iPhones have many built-in mechanisms to prevent you from damaging the device or even the battery. For example, your iPhone will stop charging If it’s too hot either If you detect water in the charging port.
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This is the message you see when you try to charge an iPhone when there is moisture in the charging port:
‘Liquid detected in Lightning connector’ message on iPhone.
Screenshot by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Notice how the message offers two options.
One is Dismiss, which, as the text suggests, dismisses the warning and disables the charging process until the next time the charging cable is connected.
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The other option is Emergency Override. Pressing this option overrides the warning and tells the iPhone to proceed with charging.
So which option should you choose?
The ideal thing if you get this message is to do what the iPhone suggests: unplug the connector and let the port dry somewhere with some airflow, which should speed up the process.
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Please be patient. It may take up to 24 hours for the device to dry completely.
That said, the iPhone’s moisture-sensing mechanism is sensitive and can be triggered by moisture or condensation in the port or on the charging cable. If there’s no visible water in the port, I’ve wiped the connector with a dry cloth (in times of real need), plugged it back in, and then used the emergency override feature to charge my iPhone.
I keep an eye on the phone, unplug and reconnect the charging cable after a few minutes, and usually the charging process has completely dried out the charging port. The device charges normally the next time I plug it in.
While this method has always worked for me, be aware of the risks. Another option is to use wireless charging until the port dries out.