What’s wrong with the Powerline lightning cables?

#1

I’ve got an iPhone 6s, and now on my second 6ft Powerline+ lightning cable along with my first 10ft Powerline+ II lightning cable. BOTH of which just stopped working within the past few weeks!

Is it just me? Or is anyone else having this same problem?

Also, @AnkerOfficial I don’t want to file warranty claims on them, and especially not if every new one only lasts a few months at best. What do you advise that I do? I’ve checked the connectors as previously suggested, and they’re clean as a whistle! Might it be my OS that’s the problem? And if so, do you think perhaps that waiting a bit for each update to settle in might bring my cables back to life (just a Wild guess and hope)? Any other ideas? And/or solutions?

Links:

6 ft Powerline+ lightning cable. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071936R2S/ref=sr_1_10?camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B071936R2S&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&sr=1-10&tag=ianker-20

10ft Powerline+ II lightning cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07216D22H/ref=sr_1_10?camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B07216D22H&ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&sr=1-10&tag=ianker-20

#2

What stops working specifically and how? You say it’s the cable, but have you tried using a different wall plug? Have you cleaned the lightning cable ends as well as checked the port on your phone for debris?

#3

Does an official Apple cable still work?

An OS update can and did cause this in the past with certified cables; but I think Anker’s are certified.
I think it’s not due to an iOS update because you wrote “stopped working within the past few weeks”.
If the OS caused the problem they both would have stopped at the same time.

What are you using your cables for? Just charging? Or also transferring data?

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#4

Don’t want sound mean but i think it’s the way you handle your cables i had my 10 foot lighting cable for around 3 years and it’s still working and i had one of the 6ft red braided lighting cables gave that one to my brother and not ever a year it stopped working because he slept with his phone under his pillow and every time he unplugged it he was pulling on the cord not the tip of the plug

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#5

I agree with Rob. The Lighting port on iOS devices is notorious for causing errors when there is debris, dust or lint inside. It may look clean on a brief inspection but shine a strong light in there and there’s a good chance that there’s some built-up crud inside which can affect how the connector sits in the port and and can also affect connectivity. It will also mess with the operation of the validation chip that is built-in to every Lighting cable (as long as the cable carries the MFi certification, which all Anker cables do). It doesn’t take a lot of crud to affect how the cable sits/connection being made.

If you see crud in the port under a strong light, get a wooden or plastic toothpick and pick/scrape it out. Use nothing metallic. Concentrate on the bottom of the port since the gunk will get compressed there slowly over time if routine cleanings are not performed. Also blow out the bits if need be using just your own wind power…at the most, use a can of compressed air. Don’t go crazy and use a 120 PSI compressor. The biggest thing is to pick the crud out as best as you can. Using compressed canned air won’t necessarily blow it out but may likely pack it in even tighter.

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#6

What IOS version do you use?
I assume that it is an is problem. I had similar problems when I used the public beta version. Sometimes Apple messes with the certificate.

I _would wait for a new update

#7

Oh no! Sorry that this is happening to you. Did you try another cable such as the one that came with your phone to see if the problem is still happening? Since it is still in warranty you could ask for an exchange.

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#8

Yep, dId ALL of the above and no luck! Even tried different outlets AND different phone models (my iPhone 6s & my sons iPhone 7). Especially after the 2nd time around with the first cord, along with the 2nd cord, thinking maybe it was just me. (smh)

#9

Charging only

#10

I did clean it out, but will certainly check again and be more thorough about it @SZak2015 and I appreciate such detailed instruction on how to go about it! However, neither cable will charge my sons iphone 7, either. We have different phone models (mine- iPhone 6s), and the same OS (@Kopra_12). I did consider that both phones were dirty, and cleaned the both of them with the first go around of scratching my head (@elmo41683) . Nonetheless, mine charges just fine with any one of the off-brand aftermarket cables I have (@amada.haro) . I’m sure it would be the same with an Apple branded one with that in mind (@ElectronWrangler). But I haven’t seen my OEM cable since my phone first hit the market, so I can’t confirm.

@Serg1023 brings up a good point about how it’s handled, and while I am guilty of treating some of them like garbage with leaving them wherever and tangled half the time, it’s only the dozen or so cheap, generic, throwaway, freebies that I’m careless with. I keep my Anker cables plugged up and stored into the same place at all times (except for checking to see if that’s causing the issue) and keep them neatly put away with the little Velcro strap securing them. While I can certainly understand the pillow thing @Serg1023, which is a good, warranted point, mine stay put on my nightstand when charging. I never answer the phone when it’s charging either (or anytime, really!), so it’s not getting tossed around that way.

One thing that’s curious is that this isn’t the first time, or the only Anker cables affected. Also that it’s ONLY my Anker cables I have this problem with. I’ve had others (more than my fair share) that over time I’ve tossed with this exact same issue, and with each one, I’ve followed the same method of troubleshooting to no avail. Another thing that may be helpful, something I noticed when brought up before, is that on every cord the 4th pin is blacked out. I assume this is crud and constantly clean it. But again, none of my other generic, after market cords have that problem.

Indeed, I’m at a complete loss!

I highly appreciate everyone here for chiming in with ideas and suggestions! That’s one thing I love about being part of the Anker community, and happy to have such wonderful people willing to extend a helping hand :heart::grin:

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