Whenever you charge your iPhone, the charger may seem to feel very hot, nearly too hot to touch. When this happens too often then this may cause some damage to your iPhone.
Many users have reported having problems with their Apple chargers. Most of these problems are described as the lighting cable or plug getting too hot to touch.
The reason your iPhone charge is hot is that you’re not using an Apple-certified charger to charge your iPhone. When you use the wrong charger then this can damage your iPhone in the long run.
There are many other reasons why your charger can feel warm to the touch so I will be getting onto those reasons in the next section.
Today I will be explaining a few methods you can use to stop your lighting cable from or plug from overheating so you should carry on reading.
Once you have gone through each solution your charger should be back to normal again and you won’t feel like you’re getting burnt from your charger.
Apple chargers are meant to last a long time so it would benefit you to try and preserve them for as long as possible. They’re meant to be maintained for life so it would be a shame if they keep overheating.
Why is My iPhone Charger Hot
Right now, it’s near impossible to say at this moment in time, but I could make a few suggestions as to what’s causing the problem.
The main reason why your iPhone charger may be hot is due to hardware problems within the cable itself.
It’s unlikely to have anything to do with the iPhone but in a lot of cases, your iPhone could be the main culprit.
I wouldn’t ignore any possibilities just yet and will try and cover all the solutions as much as I can.
When you charge your iPhone while it’s on a lower battery percentage, it takes more wattage to charge your phone. This causes your iPhone charger to get hotter as it’s trying harder to charge your phone.
This is usually common with lithium-ion batteries which is what Apple uses for its iPhones. Until Apple changes this, you will have to solve this problem from the source which is the charger itself or your iPhone.
So saying this, try not waiting for your iPhone to get to its absolute lowest before you start charging it. And make sure you don’t charge it to 100% as this will have some detrimental effects on your device.
Once your phone gets to about 50% then I would consider charging it close to 100% but not all the way full as this will deteriorate your battery over time.
Another reason why your iPhone charger is overheating is that your iPhone software is having issues. This can easily be solved by updating your iPhone however if it’s too old then you may need to consider getting a new one.
iPhone Charger Gets Hot When Plugged in
When your charger is plugged into a socket then you may notice that it starts to get hot. It’s mainly the plug that starts to overheat when it’s plugged in.
If you start to notice the plug getting hot instead of the cord then this may be because the charging socket isn’t able to supply enough watts to the charger itself.
This may be a bit problematic as it will cause damage to your iPhone over time. if you have another socket nearby then you should consider sharing your iPhone there.
If this isn’t possible then try plugging the cable into a USB outlet alone without a plug. Have a feel of the cable. It should not be getting hotting when using a USB outlet alone.
The only reason the cord alone might get hot is that the outlet you’re using to charge your phone is not able to supply enough power to your phone. If this is a laptop then this is a possibility.
I would switch around and find which outlet causes the least overheating and stick with it. If you do have a PC then I would consider using that as opposed to a laptop.
Is it Normal For an iPhone Charger to Get Hot?
Yes, in most cases it’s normal for your iPhone charger to get warm but not hot where it starts to burn your skin.
This isn’t normal but if it’s slightly warm to the tough after being plugged in for a while then you’ve got nothing to worry about.
Most of the time, there’s is nothing you can do about it because it is normal for copper wires to warm up when conducting electricity.
The only instance you would need to do something is if the plug or cord of your charger becomes extremely hot. This is when you will need to replace the charger.
If it only happens on a rare occasion then this is normal as it doesn’t signify any underlying problems wrong with the charger.
When the weather is extremely hot then you can expect your charger to get quite hot when you’re overusing it. Try charging your phone less when the weather is hot as this won’t do your charger any good.
But all in all, unless you don’t notice anything out of the ordinary, for example, your charger becoming burning hot then there isn’t much you would have to do.
iPhone Charger Gets Hot and Stops Working
If your charger gets hot enough to the point it stops working then it is probably best that you take it out of your iPhone if you haven’t already and let it cool down.
Once it has cooled down you should try and plug it back into the lightning port and see if it starts working again. If it still isn’t working then this may be an indication that the charger is broken.
To confirm this you should try using another charger if you already have one. You will know if the other charger is broken if this one works.
Your charging port may be damaged if this new charger doesn’t work. If this is the case then you may need to visit your nearest Apple store.
You may also want to let your iPhone cool down if it is also hot as this may be overwhelming your charger hence why it stops working.
To prevent your charger from being damaged in the future you should try not to charge it to 100% as this can damage the lithium battery on the inside making it harder and longer for your charger to charge your iPhone.
If your iPhone won’t charge after you have let your lightning cable cool down then check out our article on what to do if your iPhone won’t charge.
Check if The Charger is Apple Certified?
This is important as many counterfeit chargers are up for sale so you might have been caught up in the mix. If your charger isn’t Apple-certified then most likely it can’t pass out enough voltage to your device.
This then causes the charger to overwork and hence causing it to overheat.
To check if your charger is Apple certified you need to look at the wire and check if says, “Designed by Apple in California” or “Assembled in China/Vietnam”.
If it doesn’t say this then don’t worry. Look on the lighting end and check if it has the company logo on which you purchased it.
Check the copper strips if you can’t see the Apple logo anywhere to see if they are smooth and flat. Check out our full Guide on how to spot a fake lightning cable.
If you haven’t seen any of these then your charger may be counterfeit. You may visit your local Apple store to purchase a new charger.
It’s important to buy the lightning cable from a trusted manufacturer like Apple as you don’t want another fake again. For a cheaper option, you can have a look on Amazon.
Turn on Airplane Mode
Turning on Airplane Mode stops your device from overheating while charging and will there prevent the transition of heat to your charging cable.
Airplane Mode is basically when you make it impossible for your iPhone to make a connection to anything else. This is why you’re asked to turn it on in an Airplane so it doesn’t interfere with a signal.
This also charges your phone quicker. It will help if don’t use your phone while charging. If you do use your phone while charging then go on to the next solution.
You should turn on Airplane mode if you’re charging your iPhone while you’re sleeping. This will give your iPhone a chance to not overwork itself.
The reason is that if your device still has internet on while your sleep, this will overwork it and in turn cause your battery to overheat.
To turn on airplane mode while charging all you have to do is head over to settings and at the top, you should be able to toggle on Airplane Mode. This should help with the problem.
Make sure your turn it off again when your phone has finished charging. You can toggle it off and on from the control too which can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom of your iPhone or swiping down from the top left.
Avoid Using Multiple Extensions
If you don’t use plug extensions or split chargers then you don’t need to read this section. If you are a culprit then you should avoid doing this.
These sockets again do not give out enough wattage to your charger, therefore your charger will have to work harder to supply power to your iPhone.
Try using just one wall socket and see if that makes any difference. Sockets usually give out more power to your charger so your charger will be able to supply enough electricity to your phone.
Extensions plugs usually split out the watts if multiple plugs are in at one time. This can be a problem if you’re not using an Apple-certified charger.
Extensions are also known to cause damage to your phone in the long run so it’s best to avoid them. If you’re using a fake charger this may also lead to a fire and you don’t want that.
Avoid plugging your charger into things like your laptop and PC as these outlets also do not have enough power to supply to your avoid which may cause it to start overheating.
In addition, using outlets are these take a toll on your charger as they take almost 3 times as long to charge which isn’t ideal. This is another reason why your charger may overheat.
Update iOS
This might be causing the issue so it’s worth it. This will get rid of any temporary software issues causing your charger to overheat.
When you update your iOS software you prevent any old bugs from affecting how your device operates. If you’re still on an old version of iOS then you will start to see issues that affect your device.
If you have an old iPhone such as the iPhone 5 or 6 then you may notice that your charger overheats more because they are old devices with a lower quality battery.
As new iPhones come out they start to limit the batteries on older devices. It goes the same for your iOS software.
As newer updates happen your iPhone is less able to operate on older software hence the reason your charging may be affected.
Before you update your iOS software make sure you create a backup just so you don’t lose any valuable data when the update is being processed.
It’s very unlikely that you would lose any data during an update but this is just a precaution. You can update your iCloud by going into settings and lick your device’s name at the top.
Here click on iCloud and select Backup. Next tap on Create a Backup. Once you have done this you can being to update your device.
To check for an update you would need to head over to Settings > General > Software Update. If you do need to update your device it should say “Download and Install”
Can a Hot iPhone lighting Cable Damage Your Device?
Yes. To an extent. The most the lightning cable or charger could do is damage your charging port and even then, that doesn’t do much damage.
So don’t worry, it’s normal at times but try and solve the issue if you can. Read below for the first solution to getting this problem fixed.
As of recently, a hot charger has been reported to be damaging people’s iPhones so if you find your charger getting too hot then it’s best to remove it from the charging port so it doesn’t damage any of the internal components.
Another thing that will prevent your iPhone from getting damaged when the charger gets hot is to remove any casing you have on your device.
This will prevent it from overheating when your charger starts to act up. Only take off your casing if your phone is stationary and not when walking out and about in case you drop it.
Once you realize your lightning cable starting to get warm you should remove it from the lighting port to prevent any further damage and wait for it to cool down.
Visit Local Apple Store
If you are still facing the issue then I would advise you to visit your local apple store so they can diagnose whatever is causing the cable to overheat. They would give you expert advice on how you can move forward.
Even though it is not out of the ordinary to have a charger that gets hot from time to time it can still be a cause for concern for your iPhone if this has been happening over a long period so I would advise you to visit a store.
You may be able to get your lightning cable replaced free of charge if it is Apple certified. When an Apple-certified charger is faulty Apple would be inclined to replace it.
If it has had physical damage to it then it will not qualify as a replacement as Apple would see this as your fault. So before going to an Apple store make sure there is no physical damage on your charger.
Apple will also check if there has been any damage done to your lighting port. If there is any damage then you may want to pay for a replacement unless you have a warranty like Applecare.
Applecare allows you to get your iPhone fixed at a discounted cost or free of charge depending on when you bought your device. You can check if you have Applecare by putting in your serial number on the Apple website.