guys thanks for the replies.

I found the issue, my billing address for my Apple ID was in the UK. So I changed it and the blocks were removed. But honestly these are my last iPhones. I am going for non-big tech phone after this

Elderly relative was age restricted, hands too shaky for the face scan and didn’t have a passport. Eventually the phone stopped asking, still haven’t worked out exactly what has been “restricted”.

then you’re going to have to rephrase what you mean by this:

Since then Home Screen and Lock is "updating" my wallpaper and using battery.

Is there a way to stop it from "updating" my wallpaper?

My thinking is they used not authorized battery or your phone don’t recognize it as authorized or is always trying to authenticate it and it’s draining your battery

I don't have a wallpaper set. Never have.

I don't have widgets installed. Never have.

The lock screen is black, shows only the clock, the flashlight, and the camera button, as it always has.

have you tried just changing the wallpaper back to black and removing widgets?

apple introduced new customization features that people like, which you don’t have to use. it isn’t malicious.

Yep, I'm guessing they did some sort of update rather than just physically replace the battery. I should have done it myself. Best Buy is an authorized Apple service center. The nearest Apple store is quite a drive away. I haven't been motivated strongly enough yet. I expect there's nothing they can (will) do about it, too.

Oh, well.

Not a specialist but it sounds like a shitty feature from apple. I’ve you tried going to an Apple Store ?

I'm wondering if one of your chargers is defective, delivering too high a voltage, and slightly damaging the charge controllers on your devices. The fact that the devices failed one after the other suggests sone sort of "contagion" as they have, presumably, been in different environments, so are unlikely to have picked up the same amount of dirt. You also mention that they seem to work better with cheap chargers and cables, both of which, regardless of labeling, are less likely to support PD, and are more likely to just pass the standard 5v, which hints at a problem with your devices' ability to perform PD negotiation.

You might want to see if the repair shop can run board level diagnostics on one of your devices to check if the charging controller is ok. Do check the basics like the port beung really clean first though as that will cost you nothing. I find using the thinnest embroidary pin I can find gives a chance to really scrape around in the socket to dislodge any compacted lint.

Not to repeat what you've been already told, but this really does sound like a dirty charging port. How confident are you in your cleaning? In my own experiences, the dust can become really compacted into the port. For example, I've found even long hairs have somehow managed to spool around the centre contacts on my own phone in the past. I hesitate to recommend it unless you're completely out of ideas since it can damage the device, but I've found that powering down the device completely, and using a metal sewing needle to scrape along the base of the port (avoiding the centre contacts) can work where flimsy plastic tools fail. That said, again, it can damage the device, so this should probably be a last resort.

Do you live in a highly humid environment? It's rare, but here's an article mentioning it. https://thetechylife.com/how-do-i-stop-moisture-detected-in-charging-port/

Another follow-up.

Initially I managed to get my spouse's iPhone 17 Pro Max to charge using the new 65w charging block and cable (which is capable of handling up to 100w) and my Pixel 9 Pro XL to work when I plugged it in with the cord in one specific direction. However, I checked both devices again an hour later and my P9PXL wouldn't work with the new 65w charger at all again and the iPhone 17 Pro Max would only work with the cord plugged in one specific direction but not the reverse. This was all done at work.

We're home now and I tried plugging my P9PXL into various chargers/cables around the house. It works sporadically. Sometimes it'll work, sometimes it won't, sometimes the cable will work in one direction but not the other. This truly makes no sense whatsoever.

I managed to get the iPad A16 fully charged using a cheap 3-in-1 cable, so I cleaned its charging port afterwards. It then worked with the new 65w charger. That was at work. I haven't checked it again but I suspect now that we're home it will become sporadic like the phones.

Does the P9PXL have that issue with different USB-C cables or just that one cable? If it’s multiple, there’s something going on with the port on the phone; could be lingering corrosion or some debris on (likely) the upper set of pins. Those are always harder to see.

Also, if it looks like the cable (this is for any device) doesn’t sit flush like it’s supposed to or is further out than usual, there’s some impacted debris in the port. If it feels like the end of the cable when plugged into the phone or tablet can “rock” back and forth, that’s another good indicator of that.

There’s always the slim chance that there’s damage on either the port or the cable, but I don’t think it’s as likely if (for the P9PXL) it can charge one way (and for the iPhone and iPad) the cable allows the device to start charging whichever way it’s been plugged in.

(Very quick edit: I’m glad to hear things seem to be working. You’re welcome!)

We're self-employed and all the devices do the same exact thing at both home and business locations, using a different set of charging blocks and cords. I considered the home's electrical being the culprit too because we live in a 100+ yr old home. But, alas, it's doing the same thing at work, which is a fairly modern commercial building.

I cleaned the charging ports of both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pixel 9 Pro XL using 91% isopropyl alcohol and a variety of small 'sticks' and brushes. Initially both phones worked with a cheap 3-in-1 charging cable and block but not the brand new 65w charger that I just got yesterday. I repeated the cleaning process and now they are both working. However, my P9PXL will only work with the charging cable inserted one way. If I unplug and flip it then it quits working. I cleaned my phone's port one more time and the end of the new charging cable just in case some gunk worked its way up in there. However, the charger continues to only work when I insert it into my phone in one direction but not the other. Any ideas about why that would be?

Btw, after tinkering with plugging the iPad A16 in multiple times I finally got it to start charging so I am not going to mess with cleaning its port until after it reaches 100% charge just in case I cannot get it to accept power again.

Thx!

Is it the same at other locations? Is it the same at all outlets?

It actually sounds to me like the power at your house is the problem. Cheap-ass chargers aren’t as picky about the quality of the power they are getting so sometimes they work when the nicer ones don’t. Which is actually not good, as they might allow the devices to charge in a way that could damage them.

You’re welcome. If you try to clean it yourself do allow the ports ample time to dry before testing them out. Isopropyl alcohol will evaporate very quickly, but it is recommended to help it along with something like an ESD safe electric duster. If you don’t have that on hand, I would give it at least 10-30 minutes to air dry.

Thanks. I will try that after work today.🤞

Hi, I have done repairs on both Android and iOS devices. From the sound of what you described, chances are the USB-C cable that was originally used had a tiny bit of corrosion in it.

That can cause a lot of the issues you mentioned in your post. If you have a way to physically look at the ports on your devices, check to see if there is any discoloration or obvious corrosion visible. Will usually be either white or green depending on what was affected.

Be sure to check the ports on the cables and charging blocks too.

If you find corrosion or discoloration you can clean the ports with an ESD safe brush and (at least 90%) Isopropyl alcohol. Do be careful though as too much can cause issues with the seals that keep dust and moisture out of the phones.

If you don’t feel comfortable trying, most good local shops will offer to do this. Stay away from any kiosk in shopping malls. Those are usually fast, but corners are cut.

(Added a quick edit on what level of Isopropyl alcohol you should be using)

Good luck!

Clean the ports

Ultimately, a foldable iPhone will undoubtedly get lots of buzz if Apple does launch it next year. But the real indicator of its success will be whether consumers buy it.

I’ve been happy with Tusker for a few years now.

Ice Cubes is what I used to use before I switched to Android. It's super customisable and looks nice too

uh nice, didnt't know that one existed, thx m8!

Maybe crossposting to the Shortcuts community might help. Good luck.

!shortcuts@lemmy.world