Liquid Detected In Lightning Connector Bug (iPhone Not Wet)
Last updated on September 18th, 2023 at 02:57 am
Posted in Bug Fixes by Vlad on December 4, 2020Is your iPhone displaying a popup that reads ‘Liquid Detected In Lightning Connector’? Is this happening although your device hasn’t been anywhere near a water source? This Liquid-detection alert has been triggered out of the blue for a series of iPhone owners. It started during iOS 14 and the issue continues in iOS 15.
We’ve got reports of the ‘Liquid Detected In Lightning Connector’ popup showing up on iPhone 12, 11, X and iPhone SE 2, without any obvious reasons. None of the readers that reported this bug, couldn’t pinpoint the cause of the liquid ingress protection warning.
To be clear, although the popup asks you to ‘Disconnect to allow the connector to dry. This may take several hours’, in some cases the dialog box is triggered out of the blue, or when iPhone is connected to a wired charger, without being anywhere near liquids.
Fact: The liquid in lightning connector warning also pops up while iPhone is used for gaming or with any third-party app.
iPhone Charging Not Available: The Liquid Detected in lightning connector bug persists in the later versions of iOS 14 as well as the early releases of iOS 15. Recent reports show that the warning popup is triggered when charging an iPhone with an aftermarket, non-genuine Apple charger.
How To Fix Liquid Detected In Lightning Connector
There are multiple causes that trigger this error, taking in account that you’re sure that your iPhone wasn’t exposed to liquids. Below you can find a list of the most common troubleshooting options:
0. Clean Charging Port
If lint accumulates in the charging port the Liquid detected in Lightning Connector message can be erroneously triggered.
In this case, the fix is quite simple, you have to clean the area using a combination of dry toothbrush, toothpick and compressed air!
Tip: You can also use this professional iPhone cleaning set! You can also use an anti-dust plug to prevent lint from accumulating in the charging port!
Thanks Lily for sharing this fix!
1. Dismiss It
Although the liquid-detection popup is most likely caused by an iOS 14 bug, you should check the charging port of your iPhone for any signs of water. Perhaps liquid reached your device accidentally, without you noticing it.
The pop-up comes with the Dismiss and Emergency Override options. The first one closes the pop-up and skips charging, while the second will force the charging process. Tap it after you finish inspecting your device.
2. Reboot if Emergency Override Doesn’t Work
Last but not least, if the iOS liquid-detection alert is still preventing your iPhone from charging even is you opt for the Emergency Override option, you have to reboot your device and attempt to charge again.
How To: Unplug charger, use the force restart combo and be patient until the iPhone restarts. Plug the charger back in and cross your fingers. Does it work or it claims to detect liquid in the Lightning port?
3. Use Apple Charger
The Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector error is most frequently reported by users that charge their iPhone or iPad with aftermarket chargers.
Fact: This could be Apple’s move to encourage users to use only genuine Apple products. Does the liquid-detection alert disappear if you’re using an original charger?
Useful: Don’t own a genuine iPhone charging brick? You can grab one now from Amazon:
– Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter
& Apple Lightning to USB-C cable
– Apple 12W USB Power Adapter
& Apple Lightning to USB cable
Disclaimer: iPhoneTricks.org has an affiliate partnership with Amazon. If you purchase a product after clicking the above link, you will help us receive a small commission that allows us to cover website costs.
4. Charge iPhone Early
A trick to prevent the Liquid Detected in lightning connector error from popping up, requires you to start the charging cycle before the iPhone battery level drops below 40%!
Credit: Lan shared this tip in the comments section. Many thanks! Is it also helping you? Did you find a better workaround?
5. Use MagSafe Wireless Charging
If the Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector popup is triggered on an iPhone 12 model. You have the option to switch for wireless charging. You do need a MagSafe charger for this though.
Fact: MagSafe charging is also the way to go if water presence is actually confirmed and the warning isn’t just a false alarm. Place your iPhone in a dry environment, with low humidity to allow the Lightning port to dry out before attempting to charge again.
6. Reset All Settings
Last but not least you can try to reset your iPHones settings. This Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector fix has been confirmed by Sai and is recommended by Apple’s support department:
Open Settings and browse for General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings.
Fact: Reset All Settings will bring all settings on your iPhone to factory default including network settings, the Home Screen layout, your Location settings, the Keyboard dictionary and Apple Pay cards. However, no data or media are deleted!
All settings—including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, the Home Screen layout, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards—are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
Tip: In iOS 15 this changes to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset -> Reset All Settings.
Fix Liquid Detected In Lightning Connector Video Guide
Watch this video tutorial to better understand how to fix the Charging Not Available popup on your iPhone:
Fact: The iPhone liquid-detection alert has been introduced in 2016, as a new iOS 10 feature.
Have you also been prompted with the Liquid-detection alert in iOS 14 (iOS 15)? Was it a false alarm or a justified notification? Did any of the above fixes work? Use the comments section and let us know. If you want to confirm this bug please also mention your iPhone model and the iOS 14.x (iOS 15.x) version that runs on it.
Related: Other common iOS 14 bugs are:
– Messages notifications bug that randomly prevents notifications for iMessages and regular SMS from getting triggered.
– Excessive battery draining caused by the iOS 14.6 update!
– Face ID not working anymore after updating to iOS 14.x!
I am so glad I found this. I have actually had a hard time charging my phone for the last couple days and this morning I had this error message, (XR) which of course made 0 sense. Hopefully an update to fix this bug comes out soon.
Darci, thanks for confirming. Is your iPhone charging if you tap Dismiss?
I am having this liquid detection problem every time I plug the charger, and the charging port is always wet with my new I phone 12 pro max. Now mobile is off and is not responding. Plz help me out as I am really worried
I have an iPhone X Max running on iOS 14 and I have all of the above mentioned bugs, plus- I can barely hear the person when I get a phone call. It’s maddening.
I hit dismiss when getting the liquid detection error, but my phone doesn’t start charging until I unplug and plug it back in.
This is the worst update ever and it feels like Apple is forcing us to upgrade our phones.
Sneaks, thanks for sharing your feedback. iOS 14.3 should be out soon, perhaps even today. Let’s hope it will fix most of these problems.
iPhone 12, iOS 14 and I have been getting this message over and overrrrr!!!! 😤
Rachel, thanks for reporting. You can attempt to install iOS 14.3 RC 2 or wait until Monday for the iOS 14.3 public release. Let us know if it fixes the Liquid Detected issue for you.
I just bought an SE two days ago, and got the “Liquid Detected” message there is no liquid around, but tried to charge on a different plug, still same message. Thanks for the advice about a bug fix… will wait until tomorrow!
Aria, you’re welcome. Thanks for reporting. To get back to us and let us know if iOS 14.3 fixes it for you.
Why would this be happening! First on my mobile now my iPad!?
Hello. iPhone 12 not wet, iOS 14.3. The message “charging not available liquid ….” appeared. Very frightened
Petyr, does the pop-up occur when you try to charge, or out of the blue without connecting the Lightning cable.
When trying to charge. I ignore this message because lightning is not wet. but this is unpleasant. Sorry, my english is bad(
Petyr, thanks for getting back to us. Yes, I’m sure it’s annoying. iOS 14.4 Public Beta 1 is out. IF you want you can update to it and check if it fixes the liquid detected bug: https://www.iphonetricks.org/ios-14-4-beta-brings-homepod-mini-new-features/
Do, perform a full iPhone backup if you decide to proceed.
P.S.: Don’t worry about the language.
Today the message did not bother :) Thanks for the help
Great. You’re welcome.
I rebooted my smartphone. Waited 5-7 minutes and the error disappeared. If you don’t wait, a reboot may not help.
Thanks for mentioning this.
thanks for helping people. You are cool.:)
Glad I could help. ;)
Evening, I suffered the same thing and upgraded OS to 14.3 and issue no longer there.
Thanks
Tab, thanks for confirming. Glad that this worked out for you!
iPhone SE 14.3, suddenly started with this message a couple of days. Left iPhone for a day , message went away. Phone charged, used it for an hour, message displays again. Phone hadn’t been away from the lounge.. there is no high humidity.. no obvious cause of message.
Neil
Neil, sorry to hear about this. We thought this bug had been fixed in iOS 14.3. Not sure what else to suggest. Have you contacted Apple support?
I have a brand new IPhone 11 running on ios 14.3. This message pops up when I use an audio to lightning connector. I think Apple wants me to buy airpods 🙃
Esther, thanks for confirming. What happens if you reboot your device? Does the Liquid Detected error still pop up?
Exact same issue here on an xs max as soon as I updated. Definitely no water near my phone. It’s been triggered twice. Dismissing it gets rid of the notification then I’ve left it and not tried to charge it again for a few hours. Any news of Apple recognising this fault?
Pippa, thanks for your feedback. We’ve submitted a feedback request to Apple, regarding this issue. They don’t reply to feedback submissions. We can only hope that this will be addressed in an upcoming update.
Iphone 12 Max, running on ios 14.3 – this is happening to me. won’t let me update to the beta update you suggested above. :(
Summer, thanks for confirming. You need to download the iOS 14 beta profile to be able to download iOS 14.4 public beta. A detailed step-by-step tutorial is described here for iOS 14.2. Everything is identical in for iOS 14.4: https://www.iphonetricks.org/how-to-update-iphone-to-ios-14-2-beta/
P.S: If you go for it make sure that you backup your device before. Just in case you want to revert to iOS 14.3 or something goes wrong during the installation.
Important: We’re not sure if iOS 14.4 beta fixes it. We can replicate the Liquid detected error message on our own devices in iOS 14.3 either. So we’re not able to confirm yet if this is fixed in the beta or not.
It just happened to me out of the blue. I was responding to a text and other than that my phone has been on a charger (aftermarket) and untouched for hours. Model: XS Max running 14.0.1
I dismissed the warning. The phone has 100% charge, so I will see what happens later when I need to plug it in.
Neal, thanks for reporting. To get back to us and let us know if this comes back? You say it’s running iOS 14.0.1. Any particular reason you’re not upgrading to iOS 14.3?
I have bought new iPhone 12 Pro max one month ago and its running on latest iOS 14.3 stable update but I don’t know why Liquid detected message is troubling me alot from past 2-3 days. There is no liquid at all. I am wondering if there is any issue with the sensor, please suggest what I should do?
Rita, this seems to be a common problem. We haven’t found a workaround yet. It should be addressed by Apple in an upcoming software update.
Same Issue, it happen on me either. i have bought iphone 12 promax one week ago and it also running on latest ios 14.3, the liquid warning keep pop out, when my charging is reaching 97 % and it already happen twice.
there is no liquid at all on my phone.
already consult at the apple support but no solution been given.
they asked me to start diagnostics with apple support via my iphone, and they already got the analytics result and claimed thats nothing wrong with my phone hardware.
actually its a little bit annoying
Ricky, yes it is annoying. You can share with them the link to this article and have them check the comments to convince themselves that this is a quite common issue!
My iPhone 11 Pro, running iOS 14.3 started this last week. Even if I try the Override option it won’t charge. I can only charge wirelessly.
Shayne, thanks for your feedback. This is a software bug that should be fixed soon.
I am on my third iphone 12 pro max and they have all had this error message no matter which of several chargers I use. In all three cases the error message about liquid started from the first time i charged the darn thing after taking it out of the box. I have five or six portable chargers and they all generate the error message and my husband has no problem charging with his samsung. I sent the first two phones back and I am probably just going to keep this latest
one and keep hitting the override. it is an obvious problem with these phones and you would think apple would know of it, and have a fix by now.
Eileen, I just got the Liquid Detected error out of the blue on a perfectly dry iPhone XS. The device refused to charge when using the Lightning cable. I had to force restart it and the error message went away. this seems to be a software related problem that’s affecting various iPhone models running iOS 14.
I have an iphone SE (II) with latest 14.3 ios but still this popup showing up frequently, Can anyone please help
It must be a software issue, but we couldn’t pinpoint yet the triggering factor. Force restart your iPhone to temporary solve it. But it might flare up again, anytime.
I just got this message on my iPhone XR running ios 14.3. Never got it before. Phone is totally dry, and humidity is only about 10% today, so it is a bull&^%t message.
Jack, thanks for confirming. Reboot your device and it should disappear.
iPhone 12 pro 2021. I am getting the liquid detected during charging message also there is no liquid I can guarantee that. I’m hoping it’s just a bug in the software!
It’s a bug indeed. Update to iOS 14.4 and let us know if it’s still occurring.
I have an iPhone 11 running IOS 14.3 and I just started getting this yesterday. My phone has not been anywhere near liquid so it makes zero sense. I’ve also had problems with it charging at night, which I guess this now explains that issue. I’ve attempted to restart my phone and nothing. I’ve
This should be fixed in iOS 14.4. Update please and let us know if it’s still occurring.
Got this message today without any liquid contact. My phone is iPhone 11 iOS 14.3
I simply restarted the phone and it’s all fine now.
Thanks for informing us. iOS 14.4 should have fixed this. Can you confirm?
My kids iPhone 11 IOS 14.1 does this yet not from charging. Just when plugging her headphones in does this message pop up. She was using my iPhone 8 headphone accessory with her favourite monster headphones. She has had this iPhone 11 for a year doing this and it just popped up yesterday. She has 14.3 available to update. Should updating it fix this?
Started doing it only yesterday
Kim, iOS 14.4 should fix this.
i have iphone 12 IOS 14.3 and still got the liquid msg. and the phone is totally dry
Thanks for sharing. iOS 14.4 should fix it.
My XS showed the error on my way home from work tonight. I plugged in unplug a few times and it kept popping up. And then left it unplugged and five minutes later the car smells from smoke and I saw the end of my charger wire smoking (non-apple lightening). I unplugged it from the power immediately! When I got home I tried plugging into several different chargers and kept getting the error. After a half hour or so the error went away and I updated the iOS. So far it has not happened again. It never got wet.
Thanks for sharing this. Please avoid charging your iPhone with aftermarket accessories.
I have had this happen to me a few times lately and my phone has not been around any liquid. I have an iPhone 10xr.
Has iOS 14.4 fixed this?
It’s been happening to me on occasion. I have iPhone 12 and am running iOS 14.4
I recently bought a iPhone 12 Pro Max and the iOS is 14.4 and I have been getting this message from the day I got my phone. Honestly it is getting on my nerves. So glad I found this article. Is it possible it’s a hardware issue with certain phones. If it’s software related everybody should be getting it. Isn’t it ?
It’s most likely software related. We’ve been getting it on our iPhone XS test device in the office. I hoped though that it would be fixed with iOS 14.4. However, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
I had this issue today. My Phone (11) had already been charging For a while when suddenly the warning popped up while I was browsing some web pages. My phone has not been near water or any other liquid. Just in case this was lint or something (dust?). I cleaned the charging port with a fine felt tip dental tool. Hope I don’t have to deal with this issue any further
Thanks for sharing your ‘liquid detected experience’. Do let us know if it pops up again, or the lint removal did the trick!
Just got an iPhone 11 charges good , charged it and went to bed then I woke up and saw liquid detector since then my iPhone 11 refuses to charge
Pls help .. How can I charge my brand new iPhone that shows liguid dector once and refuses to charge
Have you tried to reboot the device and try again?
My iPhone 12, 14.4, just had this pop up. It had been charging all night no problem and I was on it while it was still plugged in. No liquid around what so ever. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it popped up again. I used a qtip and dabbed the charging port lightly and it went away
iPhone 11 iOS 14.4. Started a few days ago with the liquid warning. It will charge in the car with no warning but no matter which block or cord I use I continue to get the message.
Hi
I have SE 2020 sw 14.4 , most of the time I am charging this popup is shown.
Just to notice I am using a 3rd party charger.
Now I am using the override option to overcome this issue
Avi
Thanks for sharing. For me, this ‘Liquid detected in lightning connector’ erroneous message has stopped displaying since iOS 14.4. I am only using certified Apple chargers.
I’ve had this issue for months, currently hav IOS 14.4. I’ve had my phone swapped out 2 times now and it still pops up on my third SE. It has happened with both third party and Apple brand cords.
Thanks for sharing. We did not encounter this erroneous message since updating to iOS 14.4. Thought it was already fixed.
I also notice this on my iPhone 11. There is no sign of water or any liquid.
Same liquid detection problem happens with my iPhone 12 pro max, it’s charge hot finished 2 days ago, now it isn’t charging. When I know on charging port with my mouth, liquid comes out. I am really having a hard time, bcoz I have purchased it recently
Don’t blow on it with your mouth as your breath holds moisture content which doesn’t help with moisture sensor :-). Try a hard reset and afterwards leave phone for around 30 minutes running without connecting lightening cable. Hard reset.
1. Quickly press Volume Up button
2. Quickly press Volume down button.
3. Press and hold Side button until Apple logo appears, do not release and use slider to power off !!!
Once rebooted leave for around 30 minutes before re connecting the lightening cable.
NOTE: If this fails you could always buy a magnetic charging mat.
So I was just on a game and then I got off and tried charging my phone then the liquid error popped up and I did not leave any liquid near my charging connector I just updated to iOS 14.4.1 and this error still popping up so I still press emergency override even tho there is no liquid near my charging connector?
What about iOS 14.5, that was recently released. Does it help?
iPhone XS Max running 14.4.1 just started popping this notification either today or yesterday. I honestly can’t remember the first time I saw it. My phone has been no where near water and I don’t blow in it. It has been finicky with the direction of chargers recently. Sometimes I have to turn them around or wiggle them.
Are you using original Apple chargers? Or third party products?
mine has the same situation. I wasn’t playing games or anything but texting. It wont charge and now my touch screen stop responding as well. all within 30 min apart. Makes no sense, I didn’t drop it to water either.
Ya same happen to me but I updated to 14.4.1 and then I force restart my phone then waited 30 minutes while my phone was running and once I plugged in my charger it started working no problems so I think you just gotta force reboot your phone!
IPhone 11 – iOS 14.4.2 Received message when neither charger connector or phone were wet or had been near any water. Tried a different connector and still got message. Waited about 10 minutes, tried again and no message ! Phone is charging now. Thanks for posting this information.
You’re welcome. Let us know if this still happens after updating to iOS 14.5.
Been getting this comment the last two nights. Iphone is 21 days old and has not been near water. Both times it occurred while it was plugged in and I was using the phone. It’s absolutely not wet and it’s so frustrating. Had to do a soft reset both times and liquid detection message would stop. Is my phone a lemon? Using iOS 14.4.2
Gail, this seems like a software glitch. Are you charging your device with original Apple charger? I was still getting this error in iOS 14.4.2 but only when charging with third party car charger.
P.S.: Also update to iOS 14.5 and let us know if it helps.
I’ve gotten the moisture warning on and iphone when i plugged in a charger 2 or 3 times in the last few weeks while running 14.4.2. i’ve simply removed the cable and reinserted it and it charged fine. But i’m scared about whether this will get worse. I may have had to change the charging cable once or twice to get it to work though. Can’t remember. One repair place told me to takl it to Apple, but now I’m reading this may just be a bug or a bad cable. I’ve got plenty of bad charging cables.
Leonard, it’s most likely a bug. Does it still happen with iOS 14.5? Also make sure that you’re using original Apple charging cable.
I am using XS, and facing this liquid for a last few days. When I dismiss, it doesn’t charge but when I unplug and plug it again then it charges fine. Sometimes I need to restart my phone to charge it because “unplug and plug it again” doesn’t work. I’m using latest software 14.4.2.
Make sure that you’re using original Apple charger. Also update to iOS 14.5 please and let us know if the problem still persists.
I’m on an SE 2, running 14.4.2. I just got the moisture warning. It was still plugged in, and showed full charge. There was no source of moisture anywhere, and I dismissed it, but unplugged it. Now I’m reading all these posts, and see that it’s an ongoing issue that hasn’t been resolved with updates.
I just did a force restart, and plugged it into another, brand new, lightning cord. Will wait to see if it returns.
On a potentially related note, my limited warranty expires tomorrow, April 26, 2021, so next, I’m calling Apple support.
Yes, this seems to be a widespread issue, considering the amount of confirmations that we get in this comment thread. Your device should be fine. This is most likely software related. Keep us updated though.
Garbage after market gas station charging accessories appear to be the culprit with my “liquid detected in lighting port” message. When I charge on an apple lightning cable, I don’t get the error.
Thanks for sharing this. Good to know. Is this still happening with iOS 14.5?
My wife’s iPhone 12 Pro with ios 14.5 just started getting this error, she has just started using a converter that allows her to use her jack earphones and charge at same time – so not fixed in ios 14.5. 🤬
Thanks for reporting. Not sure anymore if this is a bug or Apple’s way of pushing users to use only original Apple charging products.
I’ve had this warning several times in the last week. It has only appeared when I’ve been plugged into my car and using CarPlay. It first appeared when I plugged in an off brand cable I just purchased to use in my car. I immediately suspected it was the cable, now I’m not so sure. When it appears, I am shut out of CarPlay, which sucks.
I was getting the same for a non-Apple car charging cable. However, the issue has disappeared in my case since iOS 14.3. Can you please mention your iPhone model and iOS version?
My daughter got the new SE for Christmas and uses an aux cord to play Spotify. Her phone is in an ac vent holder while driving. She gets this message while driving….no liquid involved, but has to unplug for a few minutes before it will work again. So annoying.
Yes, that’s annoying indeed. Thanks for sharing.
IPhone 12 Pro-iOS 14.4.2- brand new charging cable-lightning to USB-first use out of package resulted in the charging not allowed because liquid was detected warning. I know for a fact that neither the phone nor the cord had been or was wet. Tried different cords and did not receive the error. Ditched the cord just in case but other apple products worked fine with that cord. New cord (2) has not experienced issues yet but it’s only been 10 minutes.
April, thanks for reporting this. This ‘Liquid Detected …’ bug is really strange indeed. Is the brand new charging cable that triggered the error, right out of the box, an original Apple product or an aftermarket unit?
I have a 12 max and it only happens when I’m trying to use my aux chord for music in my truck
Thanks for reporting. It seems to be another Apple gentle way of ‘recommending’ you to use original products only.
I have also had problems with the liquid detector notification even though my phone has been nowhere near a water source. It happens every time I plug in my adapter to listen to music but it doesn’t do it when I plug in my charger which makes no sense. How do I get it to stop because it’s really annoying to have to reset my phone all the time.
Thanks for sharing this. Yes, getting it for the adapter really makes no sense. Is your adapter an original Apple product or an aftermarket unit? Apparently, the problem pops up when you use non-original Apple products. If that’s not the case I can only recommend you to update to iOS 14.6, if you haven’t already and hope that this gets fixed at some point. Keep us updated with how this evolves.