If you go to charge your iPhone and the "Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector" alert pops up, don't panic! This is an extremely common alert.

"Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector" is an iPhone warning indicating your phone'south charging port is wet. Yous can still use your telephone, you only won't be able to accuse it using a lightning cable until the port is fully dry. But yous can use a cordless charger while you wait!

What does information technology mean when there is liquid in the lightning connector

The "lightning connector" is simply a fancy term for your iPhone's charging port.

When you encounter the "Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector" alarm, information technology means that either your phone'south charging port, or the lighting charging cablevision are wet or moist.

There are a lot of different ways this can happen, but here are some of the most mutual:

  1. Shower – if you leave your iPhone in the bathroom while you shower, the humidity can get quite loftier, creating a build up of moisture inside your charging port
  2. Rain – if you lot go defenseless outside in a rain storm, or even just a shower, your telephone can get wet
  3. Pool – jumping in the puddle with your telephone in your pocket will certainly go information technology wet!
  4. Spilt drink – spilling a coffee or water on your iPhone is another sure way to get information technology wet

Ok, so I left my telephone in the bathroom while I showered. So what? Isn't my iPhone water resistant anyhow?

What if my iPhone is water resistant?

Every iPhone in Apple'due south current lineup is water-resistant. In fact, if y'all have an iPhone 8 or afterward, your iPhone is water-resistant.

isn't my iphone water resistant

But being water-resistant doesn't mean your phone can't endure from liquid impairment.

H2o-resistant iPhones aren't waterproof. This means that the metal components inside your phone tin can still corrode and cease working properly if they come up into contact with liquid of any kind.

The same goes for the metal pins within your lighting port.

But without an electrical current passing through these metal pins, the liquid shouldn't cause any lasting damage (unless it leaves residue on the pins).

That's why Apple automatically disables the lighting connector when your phone detects liquid in it. A current could make the metal corrode and the connector strip stop working.

What to exercise if a liquid has been detected in a lighting connector

First off, I highly suggest y'all practise not use the "Emergency Override" option, and instead let your phone adequate time to dry out.

If y'all want, yous tin even keep using your phone equally information technology is! Simply hit "Dismiss". That shouldn't exist an issue and won't cause whatsoever additional damage. But don't plug annihilation into information technology!

I would follow these steps to ensure there is no lasting harm and get your telephone working again:

  1. unplug any cables or accessories connected to your iPhone
  2. hold your iPhone with the Lightning port facing downward, then firmly tap your phone with the palm of your hand to aid ease any liquid out of the port
  3. identify your iPhone in an open up, ventilated, and dry out infinite
  4. wait a minimum of 30 minutes earlier trying to charge your device again

If you become the "Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector" alarm once more, there may exist liquid residual beneath the Lightning pins. You should await at least another 30 min before trying to accuse it again.

Keep repeating this process until the alert goes away.

I've heard of many iPhone users who had to expect upwards to 24 hours earlier their iPhone fully dried and this warning went away. So be patient!

Cordless charging

The skilful news is the communication I give to a higher place assumes yous only have a lightning cable charger. If yous take a cordless charger, you tin use it while you wait for the lightning port to dry out!

So not only can you lot apply your phone, but you lot can charge it too while you wait for the phone to fully dry out.

I literally just had this happen to me. I was giving my son a bathroom and my iPhone fell in the tub, completely submerged for almost ten seconds.

When I went to charge information technology with the lighting cable I got the Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector alarm message.

And then I continued using my phone and when it was time to charge it later that day, I used my cordless charger. It worked cracking. The next day my phone was fully dry out, and the lightning charger worked again.

If you don't have a cordless charger, Apple tree sells a cordless charger called the MagSafe charger, but yous can also find a ton of after-marketplace options on Amazon.

Keep in mind that you'll need an iPhone viii or later! The models before this do not offer wireless charging.

What to avoid doing when a liquid has been detected in a lighting connector

At that place is a ton of bad advice online for liquid damaged iPhones. Near of this advice does zero to actually fix your device and in many cases, it causes more impairment!

I know it can exist tempting to try to speed the drying process along, but please don't endeavour whatever of the following:

  1. do non put your phone in a container of rice or silica gel packets
  2. avoid using a estrus source to dry your iPhone, like a radiator or hair dryer
  3. don't insert annihilation into the Lighting port, like QTips or a napkin
What to avoid doing when a liquid has been detected in a lighting connector

Again, the best advice here is to but await it out and permit your iPhone air dry with time. I know that's not what yous wanted to hear, but I'll say it over again: exist patient!

Can you try to speed things along past using a hair dryer or sticking a napkin in the charging port? Sure. But just call back that you run the take a chance of permanent damage.

When to override the liquid detection alert

While it certainly shouldn't be your first choice, there are times when you may want to risk damaging your iPhone in order to accuse it, even if information technology's wet.

In these emergency situations it's possible to override the alert and charge your device.

It's worth repeating that when you exercise this you lot do run the gamble of permanently damaging your phone. Water and electricity don't mix!

That said, if you exercise override the alert, you should first completely dry the outside of your iPhone and consider charging it wirelessly instead.

To override the liquid detection alarm, merely reconnect the lighting cable or accessory presently after it appears. When the liquid detection warning pops upwardly again, tap the "Emergency Override" button.

Emergency override not working

Virtually of the time, selecting "Emergency Override" will permit you to successfully accuse your iPhone, despite the alert.

But occasionally when you click this override, the alert goes away, but your iPhone still won't charge.

This appears to be a problems that Apple tree has not stock-still yet. Luckily in that location are a few ways to fix/avoid this:

  1. Hitting dismiss and strength restart the iPhone. Click volume upward, followed by book down and so press and hold the side push button until you meet the Apple logo flash on the screen.
  2. Use 18-carat Apple chargers! Aftermarket chargers trigger this alert for whatever reason.
  3. Charge wirelessly using MagSafe charging whenever possible.

What if my iPhone detects liquid when it's dry

Sometimes yous might see the liquid detection alert when yous're absolutely certain your iPhone and Lightning connectors are dry.

Maybe your phone is brand new or yous immune plenty of time for it to dry out.

If that's the case, and then become a flashlight and inspect the Lightning port for grit and debris. Obstructions in the Lightning port can confuse your iPhones liquid sensors.

If you observe annihilation, y'all can clear information technology out with compressed air to avoid damaging the metallic pins.

Subsequently flashing a light into the port, if you tin can't see any debris, there is a strong possibility that your iPhone'southward Lightning port or the accessory you're trying to use is damaged.

At this point you lot might need to contact Apple back up.

Contact Apple

If your phone did in fact experience water harm, the service for liquid damage is not covered by the Apple One-Twelvemonth Limited Warranty.

To ostend whether or not this is the case, you tin cheque your phone's Liquid Contact Indicator (LCI). The LCI will active when it contacts water, turning red.

Apple Liquid Contact Indicator

The location of the LCI depends on which iPhone model y'all own. Luckily Apple put together this helpful chart to help you locate it.

If yous aren't sure if liquid exposure is causing the alert, that's when yous should contact Apple Support for assistance.

Determination

If your iPhone gets wet and yous're seeing the"Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector", don't panic, this is a actually mutual alert.

Here's what you should exercise:

  • unplug any cables or accessories continued to your iPhone
  • hold your iPhone with the Lightning port facing down, then firmly tap your phone with the palm of your paw to assist ease any liquid out of the port
  • identify your iPhone in an open, ventilated, and dry space
  • await a minimum of 30 minutes earlier trying to charge your device once more

Unless it's an emergency, I would strongly advise confronting using the Emergency Override option. Charging your iPhone when the Lightning connector is wet tin cause permanent damage to your phone.

The best affair to do is wait for your telephone to air dry out. Simply be patient!