Fix Wireless Charging Not Working on iPhone

Before we get started, you need to know if your iPhone model is compatible with wireless charging or not.

1. Check Compatibility

Wireless charging is available on iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and higher models. If you have iPhone 7 or an older model, wireless charging is not available on your phone.

2. Clean Charging Pad

Clean the wireless charging pad before placing your iPhone on it. If there is dust, debris, or anything on the charging pad, it might prevent wireless charging on iPhone. The situation is more apparent in cafes like Starbucks, where you might find not-so-clean wireless charging pads.

3. Place the iPhone in the Centre

You need to place your compatible iPhone right in the center of the wireless charging pad. If you place iPhone slightly on the side, the function will stop working.

4. Check the Cable and Adapter

Your wireless charger stays connected to the power plug all the time. If you are dealing with a faulty charging cable or adapter, a wireless charger won’t work. Most wireless chargers come with an LED indicator to show an active status. If your wireless charger doesn’t have an LED, you can use the cable and adapter with another device and confirm the issue. If the adapter and cable work perfectly fine with another device, the issue is related to your wireless charger. If not, it’s time to get a new charging cable and adapter for your wireless charger.

5. Disable Haptics on iPhone

We faced this issue a while ago. iPhones come with some of the strongest vibration motors. When you place your iPhone in the center of the charging pad, and you receive a couple of notifications, the phone might get misplaced from the center position due to vibration and the wireless charging stops working. If you notice the same pattern occurring with you, you should disable haptics in Ring and Silent mode. Here’s how.

  1. Open Settings on iPhone.
  2. Scroll to Sounds & Haptics.
  3. Disable Play Haptics in Ring Mode and Play Haptics in Silent Mode toggles. From now on, whenever you receive a call or message, haptics won’t work, and your phone won’t move from its position on the charging pad.

6. Let Your iPhone Cool Down

You shouldn’t place your iPhone on a wireless charging pad right after an intensive gaming hour or 4K video shooting. Your device temperature might go uncomfortably high and to prevent any internal hardware damage, the system may disable both wired and wireless charging. Wait for some time (for around 5 to 10 minutes), let your iPhone cool down, and then place it on the wireless charger pad.

7. Remove Thick iPhone Case

While we understand protecting your expensive iPhone with a case and screen protector is important, some people opt for a military-grade thick case. These cases might offer impeccable protection, but they might not be compatible with the wireless charging function. Remove the case and put your iPhone on charge again.

8. Force Restart iPhone

If your iPhone is not behaving normally, you need to force restart it using the steps below.

  1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
  3. Keep pressing the power button until the Apple logo appears.

9. Update iOS

A bug in the iOS system might have malfunctioned wireless charging on your iPhone. Apple is usually quick to troubleshoot such issues. You need to install pending iOS updates.

  1. Launch the iPhone Settings menu.
  2. Scroll to the General menu.
  3. Select Software Update and download the latest iOS build.

Enjoy Wireless Charging on iPhone

Once you get used to wireless charging, it’s hard to go back to old cable charging on iPhone. The function not working as expected may leave you in confusion. Use the tricks above and troubleshoot wireless charging not working on iPhone in no time.