Why is my iPhone charger overheating?
Why does a charger is getting hot? Is it dangerous? I answer all the questions you could have about an iPhone charger getting too hot.
An overheating iPhone charger is mainly because the charger itself is getting old, but it could also be because of a damaged charging cable, or even an aging iPhone battery.
Based on my personal experiences, but also the people I’ve met, I’ve made explanations about why a charger is getting hot, and what you should do with an overheating iPhone charger.
Why do iPhone chargers get hot?
An iPhone charger, such as any other electronics charger, produces heat while charging. The charge has to transform an AC current into a DC current, with the correct volt and amps for your iPhone to charge.
This transforming process, done by an AC/DC converter, is the main component of the charger, and therefore the main reason why your iPhone charger is producing heat.
There are also other components to protect your iPhone from overvoltage and so on, which can also produce heat.
So, it’s completely normal to see your iPhone charger getting hot, all chargers do. The question you need to ask is, is your iPhone charger producing too much heat? How hot is it?
How hot is your iPhone charger?
An iPhone charger getting hot is normal until it’s getting too hot. The question is how much hot is hot?
If you are fully charging your iPhone from 0% battery to 100%, without using the phone, you should be able to hold the charger in your hands without any trouble. If it’s too hot, then there is probably an issue with the charger.
In some cases, you could find your charger overheating while there is no issue. It can be the case if you are playing a video game on your iPhone while charging, or if you are in a room where the temperature is very high for example.
So before getting worried about an overheating charger, try to use it without using your iPhone and in a place where the temperature is not too high. If you still find that your charger is overheating, then there is an issue with it.
What to do with an overheating iPhone charger?
Ok, you have an overheating iPhone charger issue, here is what you should try first.
Check your charger Warranty
If you have any issue with your Apple official charger, and you bought it recently, no more than 1 year ago, then your charger should still be under the Apple warranty.
Bring both the charger and your cable to an Apple Store to get their advice about it. If they find any issue, then they should replace the overheating charger with a new one.
Other brands also have warranties that apply when the charger is overheating, check out the brand website.
Update your iPhone
In some rare cases, an overheating charger issue can be due to a bad iOS version. In this case, there should be a new update available.
Apple also improves the software part that takes care of charging your iPhone. Update your iPhone can’t hurt, and can fix your issues.
Try another charging cable
An overheating charger does not always mean that the issue is coming from the charger itself. Earlier this year, I found that my iPhone charger was getting more hot than usual. After trying another cable, my issue was gone.
If the cable is getting old, or damaged, some copper wire can be damaged and therefore the cable becomes less effective.
Try another lightning cable if you have one, and see if your charger is still getting too hot.
Replace iPhone battery
Your iPhone battery could also be the cause of such overheating charger issue. Indeed, iPhone batteries are Lithium batteries and this kind of battery ages over use.
A battery aging is more likely to cause an extra draw on the charger. I would say that this kind of issue can happen with batteries that have more than 600 cycles, you can check your iPhone battery cycle count using this Siri Shortcut I’ve made here.
Try to use the same charger and cable on a different iPhone if you can. Also, check if your charging port is not damaged, if it is, here is how much does it cost to replace it.
Use a better iPhone charger
Many people are using bad chargers, not reliable ones that are more likely to have issues such as overheating.
If you think the charger itself is the main reason why it is overheating, and that you do not even know the brand or the brand does not have a good reputation, you should buy a better charger for your iPhone.
Check your home electrical network
The last thing that comes to my mind regarding an overheating charger issue, is the electrical network.
iPhone chargers are made to receive a specific AC current, that’s why you should not use a European version if you live in the USA. If your home electrical network is not good at all, then you could see your iPhone charger overheating.
If you do have many electrical issues at home, call a professional and ask him to check the network.
Is an iPhone overheating charger dangerous?
If your charger is an official Apple iPhone charger, then apart from the charger dying, you should not have any other issues.
Indeed, Apple added many security components to their charger, protecting not only your iPhone or other Apple device but also yourself.
If you are using a charger non-certified by Apple, then you could have two major issues:
- You could damage your iPhone battery. The worst could be overvoltage on your iPhone, making it unusable. But your iPhone battery health could also be dropping faster without you noticing it.
- A fire could start. An overheating charger means that there is an electricity issue somewhere, heat is the first symptom, but the hotter it becomes, the more likely it is to cause a fire. Be careful about this.
Conclusion
An iPhone overheating charger might be normal, but could also be due to a serious issue. In any case, it’s better to avoid any risk and change both the charger and the charging cable.
I personally use this charger from BelKin, which is certified by Apple, and I love it. It’s never getting too hot, even in summer when the room temperature is quite high.
Author
Maxime Levesque is a technical engineer with more than 5 years of professional experience. He is an expert in computer and phones, mostly on Apple products. Maxime is also the founder of TechBrowser.
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