iPhone 7 is Charging Slow – What to Do

The iPhone 7’s battery life is good but far from perfect. The capacity of 1,960mAh might be enough to get an average user through the day, but if you’re a heavy user or if the battery health isn’t 100%, this might not be the case. In any event, recharging it more than once a day can be a hassle.

This is even more so if your iPhone is charging slowly. Luckily, there are things that you can do to speed up the charging process.

Use Your iPhone as Little as Possible

Using your iPhone while it’s charging can slow down this process and even severely damage your battery health. The reason is because the phone will likely heat up more than normal, and that’s the Achilles’ heel of Li-ion batteries.

One way you can notice this is if the screen is dimming even though the brightness is set to 100%. This is your iPhone’s self-preservation mechanism, and it means you should leave it alone to let it cool off. If you really have to use it, dim the display as much as possible by going to Control Center and sliding down the brightness bar.

Switch to Airplane Mode

Another thing that you can do from within Control Center is turning Airplane Mode on. Many of your apps rely on the internet connection to run in the background, which can slow down the charging process.

By turning Airplane Mode on, you automatically turn off both Wi-Fi and cellular connection. More often than not, this can make a world of difference to your iPhone’s charging speed. Of course, you won’t be able to hear from others, so do this if you’re not expecting any important calls or messages.

Use the Right Charger

Using low-quality accessories can be quite risky. A cheap charger or cable is likely the cause of slow charging. Most of the time, when you plug in such an accessory, your iPhone will notify you that it’s not compatible.

Don’t ignore this message, especially when it comes to charging. Sure, Apple’s accessories are anything but cheap, but they’re a much wiser decision than exposing your iPhone to the risks of damage.

Clean the Lightning Port

The reason why your iPhone is charging slowly doesn’t have to be software-related. Any debris or gunk that builds up in the Lightning port can prevent the battery from charging efficiently.

The best tool for cleaning out the port is an anti-static brush. If you don’t have one, a fresh toothbrush should do the job just fine. Slowly scoop out any debris that’s in there, and your phone might start to charge faster.

The Final Word

As you can see, a quick fix can go a long way to speeding up charging. Give the above methods a try and chances are you’ll notice significant improvements. If you don’t, there might be something wrong with the iPhone’s internal components, in which case you should contact Apple support.