IPhone 7 won’t charge consistently from MacBookAir 2015

batterychargingiphonemacbook prousb

I've had my MacBook 11' 2015 Air since July 2016 and my iPhone 7 since April 2017, and my phone never had any issues charging on my Mac. I'm not sure when it started, but at some point both USB ports in my MacBook won't charge my iPhone 7, it just keeps going from charging to not charging very rapidly which only makes it even more annoying and frustrating.

I've tried multiple different cords, reset my iPhone, shut down and reset the NVRAM on my Mac, force quit USBD, deleted (and later reinstalled) the Thunderbridge network.

I'm far from a computer person, so I am very frustrated and currently want to smash both devices :-). I've googled it plenty, but hopefully I can get some new results that actually work.

If you have any solutions, please help me out here and explain it clearly to someone who knows how to operate a computer, but has little knowledge of coding or most of the inner workings of a computer.

Best Answer

I'm not sure when it started, but at some point both USB ports in my MacBook won't charge my iPhone 7, it just keeps going from charging to not charging really rapidly

Given that you've tried different cables, you've ruled out the possibility of the cable failing. However, there are a few more things to try to isolate the problem

  • Reset the SMC (this manages the power in your MacBook)
  • Try a different computer with the same cable and iPhone. If the problem goes away, you've narrowed it to your MacBook. If not, the problem is with your device.
  • Try a different device with your MacBook. Same concept as the previous point; if the symptoms remain, it's probably your MacBook.

Now, given that it's happening on both ports, it's entirely possible that there is an issue with the power rail that supplies the 5V to the USB port, the USB controller itself (unlikely unless your keyboard, Bluetooth, camera also stopped working) or any of the related components. If this is the case, you will need to take it in for repair.

This YouTube video from Louis Rossman on repairing the USB port is a good resource for what the problem might actually be (I've started the video at the point where he discusses the 5V power).

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