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iPhone XS, XS Max charging problems: Strange issues surface on Apple's new phones

A software or hardware bug seems to be preventing new iPhone XS and XS Max devices from charging.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

Some owners of the new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are reporting on Apple's community site that the devices aren't charging when plugged into a power supply via a Lightning cable.

Certain users are reporting that the iPhone XS will sometimes start to charge after reinserting an Apple-made cable. Others have noticed that if the device is not charging, picking it up or tapping the screen to wake up the device will cause it to charge.

"If I haven't interacted with the phone for some time, it becomes unresponsive to a charger being plugged in. But if I unplug then lift it and start using it, it will recognize the charger," wrote one iPhone XS owner.

And others could only get the new iPhone to charge if the device is awake when they plugged in the cable.

"You have to unplug it and replug it in with the screen awake for it to start charging. Very, very bad bug. If I do this before bed and forget to check the phone's charging status, I'll be upset to wake up to a dead phone," wrote an iPhone XS Max owner.

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Apple is yet to offer an official response to the reported charging problems, which seem to affect only the latest iPhone models running iOS 12. There are no reports from owners of the iPhone X running iOS 12 experiencing similar issues.

Unbox Therapy has posted a video 'The iPhone XS has serious problem' with the hashtag ChargeGate demonstrating the issue on several iPhone XS devices. The most common problem is that devices won't charge until woken, but one device would not charge at all.

While some have speculated the issue could be related to the USB restricted mode being activated, Unbox Therapy's Lewis Hilsenteger reckons it happens with it activated or not.

The charging problem is likely to be software related, which may be addressed by Apple in a future software update.

ZDNet has asked Apple to comment on the reports and will update the story if it receives a response.

Some iPhone XS owners have also complained their device has poor Wi-Fi and cellular reception.

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