Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector (Iphone Alert)

You accidentally let your Iphone fall in water and saw a “Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector” alert when you plugged it to charge.

There’s liquid inside but don’t worry, it won’t blow up! This a security alert since Iphone X and newer Iphone generations (Iphone 11, 12…)

Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector

“Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector” means your iPhone charging port or cable is wet and won’t charge. You can use your phone but it won’t charge until the port is fully dry. If needed, you can still charge it wireless.

What does “liquid in the lightning connector” mean

Liquid in the lightning connector means there is water or humidity in the charging port or your Iphone or in the charging cable. Apple uses the word “Lightning” because it is a fast charging port.

Both water and humidity in the air can create moisture inside your charging port.

This message can appear if you plug your phone after:

  1. Iphone or Iphone Cable fell in a swimming pool, lake, hot tub, sink or in the toilet…
  2. Iphone or Iphone Cable fell in a paddle or gutter while walking in the street
  3. Iphone or Iphone Cable splashed by spilled glass on a table or car
  4. Iphone or Iphone Cable got wet in a jeans pocket during heavy rain
  5. Iphone or Iphone Cable stayed in a humid environment like a bathroom while you shower with hot water for a long time
  6. Iphone or Iphone Cable is wet after exercising and hard sweating

Water resistant means your Iphone will survive and work fine but the charging port will need to dry for security reasons before it can charge again.

What to do if liquid is detected in lighting connector

Follow these steps to avoid any damage and corrosion:

  1. Unplug phone cable and any other accessories
  2. In case of total submersion, open SIM card tray and remove the Sim card
  3. hold your iPhone vertically with the Lightning port facing down, then tap the back of it to help remove the water
  4. Let the phone dry on a flat surface for at least 30 minutes before trying to charge again

If the alert comes back after you plug in again, wait longer.

Why won’t the moisture detected go away?

I found out on the internet that some users had to wait up to 24 hours for the Iphone to be dry. Sometimes it will take time to dry, especially if the phone sunk completely into the water.

How to speed up the drying process

If you want to speed up the drying process, you can try the following:

  • use a dry microfiber cloth to wipe your Iphone or cable if wet (it won’t leave lint or residues)

Is iPhone really water resistant?

Since Iphone 7, Iphones are water-resistant (IP67) and better since Iphone 8 (IP68) but…

Water-resistant is different from waterproof!

Yes, your Iphone can resist water but water can also damage it. Apple care doesn’t cover water damage. You need a specific insurance for that or Applecare Plus.

This means that the components inside your phone and the lightning charger can corrode.

Because electrical current with water can damage the phone, Apple automatically disables the lighting connector when your phone detects liquid in it.

Use wireless charging

You wonder if you can charge your Iphone if you received the Liquid detected in Lightning connector alert.

The good news is Apple said it is okay to charge your Iphone wireless. the advice I give above assumes you only have a lightning cable charger. If you have a cordless charger, you can use it while you wait for the lightning port to dry!

Apple Magsafe cordless charger

Apple MagSafe Charger - Wireless Charger with Fast Charging Capability, Compatible with iPhone and...

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So not only can you use your phone, but you can charge it too while you wait for the phone to fully dry out.

I literally just had this happen to me. I was giving my son a bath and my iPhone fell in the tub, completely submerged for about 3 seconds.

When I went to charge it with the lighting cable I got the Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector warning message.

So I continued using my phone and when it was time to charge it later that day, I used my cordless charger. It worked great. The next day my phone was fully dry, and the lightning charger worked again.

If you don’t have a cordless charger, buy the Apple Magsafe. You can find it on Amazon.

What to avoid doing when a liquid has been detected in a lighting connector

You wonder how to get water out of your iPhone Lightning port? Read this first.

You will find useless and bad advice online for liquid damaged iPhones. While some tips do nothing to help dry your phone, other advice can be worse than doing nothing.

If you try to speed up the drying process, DON’T try the following:

  1. Do not put your phone in a plastic bag or container with rice or commercial desiccants (silica packets) It has been proven in a study that it doesn’t dry out faster than just leaving it on a table. Worse than that, rice could get stuck in the port.
  2. don’t blow into the port as it will just push the water deeper and add more moisture
  3. don’t try to dry the port with toilet paper or tissue. It could get stuck inside
  4. avoid using a hair dryer as it could really damage the Iphone circuit and make the warranty useless
  5. Forget microwave or oven, your phone will die forever

The best you can do is… do nothing and wait for the iPhone or cable to air dry. You just need to wait for 30 minutes or maybe more in some situation like if it is cold where you are at.

If you want to speed things up and use one of the advice, be careful! Anyway, are you really in a hurry? This alert is not that bad, your phone isn’t broken, just a little bit wet was detected on the Iphone charging port!

When to override the liquid detection alert

Should you use emergency override mode?

I suggest you to avoid using the “Emergency Override” option, and instead allow your phone adequate time to dry.

You can still use your phone! Just hit “Dismiss”. That shouldn’t be an issue and won’t cause any additional damage. Just don’t plug it to charge until it is dry.

While overriding isn’t recommended, there are some times when overriding the liquid detection alert will be an option.

In some emergency situations, if you need to charge your phone, the risk of damaging the Iphone is worth taking. Anyway, the phone won’t die instantly, It may corrode over the next months but nothing is certain. There is just more probability that the water and electricity will damage the phone.

Keep in mind that if you override it, you take the risk of damaging your phone.

To override the liquid detection alert, plug the cable and tap “Emergency Override”.

Emergency Override Button not Working

Choosing Emergency Override will allow you to charge your iPhone, despite the alert.

But in some cases, your iPhone still won’t charge.

How to Emergency Override if the message doesn’t show up anymore:

  1. Force restart the iPhone. Click volume up, followed by volume down then press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo on the screen. Plug the lightning cable again and click Emergency Override button
  2. Use certified Apple chargers, some generic chargers trigger an alert

IPhone detects liquid but it’s dry

Sometimes you will receive the liquid detection alert but you’re absolutely certain your iPhone and Lightning connectors are dry.

If you let plenty of time for it to dry out, then clean the lightning port. Dust in the charging port can activate iPhones liquid sensors.

Generic cables (not Apple certified) can also activate this error message.

If you still get the error message, then try with an other cable.

Try an other cable

Maybe the lightning port is wet or damaged and you can try an other charger if you have an extra Iphone cable.

If it works, then give it enough time to let the charger dry out and try again latter.

If it works with an other cable but still not working with the certified charger after few hours, the charger might have a problem and need replacement.

Contact Apple

If after all the advice and after 24 hours your IPhone still displays a Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector alert and won’t charge, you might consider contacting the Apple support for help or go to an Apple store.

Wrapping it up

If your iPhone or charger gets wet and you’re seeing the Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector alert, try the following:

Follow the steps:

  • Unplug phone cable and any other accessories
  • In case of total submersion, open SIM card tray and remove the Sim card
  • hold your iPhone vertically with the Lightning port facing down, then tap the back of it to help remove the water
  • Let the phone dry on a flat surface for at least 30 minutes before trying to charge again

Don’t use the Emergency Override unless it’s the case. Keep in mind that if you override the alert, you take the risk of damaging your phone with corrosion overtime. Charging your iPhone when the Lightning connector is wet can cause permanent damage to your phone.

You know what to do if you see this message, just be patient and avoid speeding up the drying process with risky advice found in online forums. Rice, silica packets or hair dryers can make things worse!

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