Is the liquid detected alert on your iPhone pressing your panic button? Without question, this is one helpful feature to protect your device – but it can certainly be annoying when it keeps popping up when your phone isn’t even wet.
The liquid detected in the Lightning connector alert can be fixed by shutting down your iPhone, removing its Lightning accessories, and letting them dry for hours. If the alert is a false positive, you can troubleshoot your iPhone to solve this issue.
That sounds like a tall order, right? But don’t worry, in this post, we’re cutting all these into bite-sized information so you can quickly deal with liquid detected in the Lightning connector in about 30 minutes — whether your phone is actually wet or not.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○○ |
| Duration | 37 minutes |
| Number of Fixes | 8 |
| Things You Need | An iPhoneMac or Windows PCLightning to USB-C cableA wireless chargerA working internet connectionA cleaning clothA replacement screen protector |
What does “liquid detected in Lightning Connector” mean on an iPhone?
“Liquid has been detected in the Lightning Connector” alert means that the iPhone has detected moisture on its charging port. This alert will also trigger if there’s moisture on any connected Lightning cable or accessory.
This usually happens when you expose your iPhone or Lightning accessories near a water source—knowingly or by accident. Consequently, your phone will notify you immediately so you can prevent any further damage.
Sometimes, you can also get this alert even when there isn’t a liquid in the charging port or your Lightning accessories. This is due to software issues we will address later in this guide.
What to Do If A Liquid Has Been Detected in the Lightning Connector
Remove any Lightning accessories and dry your iPhone’s charging port as soon as you receive the “Liquid has been detected in the Lightning Connector” alert.
You can use different techniques to dry the charging port on your iPhone and your Lightning accessories, but we’ll get into them in detail in the following sections.
First things first. Let’s look at things to avoid when liquid is detected in the Lightning connector alert pops up, so we don’t make matters worse.
What Not to Do When A Liquid Has Been Detected In the Lightning Connector
It’s essential not to do anything that would cause more damage when there’s a liquid on your iPhone’s charging port or Lightning accessories. Below are the things you should avoid when you receive the “liquid detected in Lightning connector” alert.
- Don’t use the rice pack trick because you’ll just risk getting more particles inside your iPhone—while this might work on a Lightning cable, the possible damage to your iPhone far outweighs the supposed benefit of this trick.
- Don’t click on the Emergency Override button unless you’re 100% sure there’s no liquid in the charging port to avoid further damaging your iPhone.
- Don’t use external heat sources such as heaters or hair dryers to dry your iPhone because directly applying heat is dangerous and can cause irreversible damage to the battery and motherboard.
- Don’t attempt to blow away the moisture using your mouth or an air compressor to avoid pushing the moisture further or getting your saliva inside the phone.
- Don’t try to shove a cotton swab or tissue paper inside the charging port to absorb the liquid because you might damage the components or push harmful particles inside the device instead.
- Don’t try to recharge your phone using a different Lightning charger.
How to Fix Liquid Detected in the Lightning Connector When iPhone is Wet
If your iPhone has moisture inside, you should dry its charging port or the Lightning connector immediately. In that case, follow the steps below to get your device going.
1. Remove all Lightning accessories.
When you receive the alert, immediately unplug any Lightning accessories connected to your iPhone. This includes accessories such as earphones, speakers, and USB cables.
Connecting a Lightning cable to charge your iPhone during this time will only lead to further internal damage. Hence, we recommend against it.
2. Turn off your iPhone.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Duration | 10 seconds |
Shutting down your iPhone should be your next course of action after you remove all of its Lightning accessories. Leaving your iPhone turned on may cause the electricity inside to react negatively with the moisture and result in irreversible damage.
Follow these steps to turn off your iPhone:
- Press/release the volume up button.
- Press/release the volume down button.
- Press/hold the side button.
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- Swipe right on the power slider.
- Wait for your iPhone to shut down.
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Note: If you have an older iPhone model, you only have to press/hold the power button on the top or the side of the device. Swipe the power slider to the right from there to shut the device down.
3. Shake off visible moisture.
Are you wondering whether shaking your iPhone is good or bad when it has liquid detected in the Lightning connector? Well, Apple Support recommends tapping your iPhone gently towards your hand to shake off visible moisture in its charging port.
Please note that you should do this while the charging port faces the ground. This ensures maximum airflow and that liquid drips out naturally.
Move your iPhone gently, or else you could make matters worse. Rushing things might have the opposite effect.
4. Wipe the Lightning cable.
If moisture is visible on the exterior of the Lightning cable, you can clean and dry it off using a cloth or tissue. Once fully dry, you can plug it back into your iPhone to see if you still get the “Liquid has been detected in the Lightning Connector” alert.
Note: Only plug your Lightning cable into your iPhone if you’re positive that the liquid detected was only on the cable and not inside the charging port.
5. Air-dry the charging port.
Air-drying your iPhone is the safest and most reliable way to remove the liquid detected in the Lightning connector. This action allows the charging port to dry out completely without the risk of causing any internal damage.
While air-drying, store the phone in a dry place with sufficient airflow for a minimum of 30 minutes. You can leave your iPhone to dry for several hours to be extra sure.
6. Use desiccant packs.
Desiccant packs containing bentonite gel or silica are usually included in parcels or shoeboxes to help keep the products inside dry. If you have packets of silica or bentonite gel lying around, place them around your iPhone to absorb the moisture.
Again, never use the rice pack trick in lieu of desiccants as particles could make matters worse. Though you should never use heaters or hair dryers, you can make the most of fans to hasten the process.
7. Connect a Lightning cable.
Finally, after giving the iPhone’s charging port and Lightning accessories ample time to dry out the liquid, you can now plug your Lightning cable back into your phone to check if there’s still liquid detected in the Lightning connector.
If there is, continue to air-dry the charging port or your Lightning cable until you no longer get the alert. Otherwise, consult Apple support to see if you can set a repair appointment if your iPhone has suffered internal water damage.
How to Fix Liquid Detected in Lightning Connector When iPhone Isn’t Wet
Believe it or not, your iPhone may send you an alert regarding a liquid detected in the Lightning connector even if it wasn’t exposed to any moisture at all. If you think it’s a false positive message, use the solutions below to resolve it.
1. Restart your iPhone.
Whenever you’re experiencing minor issues on your iPhone, it’s best to soft reset the device first to see if it will fix the problem. You can do so by shutting down, turning the phone back on, or restarting it.
While your iPhone is powering off, its apps and processes will also shut down, which will refresh the system’s memory. Once it reboots, your phone should stop detecting liquid in the Lightning connector even when wet.
Follow the steps below to turn off and on your iPhone:
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 8 |
| Duration | 30 seconds |
- Press/release the volume up button.
- Press/release the volume down button.
- Press/hold the side button.
| | |
- Swipe right on the power slider.
- Wait for your iPhone to shut down.
- Press/hold the side button.
| |  |
- Keep holding the side button until Apple’s logo appears.
- Wait for your iPhone to boot up.
 |  |
Aside from the two-way process of turning the iPhone off and on, you can also restart it for a simpler soft reset.
Follow these steps to restart your iPhone:
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 5 |
| Duration | 30 seconds |
- Press/release the volume up button.
- Press/release the volume down button.
- Press/hold the side button.
| | |
- Wait for the screen to shut down (ignore the power slider).
- Hold the side button until Apple’s logo appears.
 | | |
2. Use the Emergency Override.
Is your iPhone repeatedly sending you alerts regarding a liquid detected in the Lightning connector? If yes, you can disregard the warning if you believe it’s a false positive by tapping the Emergency Override button included in the alert.
This solution will not directly address the cause of the false report but it should allow you to continue using your phone.
3. Use a wireless charger.
Another way to bypass the liquid detect alert is by using a wireless charger to charge your iPhone instead. Make sure that the back of your phone is completely dry before mounting it on your wireless charger.
Please note that only iPhone 8 and later models support wireless charging. If you’re using an older iPhone model, you can ignore this solution and move on to the next one.
4. Reset the iPhone’s settings.
| Difficulty | Very Easy ●○○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 7 |
| Duration | 30 seconds |
Faulty settings configuration can cause your iPhone to experience problems such as detecting liquid in the Lightning connector even when it hasn’t been exposed to moisture.
In this case, you’ll be able to fix this issue after resetting all of the settings on your iPhone. This will wipe the network, location, and privacy settings; the keyboard dictionary; and remove all linked Apple Pay cards.
Follow these steps to reset iPhone settings:
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down/click General.
- Scroll down/click Transfer or Reset iPhone.
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- Click Reset.
- Click Reset All Settings on the pop-up menu.
- Enter your passcode.
 |  |  |
- Click Reset All Settings.
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5. Update to the latest iOS version.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 10 |
| Duration | 10 minutes |
To prevent your iPhone from sending you false positive alerts, we recommend updating it to the latest iOS version. Updating should patch any software-related error or bugs that are causing your iPhone to detect liquid in the Lightning connecter.
Follow these steps to update your iPhone 12/13:
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down/click General.
- Click Software Update.
 |  |  |
- Click Download and Install.
- Enter your passcode.
- Click Agree to accept the T&C.
 |  |  |
- Click Agree again to continue.
- Click Use Cellular Data to begin.
- Wait as the device prepares the update.
- Click Install Now.
 |  |  |
6. Perform a system repair.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 11 |
| Duration | 15 minutes |
Using Tenorshare ReiBoot is an easy way to repair your iPhone’s faulty iOS system software without losing any of its data. You’ll need a Mac or Windows PC to download and install the ReiBoot system repair tool.
This easy-to-use application can fix over 150 system-related issues on iOS devices including false positive alerts for detecting liquid on the Lightning connector.
Follow these steps to use ReiBoot to repair your iPhone’s system:
- Open an internet browser on your PC.
- Go to the Tenorshare ReiBoot official website.
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- Download/install Tenorshare ReiBoot on your PC.
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- Launch Tenorshare ReiBoot.
- Connect your iPhone to your PC using a USB-C cable.
- Click on Start to initiate the repair.
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- Select Standard Repair.
- Click the Standard Repair button.
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- Click Download to download the latest firmware.
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- Click on Start Standard Repair to begin repairing the system.
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- Click Done once the repair is over.
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7. Erase your iPhone.
| Difficulty | Easy ●●○○○ |
| Number of Steps | 11 |
| Duration | 10 minutes |
Erasing your iPhone’s data and settings will factory reset it back to its default state from the time it just left the manufacturing facility. As such, it’s advisable to back up your data on iCloud or a Mac computer so you can restore them afterward.
This action should turn your iPhone into a new phone and get rid of the issue causing it to detect liquid on the Lightning connect.
Follow these steps to erase your iPhone:
- Open Settings.
- Go to your Apple account.
- Click iCloud.
 |  |  |
- Click iCloud Backup.
- Toggle the Back Up This iPhone switch on.
- Click Back Up Now.
 |  |  |
- Go back to your Apple account and scroll down/click Sign Out.
- Go back to settings and scroll down/click General.
- Scroll down/click Transfer or Reset iPhone.
 |  |  |
- Click Erase All Content and Settings.
- Click Continue to erase your iPhone.
 |  |
8. Visit your local Apple Store.
If the solutions above didn’t fix your problem, a visit to your local Apple Store is a never-fail solution. Apple’s expert technicians should be able to help nurse your iPhone back to health.
They’re also your best bet for fixing your iPhone if it suffered any internal water damage. You can contact Apple support to schedule an appointment for your consultation.
When to Override the Liquid Detection Alert
Override the liquid detection alert only during an emergency or if you need to use your phone for an important task. You can also disregard the alert when you’re 100% certain that your iPhone was not exposed to any liquid or moisture.
It can also be disregarded when you’re using wireless charging to charge your phone. Otherwise, it’s better to dry out your phone before using it to prevent it from suffering from water damage.
What if Emergency Override is not working?
Have you been trying to Emergency Override your iPhone? If yes, you probably find it annoying that the liquid detected alert keeps popping up, which means the override doesn’t work.
There are plenty of users reporting that they keep getting the liquid detected alert on their iPhones even when it wasn’t exposed to any moisture. In particular, this alert would pop up when playing games or when charging using aftermarket chargers.
Sadly, this bug is prevalent on iPhones running on iOS 14 and 15. While not much is known about the reboot cause of this bug, there are proven and tested things you can do when the Emergency Override is not working.
Below are steps you should take when the Emergency Override fails you:
- Soft reset your iPhone and try charging it again.
- Use a legitimate Apple charger to charge your iPhone.
- Charge your iPhone before its battery level dips below 40%.
- Use a Magsafe or Qi-certified wireless charger to charge your iPhone.
- Reset all settings on your iPhone.
- Update your iPhone to the iOS 16 version.
Having the latest iteration of iOS will give you the best protection you need for your iPhone. Each iteration is better than the last and should provide you with the latest tools to take care of your smart device.
Final Thoughts
Knowledge is the best weapon you can have to keep your iPhone in tip-top shape. It’s exactly the reason why there’s no need to panic when you receive the liquid detected in the Lightning connector alert as you have this comprehensive guide.
FAQs About Liquid Detected in the Lightning Connector
Emergency Override is safe if you’re 100% sure your iPhone was exposed to any liquid. If your phone has actual liquid inside the charging port, using Emergency Override can cause serious damage to your phone.
iPhones are susceptible to water damage. Their water-resistance allows them to survive after being submerged at a certain depth, but any liquid that gets inside will still do substantial damage.
That simply means there’s no such thing as a waterproof iPhone. Never use your device while underwater.
It will take 24 hours to fully dry your iPhone charging port. You can try plugging your phone in after at least 30 minutes of air-drying but it usually takes a whole day for it to completely dry.
Put the charging port face down to dry, forcing excess water to drip out and air to flow naturally.
To prevent water or moisture from destroying your iPhone, keep the device away from areas with lots of water or moisture. Never bring it with you in the shower or into the swimming pool; also that means never spill a drink on the device.
Repair costs vary depending on the iPhone model. Check the rundown below for details:
| Model | Out-Of-Warranty | AppleCare+ |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max | $699 | $99 |
| iPhone 14 Pro | $649 | $99 |
| iPhone 14 Plus | $599 | $99 |
| iPhone 14 | $549 | $99 |
| iPhone 13 Pro Max | $599 | $99 |
| iPhone 13 Pro | $549 | $99 |
| iPhone 13 | $449 | $99 |
| iPhone 12 Pro Max | $599 | $99 |
| iPhone 12 Pro | $549 | $99 |
| iPhone 12 | $449 | $99 |
| iPhone 12 mini | $399 | $99 |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max | $599 | $99 |
| iPhone 11 Pro | $549 | $99 |
| iPhone 11 | $399 | $99 |
| iPhone XS Max | $599 | $99 |
| iPhone XS | $549 | $99 |
| iPhone XR | $399 | $99 |
| iPhone SE 2 | $269 | $99 |
| iPhone X | $549 | $99 |
