Charging cable doesn't quite fit

March 28, 2023 2:29 PM

I bought, from Amazon, an "iPhone Charger 3Pack 6FT Lightning to USB A Charging Cable Cord", which they advertised as being compatible with, among other things, iPhone 8 (which is what I have). Unfortunately, the Lightning end is slightly too small, and will not stay connected unless I physically hold it in.

I know this is not the fault of my device because many other Lightning-USB cords work just fine with it. Do you know of any hacks to make the cord fit better? I tried stuffing a small piece of paper in with it, but when I put in enough paper to keep the cord from falling out, it wouldn't charge at all. I also tried tape, but couldn't get a tight enough contact. Thanks in advance.

posted by ubiquity to Computers & Internet (16 answers total)

This is dumb. Return it for being non functional and buy a different cable.
posted by phunniemee at 2:38 PM on March 28, 2023 [19 favorites]

You likely have a badly made cable. You might be able to make it work by putting something underneath the connector so the weight of the phone causes the connection to flex, using rubber bands to hold the charger against the phone, or some other cockamamie scheme, but these are all stopgap solutions that are not good for the phone or the cable.

I hate to tell you to ditch it, but if they couldn't get the connector right, who knows what else they cut corners on. Go get your money back if you can, and throw it away if you can't.
posted by zamboni at 2:39 PM on March 28, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: This would have to be a defect in manufacturing, as there is no such thing as a slightly smaller Lightning connector. Other aspects of the product could also be incorrectly produced, you should not use it and you should file a report with the vendor through Amazon to have it replaced. (In all likelihood they'd lose money paying to ship it back so they will probably tell you to keep it. Do not, throw it out.)
posted by Lyn Never at 2:41 PM on March 28, 2023 [10 favorites]

Something else to try - gently clean the Lightning port with a wooden or plastic toothpick. It's possible for lint and debris to get lodged at the back, causing connection problems.
posted by zamboni at 2:46 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

When I bought a cheap cable for an iPhone, the phone rejected it after a few months and will no longer use it. I got an apple cable on sale, and another from Amzn Basics, because they are not wretched about returns, mostly. I'm avoiding them when possible, though, as their search and shopping keep getting worse, and they are not good to employees.
posted by theora55 at 3:16 PM on March 28, 2023

If you have a case on your phone, the opening for the port may be just slightly too small for the cable to fit correctly, and the cable may feel like it's not attaching properly.
posted by meowzilla at 3:24 PM on March 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

I had a micro-usb cord that was doing something similar, and ended up shaving off some of the rubber around the connector, at which point it went in further and securely connected correctly.

It just wasn't well designed with the size of my case and was blocking it slightly.

I mean, obviously this looks crap, and the answer is really to get a better cable, but if you're stuck somewhere with no other cord I guess you don't have much to lose.
posted by Elysum at 4:25 PM on March 28, 2023

I recently tried to buy another $3 Apple Watch compatible sports band from Amazon.

The prior one was great and had lasted about 5 years. The product no longer existed, so I tried to find something similar. It was one of those "random letter" companies on Amazon (FLOMOGRIXZOU) or similar. It was, however only $2. Progress?

Damned if the watch band wasn't (A) emitting a foul chemical odor, (B) not the color advertised, and (C) designed the wrong way, so that to put this watch band on required you to have 2 or perhaps 3 opposable thumbs?

Bottom line: your cord is probably junk, likely dangerous, and your best bet is to return it or e-waste it (probalby same outcome) and buy something better.

(Amazon really sucks these days)
posted by soylent00FF00 at 4:46 PM on March 28, 2023 [3 favorites]

Return it, it doesn't work.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:00 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Worth checking your phone lightning port for lint. (you can use a tooth pick and gravity to clean it). I thin the cable is likely poorly made also, but it might be that your phone's belly button needs a clean out.
posted by creiszhanson at 5:20 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Reading these replies, it occurred to me that if it is a defect in manufacturing, what are the chances that all three cables have the same defect? After all, this was a fairly well-reviewed product (though 6% gave it the lowest rating, which again suggests an occasional rather than universal defect). So I tried one of the other cables, and it works!

Thanks for all the other suggestions. I was excited about the "take off the cover" one, but it didn't make a difference. I would like to try the toothpick/lent idea, but at the moment I have no toothpicks! Again, thanks for your help!
posted by ubiquity at 5:21 PM on March 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

it occurred to me that if it is a defect in manufacturing, what are the chances that all three cables have the same defect? After all, this was a fairly well-reviewed product (though 6% gave it the lowest rating, which again suggests an occasional rather than universal defect).

Lousy quality control is a hallmark of bargain basement Amazon products, where it’s easier to ship it out and see if the customer returns it than to do anything so annoying as inspection and testing.
posted by zamboni at 5:33 PM on March 28, 2023 [6 favorites]

if it is a defect in manufacturing

That would be reassuring, because "maybe I can get one that wasn't made wrong"?

The more distrubing (and I think more likely) truth is that it's a defect in design, and this is perhaps done on purpose

E.g. consider this: you are a random-letter company on Amazon, it might actually be more profitable for you to make a product (with fake reviews) that is totally Bullshit, so that users just put it in the trash.

Why? If users actually used it, they might hurt themselves and sue you.

Perverse incentives are weird.
posted by soylent00FF00 at 5:46 PM on March 28, 2023 [3 favorites]

Just return it.
posted by kschang at 6:11 PM on March 28, 2023

This is why I only buy name brand cables (OEM, Belkin, Anker) from a physical store or a web retailer without third party sellers (Best Buy, for example). It’s marginally more expensive, but the damn things work and are not counterfeit or just generally shitty. The enshittification of electronics accessories is infuriating.
posted by rockindata at 7:05 PM on March 28, 2023 [3 favorites]

A lot of the "brands" on Amazon these days are bs and use various schemes to get and keep their ratings up, so even a well-rated product on Amazon doesn't mean much these days. (If you look into the good reviews, you may find that some of them are referring to a different product entirely, for example.)

Initiate a return on Amazon (they'll probably tell you to keep it and refund your money) and leave a bad review. Pretty much the best you can do these days.
posted by Aleyn at 10:02 AM on March 29, 2023