ChargeGate: iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Experiencing Charging Issues

While reviews of the new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models generally paint the phones as stellar handsets, nothing is perfect, especially new hardware. Reports are rolling in that a significant chunk of users are experiencing charging issues when charging through the Lightning port (as opposed to charging via a wireless pad), in what some are already calling “ChargeGate.”

iPhone users are experiencing the issues to varying degrees, with some users having to unplug and plug in their lighting cable several times before the phone detects. Among all of the complaints, one increasingly common issue is phones not charging while in sleep mode. In these instances, the phones will charge fine when initially plugged in, but then stop charging once they go to sleep, only to pick up a charge again when they’re woken up.

Many have speculated that this could be a software issue related to USB Restricted mode, a security feature introduced earlier this year that prevents the iPhone from recognizing any connected device if the handset hasn’t been unlocked after a period of time. However, some users report turning the feature off only to have the issue continue.

Lou, host of the YouTube channel Unbox Therapy, tested several new iPhones after a fan reached out. Of the eight phones he tested, all experienced the problem to some degree, with one iPhone XS Max not charging whatsoever, no matter what the conditions.

Apple has yet to respond to ChargeGate, but with videos like Unbox Therapy’s trending on YouTube (it’s number twelve at the time of this writing), expect to hear something soon. Hopefully it’s a software issue that can be patched away.