Why isn't my iPhone 4S charging (apparently) only in some places? I charge the phone at home using the Apple wall adapter that came with the phone and an Amazon basics 30-pin-to-USB cable. I have been doing so for over a year (i.e. since I purchased the cable).

I was charging the phone at work with the Apple 30-pin-to-USB cable that came with the phone, connected directly to a port on my work computer. I have been doing so for at least a year as well.

About a week ago, my iPhone stopped charging at work. It continues to charge at home.

What I've tried so far (to no avail):


Turning off my phone.
Soft-resetting my phone.
Replacing the 30-pin-to-USB-cable with a third-party, yet certified, cable.
Replacing the 30-pin-to-USB-cable with another Amazon basics cable; the same cable (per Amazon) that works at home (tho not the actual same instance of that cable).
Connecting (all of the three) 30-pin-to-USB-cable(s) to a wall adapter.


I have not update iOS within at least month of this issue.

I'm upgrading iOS to 8.2 (from 8.1.x) now.

EDIT – it will charge at work if I turn it off.

EDIT1 – I tried plugging the wall adapter into (a) the surge protector into which the power cables for my computer and monitors are plugged-in; (b) an outlet in my cubicle; and (c) a wall outlet in my office. None worked.

EDIT2 – I tried all three cables, and the wall adapter, that I had at work, in the outlets I use at home. None of the cables worked. The wall adapter worked with the lone cable I have at home that works. In summary, even using a (working) wall adapter, I can't charge using any of three cables at work. I can charge my phone with those same three cables tho if I turn my phone off! At this point, I'm worried some aspect of my work environment caused, directly or indirectly, damage to the cables, so I'm loathe to bring my lone working cable from home to test it.

But the cables work if I turn my phone off!

EDIT3 – To add more confusing info, I replaced one of the three cables that wasn't working – the one that's the same (as far as I can tell) as the one cable that does work – and the replacement doesn't work at home (while my phone is turned on). Maybe the dock connector in the phone is damaged but somehow (???) the one cable is damaged in some particularly complementary manner that the phone can still charge (while turned on) when connected to it. The same cable for which one works and two don't (while my phone is turned on):


AmazonSmile: AmazonBasics Apple Certified 30-Pin to USB Cable for Apple iPhone 4, iPod, and iPad 3rd Generation - 3.2 Feet (1.0 Meter): MP3 Players &amp; Accessories
It is possible that there is a problem with the port on the computer, either with the device now being blocked (which is sometimes done via policy in enterprise environments) or the port malfunctioning/disabled altogether. Do other devices, such as flash drives, work if you plug them into the same USB port you were using with your iPhone?

If no devices are working in the port, try the following:

Windows/Mac Desktop/Macbook w/ removeable battery:
1) Shut down the computer
2) Unplug all items from the computer, including power
3) Press and hold down on the power button for ~7 seconds
4) Plug power back in
5) Plug other devices back in
6) Start up and see if the port has started to work again

Macbook without removable battery:

1) Turn off device, unplug all devices except Magsafe charger
2) Hold down left Shift, Control, Option, and Power button at the same time for ~5 sec (note you may see a change in the Magsafe LED color for a second)
3) Power machine on and see if device connects

Sometimes a glitch in the System Management Controller (yes, even on Windows machines) can cause a USB port to go dead. If it continues to not work, reach out to your IT dept./technician to see if perhaps there is a hardware failure.