instructions except the DFU restore. During these procedures the screen kept “jumping around “ / flashing. ????

    • Sounds like your charger might not be MFi certified. I'd trying borrowing one from a friend first to see if the problem is with your charger or your iPhone.

1 2
Leave a Comment
David Lynch: David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.