If your iPhone® is charging too slowly, it might seem like you need to replace your battery, or even your device. But there are probably simpler, cheaper solutions. This issue could be caused by your iPhone’s charging port, charging cable, power adapter, or software — the four components of the charging process. In this article, I’ll show you how to fix an iPhone that charges too slowly.
How long does it take an iPhone to charge?
Normally, an iPhone can power up from zero to 50% in roughly 30 minutes using a fast charger and achieve a full charge within 1-3 hours. However, if your iPhone is slow to charge or fails to top up completely, this could indicate a problem.
By fast charger, we mean at least a 20-watt power adapter with a USB-C to Lightning or USB-C to USB-C cable for iPhone 15 and newer models.
Checking your battery’s health is a great first step. If you notice your battery is struggling, it might be time for a battery replacement.
Why is my iPhone charging so slowly?
Most of the time, an iPhone charges slowly for one of these reasons:
Your iPhone is charging slowly because you’re using a a weak power adapter
If you plug your iPhone into weak power adapter, like 5W adapter that came with an older iPhone, it might deliver significantly less power and slow down the charging process.
A counterfeit charger could also be the culprit, for example. Even some authentic third-party wireless chargers claim MagSafe compatibility but only deliver standard Qi charging speeds.
Your charging cable may be faulty
If the cable is damaged or frayed in any way, it could be the reason why your iPhone is charging slowly.
There’s a problem with your charging port
Your iPhone might not be charging properly due to a foreign object blocking device’s charging port — this can be a simple clog like lint, dust, or debris collected from your pockets or living space.
Less likely, but still a possibility, is that your iPhone’s charging port is damaged.
Your iPhone is charging slowly because you’re using your phone while charging
Running demanding apps, playing graphics-intensive games, or streaming video at high brightness while charging can also reduce charging speeds as your iPhone manages power and heat.
You are charging your iPhone in warm environment
Charging in a warm environment may cause your iPhone to temporarily pause charging until the temperature falls.
Optimized Battery Charging may be slowing down the charge rate
iPhone has a setting that helps slow the rate of your battery’s aging by reducing the time it spends fully charged, but this same feature also makes your device charge slower.
How to make your iPhone charge faster
Charging your iPhone might look like a simple task, but it can be frustrating if not done properly. Thankfully, a few tweaks can significantly speed up the process. When your phone is charging slowly, try these strategies to help your iPhone power up quicker and troubleshoot the most common iPhone charging issues.
Restart your iPhone
The first thing to try if your iPhone is charging slowly is restarting it and see if that fixes the issue. Turn the phone off and back on and then try to charge it again.
If your iPhone still charges slowly after a regular restart, force restart your device:
- iPhone 8 or later and iPhone SE (2nd generation and later): Press and quickly let go the volume up button. Press and quickly let go the volume down button. Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
- iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Press and hold both the side button and the volume down button until the Apple logo appears.
- iPhone 6s or earlier and iPhone SE (1st generation), Press and hold both the side (or top) button and the Home button until the Apple logo appears.
Inspect your charging cable for damage
Carefully inspect your charging cable to see if it’s frayed, kinked, or damaged. If it’s frayed or the connector is bent, this could be the reason your iPhone is charging slowly.
Even if it looks fine from outside, charging cables can be damaged internally, which affects how much current they can carry. The best way to test your charging cable is to simply try a different one — ideally, a fully-authorized cable from Apple that’s brand new.
Plug your iPhone directly into a a wall outlet
Your computer’s USB port, whether it’s a bigger and older USB-A or the newer, smaller USB-C, cannot deliver the same amount of power as any wall outlet can, even a 5-watt power adapter. That’s especially true if you have an older computer with a faulty USB port or an incompatible charging cable, both of which can slow down the charging process further.
For the fastest possible charge you should connect your iPhone to a power adapter (the cube that plugs into an outlet), and then plug that directly into a wall or powerstrip outlet.
If it still doesn’t work, plug it into a different wall outlet. Also try a different power adapter — borrow one from a friend who has an iPhone or use the one that comes with an iPad.
Clean your charging port
If your iPhone is charging very slowly, your next stop should be to inspect the charging port. As simple as it sounds, sometimes you may not get the most out of your charge because lint, dust, or other debris is physically blocking your port.
Carefully take a look at the port to see if there’s dirt or other gunk in the port. If you see anything, carefully remove it.
It’s easy to get remove a clog from your iPhone charging port. Just turn off your iPhone, grab a toothpick or open paperclip, and then gently insert that into the port to remove any lint you find.
You can also use a can of compressed air to blow out any junk that might be in there.
After you’ve cleaned out the charging port, try turning your device back on and recharging it. If it’s still charging too slowly, move on to the next solution.
Turn on Airplane Mode or charge your phone while it’s off
If all of that isn’t enough, you can charge your iPhone a little bit faster by enabling Airplane Mode. Ostensibly designed for, you guessed it, airplanes, this shuts off the radios for things like cellular data, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Charging with that stuff disabled will save you a few minutes than it’d take otherwise, depending on how long you’re plugged in.
Your iPhone will charge even more faster if you turn it off completely. If your iPhone is powered on, part of the energy from the charger will be diverted to running your phone and whatever background tasks it’s performing.
Note that plugging in an iPhone that’s turned off will power it back on, so plug it in first, then power it down.
If you don’t want to turn off your iPhone, then just leave it alone, so the screen isn’t on. For best results, set your phone down and let it charge in peace.
Let your iPhone cool down
Your iPhone might get slightly warmer while it charges. To extend the lifespan of your battery, if the battery gets too warm, software might temporarily pause charging until the temperature falls. Your iPhone will charge again when the temperature drops. Apple itself says that keeping the battery in a room-temperature climate will get you the steadiest results in the long run. Try moving your iPhone and charger to a cooler location.
Check for iOS updates
If you’re running an outdated version of iOS, it could be the reason why your iPhone is charging slowly. Software updates might not seem important when your phone is functioning properly, but they help prevent a host of problems and even improve performance.
Here’s how to check for an update on your iPhone and install it:
- Open Settings, then tap on General.
- Tap on Software Update. Your iPhone will now start searching for the latest iOS update.
- If an update is available, tap Update Now and follow the onscreen instructions.
disable Optimized Battery Charging
If your iPhone take so long to fully charge, disable Optimized Battery Charging feature. Although this feature typically only slows down your iPhone during long periods of charging, and usually overnight, it still might be worth disabling when troubleshooting charging problems like this one. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and toggle off Optimized Battery Charging to disable this feature.
Buy a high-powered charger
Are you still wondering, “Why is my iPhone taking so long to charge?" Upgrading to a newer adapter can greatly enhance your charge time.
Now, you have to be careful here. Counterfeit chargers are rampant on Amazon and eBay, and they simply cannot be trusted. A slow charge is better than an exploded phone.
That said, while you shouldn’t trust most third-party Apple accessory makers, there are chargers from reputable brands like Anker, Belkin, and mophie that are both faster and trustworthy. They won’t be dirt cheap, but the safety is worth the extra buck or two. Just make sure it has Apple’s MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod) certification on its packaging.
Again, it’s all about how much current these things supply. To get the fastest possible charging speeds, you’ll want to use a USB-C Power Delivery charger along with the appropriate cable – USB-C for iPhone 15 and later, or USB-C to Lightning for earlier models. Alternatively, you can opt for either Apple’s MagSafe Charger or any Qi2-certified wireless charger, both of which provide significantly faster charging than standard Qi chargers.
Note: You need at least a 20-watt brick to fast-charge an iPhone 12 and later.
Complete a factory reset
When experiencing a problem with your iPhone, it sometimes helps to perform a factory reset.
A reset will return your iPhone to its factory default settings and, hopefully, get rid of any problem causing the device to charge slowly. This is a last-ditch attempt to fix the issue by yourself, and it’s worth a try.
Charging Faster!
Your iPhone is charging normally again and now you don’t have to wait all day to have full battery life. Now that you know what to do when your iPhone charges slowly, we hope you’ll share this article on social media with your friends and family! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below.