Why Does My iPhone Say This Accessory May Not Be Supported?

You plugged your iPhone in to charge it, but something doesn’t seem to be working properly. It stopped charging, and an odd pop-up appeared on the screen: “This attachment may not be supported,” according to your iPhone. In this article, I’ll explain why you’re getting this notification on your iPhone and how to resolve the issue.

Because anything went wrong when you tried to attach an item to your iPhone’s Lightning port, your iPhone states “This accessory may not be supported.” The difficulty could be caused by a number of factors, including:

• Your device isn’t MFi-compatible.
• The software on your iPhone is broken.
• Your accessory is filthy, damaged, or broken entirely.
• The Lightning port on your iPhone is unclean, damaged, or altogether broken.
• Your charger is filthy, damaged, or altogether defective.

How to fix it when my iPhone says accessory may not be supported?

The instructions below will help you figure out why your iPhone says “This attachment may not be supported” and how to fix it.

Try Connecting The Device Again

When your iPhone indicates “This attachment may not be supported,” the first thing you should do is reconnect it. By clicking the Dismiss button on your iPhone, you can remove your attachment from the Lightning connector. Check to see if the same pop-up shows when you plug it back in.

Your MFi- must be Certified Accessory

When you link your iPhone into a power source to charge it, the “This accessory may not be supported” pop-up appears most of the time. In most situations, the charging cable you’re using to charge your iPhone isn’t MFi-certified, which means it wasn’t designed in accordance with Apple’s design guidelines.

Because they are so inexpensively constructed, charging cables purchased at your local gas station or dollar store are nearly never MFi-certified. In some situations, these wires might overheat your iPhone, resulting in substantial harm.

If at all feasible, use the wire that came with your iPhone to charge it. So long as your iPhone is covered by an AppleCare plan, you can swap the charging cable that came with it for a new one at your local Apple Store.

Restart Your iPhone

Because of a minor software problem, your iPhone may state “This item may not be supported.” When you connect an accessory to your iPhone’s Lightning connector, the software on your iPhone decides whether or not to connect to the accessory.

Restarting your iPhone can occasionally resolve minor software issues. Press and hold the power button on an iPhone 8 or earlier, then swipe the power symbol left to right across the display. For the iPhone X, XS, and XR, the procedure is similar, except you must press and hold the Side button and either volume button until the slide to power off shows.

Wait 15-30 seconds, then press and hold the power button (iPhone 8 and earlier) or the Side button to turn your iPhone back on (iPhone X and newer). Reconnect your accessory after your iPhone has turned back on.

If it works, the issue was caused by a software flaw! Continue to the following step if you’re still seeing the pop-up on your iPhone.

Examine Your Accessory

It’s time to investigate the accessory now that you’ve ruled out the possibility of a non-MFi charging cord and a minor software issue. When you notice the “This accessory may not be supported.” pop-up, the accessory you’re trying to use is almost always a charging cord.

Any device or accessory that connects to your iPhone’s Lightning port, however, may trigger the alarm. Examine the Lightning connector end of the accessory you’re trying to use (the part of the accessory that plugs into your iPhone’s Lightning port).

Is there any fraying or discoloration? If this is the case, your attachment could be having issues connecting to your iPhone. This was the case for me lately when minor damage to my charging cable caused the “This item may not be supported.” pop-up to appear on my iPhone, despite the fact that I purchased the cable from Apple.

Water can damage the Lightning connector on your item, so if you’ve recently spilled a drink on it, that could be the reason it’s not working.

If your charging cord is the source of the issue, inspect the USB end as well. Is the USB end clogged with dirt, lint, or other debris? If this is the case, use an anti-static brush or an old toothbrush to clean it out.

Examine Your Lightning Port

If your iPhone is in fine working order, check the Lightning port. Any dirt, grime, or debris on your iPhone could prevent it from making a secure connection with your attachment. This is frequently the cause of the “This accessory may not be supported” message remaining on the screen or refusing to go away.

Take a flashlight and examine the Lightning port on your iPhone closely. Try cleaning out the Lightning port if you find anything that doesn’t belong there.

Examine the charger for your iPhone

If you try to charge your iPhone and it states “This accessory may not be supported,” the problem could be with your iPhone’s charger, not the Lightning cord. Examine the USB port on your iPhone’s charger closely. Clean out any muck, lint, or other debris with an anti-static brush or a brand new toothbrush, just like in the previous step.

Make careful you charge your iPhone with a variety of different chargers. If your iPhone only has problems charging with one charger, it’s likely that your charger is the source of the problem.

If you continue getting the “This accessory may not be supported” message no matter what charger you use, it’s not your charger.

Your iPhone’s iOS must be updated

Some accessories (especially those developed by Apple) demand that you have a specific version of iOS loaded on your iPhone in order to connect. If a software update is available, go to Settings -> General -> Software Update and hit Download and Install.

Make sure your iPhone is charged or has at least 50% battery life before installing the update. Your iPhone will switch off and a status bar will appear on the screen when the installation begins. The update is complete when the bar reaches the top, and your iPhone will switch back on shortly after.

Conclusion

We conclude the above article by saying that your iPhone is back to normal now that your attachment is functional. When your iPhone warns, “This item may not be supported,” you’ll know just what to do.