Don’t worry – you’re not alone. The new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are not always charging smoothly. Sometimes devices don’t start charging even though they are connected correctly to a compatible power source.
Whether on the Apple Support Forum, in MacRumors Foren, on Youtube or other social media channels – there are a lot of reports circling online from users complaining about their iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max not charging.
Reported now by many device owners, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are often not charging when the are idle and when connected to the power supply via a Lightning cable. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether you’re using the original USB power unit or one from a third-party supplier.
Instead of starting the charging process after plugging in the charging cable, which is usually indicated by a flashing display and the charging symbol and signal, for many users the display remains inactive and the device shows no sign of charging. That this isn’t just an isolated case, but a common occurrence in the new iPhone series can be seen in this video: The iPhone XS Has A Serious Problem
Here’s What To Do If Your iPhone XS or iPhone Max Is Not Charging
If your iPhone is affected, try the following steps:
- Wake up your iPhone by touching the screen or moving the device from sleep mode while it is connected to the power supply.
- If charging still does not start, unplug the charger cable, enter the device PIN, and reconnect the charger cable while the screen is still active. After that, the iPhone should start to charge normally.
More tips on charging iOS devices can be found in this Apple support article.
USB Restricted Mode – The Root of the Problem?
The USB Restricted Mode introduced with iOS 11.4.1 is cited as a possible cause for the problems with charging. This would also explain why users of the iPhone XS and XS Max as well as users of previous models such as the iPhone X report similar problems.
If a user has not unlocked the iPhone for more than an hour, the USB Restricted Mode ensures that the system blocks all data connections via the Lightning port. This is intended to make it more difficult to read iPhone data.
This option, which was originally conceived as a protective feature, now seems to lead to the charging problems. Apple addresses this issue in a support article about using USB accessories with iOS 11.4.1.
What Is Apple Saying?
Apple has yet to react to the charging problems of its latest iPhone generation. In some cases, users have reported that they have had their device replaced by Apple but have encountered the same difficulties with the newly replaced device. We can only hope that an imminent iOS 12 update will solve the problems and iPhone users will once again be able to reliably charge their devices.