What to Do when Your iPhone's Docking Connector Breaks

The docking connector of an iPhone allows you to charge it and load songs from your PC, but it can break. When this happens, your iPhone quickly turns into a paperweight.

Here are a few things that you can do when an iPhone's USB docking connector breaks.

Make sure it's not a USB cable. Often, an iPhone owner will think that a docking connector is broken when it's actually something else like a USB cable or a power supply. You can check this quickly and easily by plugging the iPhone into another USB cable. It's worth a shot, especially since iPhone USB cables are fairly cheap and an iPod cable will work just fine.

Try plugging your iPhone into a few different sources, like a computer, an AC adapter, and an iPhone stereo dock. If it works well with any device, chances are pretty good that the problem isn't with the iPhone's docking connector.

You can also try looking into the iPhone's docking port and check whether you see anything physically bent or missing. This can be useful if you need to call in a warranty claim or get a repair.

Warranty options. A broken iPhone docking connector will probably be covered under your iPhone's warranty, unless there are obvious signs of abuse. You'll get a loaner phone and you should get your iPhone back fairly quickly once you open up a claim.

If Apple won't repair your iPhone for free, there are third party services available that you can use to fix the docking connector, but choose an established company and get a quote before you send your iPhone in. Don't try to repair the phone yourself--a dock connector is pretty difficult to switch out successfully, and if you're not an expert at soldering, you don't have much of a chance.

What broke it? Many iPhone users are understandably curious about what broke their iPhone's docking connector. Hey, it's a good question to ask--you can avoid the same problem in the future if you know whether you did anything wrong.

Regularly pulling the USB cord out of an iPhone, not using the right adapter with stereo systems, and low quality iPhone accessories can all cause a USB docking port to go out.

Remember to be careful with your iPhone. It's a delicate electronic device, so be careful when plugging it into anything and it should last for much longer.

Do you have any other tips for what to do when an iPhone's docking connector breaks? Post in our comments section below.