iPad Says It’s Charging, But It’s Lying (Like Your Ex)

You plug it in, see that sweet little lightning bolt, and breathe a sigh of relief.
“Finally,” you think. “We’re back in business.”

Cut to twenty minutes later—battery’s at 7%, and your iPad’s basically whispering,
“Help… I can’t feel my legs.”

Here’s what’s really going on when your iPad swears it’s charging but isn’t.
Spoiler: it’s not Apple’s way of teaching you patience.

1. The Fake Charge Symbol (Gaslight Mode: ON)

That lightning bolt? Yeah, it doesn’t mean much.
It’s your iPad’s way of saying, “Look, I’m trying!”—while secretly doing absolutely nothing.
Sometimes it’s a bad cable. Sometimes the charging port’s full of lint, crumbs, or regrets.

👉 Before you panic, check out our quick guide on
what to do if your charging port’s full of pocket lint.

Then:

• Try another cable and charger (preferably not the one you got for $4.99 from a gas station).
• Clean out the port with a wooden toothpick or soft brush.
• Don’t blow into it. You’re not reviving a Nintendo cartridge.

2. Check the Power Source (It’s Not You, It’s the Outlet)

You know what’s worse than a dead battery?
Spending 15 minutes diagnosing your iPad before realizing you plugged it into a dead wall socket.

Quick test: plug something else in—like a lamp or your will to live.

If you’re still stuck, our charging-port repair techs in Barrie can test your adapter and rule out deeper board issues in minutes.

3. The Cable’s Having a Breakdown

If your cable’s been living in your backpack for five years, twisted like a pretzel—it’s done.
Even Apple cables have a lifespan shorter than your last diet.

Try a fresh, MFi-certified Lightning or USB-C cable. (Yes, “MFi” matters—cheap ones don’t talk nice to iPads.)

4. Port Problems (A.K.A. The Tiny Metal Monster)

When you’ve ruled out the charger, the cable, and your own life choices, it’s probably the port.
Ports collect lint like pockets collect crumbs.
Eventually, that buildup stops the pins from connecting—and poof—no charge.

If you wiggle the cable and it charges for a second, that’s your sign.
Stop wiggling. It’s not a dance.

Learn how we handle this kind of damage on our
iPad charging-port repair page—because sometimes cleaning won’t cut it.

5. The Nuclear Option: Reset or Restore

If everything looks fine but your iPad’s still refusing to power up, it might just need a system reset.

• Try a force restart.
• If that fails, plug into iTunes or Finder and restore.
  Yes, that means a full backup first. Because the universe loves irony.

6. When It’s Time to Call a Pro

If none of this works and your iPad’s still giving you the silent treatment, it’s not you—it’s hardware.
Charging IC chips, flex connectors, and logic-board issues are real things, and they’re not DIY.

At Barrie Screen Repair, we fix this all the time.
You drop it off, we diagnose it, fix it, and hand it back ready for another five years of Netflix binges and questionable Amazon purchases.

👉 Book a repair or message us here before your iPad gives up completely.