iPad mini not charging with cable included.

[games_maxed]

The title explains the issue. I've tried cleaning the port out with dust remover and also a micro fiber cloth over a small object. I bought the iPad off of eBay about 2 weeks ago. It worked and charged without a problem until two days ago. It came with iOS 7 installed however I had to update it to 7.1.1. Even after that, it worked for a couple days. I called Apple (I don't have any warranty or AppleCare) and was told the best thing I could do is take it to the nearest authorized dealer which is over an hour away or I could buy an authentic cable.

Is there any way to tell if my cable is 3rd party? I know that the wall adapter is because it's black but the cable looks like every other lightning cable I've seen. And if it is 3rd party and won't work any more, then why did it work for a week then suddenly stop?

 

[i7Baby]

You might need to update your usb drivers through Control Panel, Device Manager (if it has this)

 

[games_maxed]

You might need to update your usb drivers through Control Panel, Device Manager (if it has this)

What, the iPad? Absolutely not. The only kind of updates for the iPad itself are the software updates and my software (iOS 7.1.1) is up to date. I believe I can conclude that my cable is fake. I had to find some really close up comparisons of a fake vs real cable.

Here's a good picture comparison of the lightning connectors. The real one is on the right: http/www.gizmochina.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/DataCable-10.jpg

And here's what mine looks like: http/i.imgur.com/LATzCAk.png

Thank you for replying though. I'm going to Walmart first thing tomorrow. Hopefully my local one sells these cables by themselves and hopefully they will let me test the cable while I'm there.

 

[mitoguitarman]

I have the same problem: iPad Mini Retina - will not charge correctly. If I turn the plug around enough times, then finally I can get a hot connection to charge. But then often it just sops charging willy nilly. It is so unreliable. What is the problem. The old 30-pin adapter I use on my iPhone 4S and iPad work just fine still. It is a problem with the Lightning Adapter. And Apple should address this problem.

 

[hang-the-9]

I have the same problem: iPad Mini Retina - will not charge correctly. If I turn the plug around enough times, then finally I can get a hot connection to charge. But then often it just sops charging willy nilly. It is so unreliable. What is the problem. The old 30-pin adapter I use on my iPhone 4S and iPad work just fine still. It is a problem with the Lightning Adapter. And Apple should address this problem.

Try a different cable, if that does not work, a different charger. If that does not work you need to replace the jack.

That is a very reliable connector, I've never seen it fail without issues that are caused by the owners twisting or yanking the cable. And I work at a place where we have more than 1,000 iPads in the field so I am not just talking about 3 of them that I looked at. Every broken device was broken due to misuse.