Help! Wife's iPad won't charge...

[Scott Douglas]

...and I know she'll be upset if we miss the next Facetime with our new granddaughter.
Any help here or should we just plan a trip to the Apple Store and see what they say?

[dad911]

Try cleaning the connectors. If it's the lightning (small, newer) connector, those cables don't seem to hold up.

[Scott Douglas]

The connector is small, kind of like a mini-usb, but it's not usb.
Guess we'll have to try another cable or get one.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

...and I know she'll be upset if we miss the next Facetime with our new granddaughter.
Any help here or should we just plan a trip to the Apple Store and see what they say?

As said check the power socket, most common no charge issue is dirt in the socket.

Maybe best to go to the Apple store, they can plug it into a known good cord/charger to eliminate those possibilities, plus if it is a software problem they can help.

[MRM]

I had the same problem with my iPhone and thought I had done something to the charging port. I brought it in and the young person assigned to me smiled politely and promptly dug out more fuzz from the charging port than I knew could fit in there. He said it was a common problem. I've heard you can clean it yourself with a paper clip but I'm too scared to try. It might be something that simple.

[Scott Douglas]

Cleaning the connector with isopropyl alcohol didn't help so I guess the cable is bad.

[Scott Douglas]

I haven't looked in the socket yet...dang things are tiny.

[Scott Douglas]

I think it's gonna be a new cable.
thanks everyone.

[Buckterrier]

May sound simple but the same thing just happened to my iPhone this morning. I just turned it off & back on and poof it started charging.

[Deschodt]

I've done the paper clip trick on iphones, Ipads, ipda minis... There's no way this much belly button lint can get in there, but it does... never damaged anything. If worried use a wood toothpick ! it's softer... Please try that before buying a cable...

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I think it's gonna be a new cable.
thanks everyone.

Make sure it's a certified cable.

The Apple cables have a chip in them and the cheap unlicensed knock offs work sporadically.

That's not to say all certified cables are expensive.

[island_dude]

I can add to the list of people that have had luck cleaning lint out of the charging port. I thought my phone was on it's way out. No cable worked well. A few minutes with a toothpick and a can of compressed air and it was like new. Months later it happened to my wife's iPhone too. It is worth a try.

[kanadary]

Mine turned out to be a bad charger. If it's totally drained it won't take to the 1 amp chargers. You need to 2 amp ones that come with the iPad

[mepstein]

Took mine to the Apple Store. Guy cleaned it out with a brush in 2 minutes. Said don't use a paper clip. Worked great after. You do need the stronger charger for a pad.
I drop by the Apple Store if I have ANY problem. Get there when it opens. They always take care of me. Happy camper.

[Tobra]

use an old toothbrush, you can blow a lot of it out of there too

[Scott Douglas]

Turns out it was the cable.
Overpaid for a new one but at least she's happy, the iPad is charging now and the cable is 6 ft long so easier to deal with while using it while on the iPad. Bending the cable 90* while it's plugged in doesn't help it, so she won't be doing that any more.
Thanks again for the tips on keeping the port clean.
Here's a look at the newest member of our family.