iPhone "This Accessory May Not Be Supported" Error: How to Fix It
To fix the iPhone "This Accessory May Not Be Supported" error, reconnect the accessory, use an MFi-certified cable and restart your iPhone; dirty or damaged ports and chargers can also cause it.
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In brief
AI summaryThe iPhone "This accessory may not be supported" message can be caused by a non-MFi accessory, faulty iPhone software, or a dirty or damaged accessory, Lightning port or charger.
The first fix is to try reconnecting the accessory; in most cases the charging cable is not MFi certified, meaning it does not meet Apple's design standards.
Restarting the iPhone can fix small software problems: on iPhone 8 or earlier hold the power button and slide to power off, on iPhone X, XS and XR hold the side and a volume button.
Contents4 sections
iPhone is a phone brand preferred by many people. But sometimes it can have small quirks of its own. When you plug in your device to charge it or plug in your headphones to listen to music, the device sometimes fails to detect it and shows the "This Accessory May Not Be Supported" warning. Let's look together at the definitive fix for this.
Why Does My iPhone Say "This Accessory May Not Be Supported"?
When you try to plug an accessory into your iPhone's Lightning port, your iPhone says 'This accessory may not be supported' because something went wrong. Several different things can cause the problem:
- Your accessory is not MFi certified.
- Your iPhone's software is faulty.
- Your accessory is dirty, damaged or completely broken.
- Your iPhone's Lightning port is dirty, damaged or completely broken.
- Your charger is dirty, damaged or completely broken.
Try Reconnecting the Device
The first thing to do when your iPhone says 'This accessory may not be supported' is to try reconnecting it.
Is Your Accessory MFi Certified?
Most of the time, the 'This accessory is not supported' pop-up appears shortly after you plug your iPhone into a power source to charge it. In most cases, the charging cable you are trying to charge your iPhone with is not MFi certified, meaning it has not been made compatible with Apple's design standards.
Restart Your iPhone
Try restarting your iPhone, which can sometimes fix small software problems. If you have an iPhone 8 or an earlier model, hold the power button and then slide the power icon across the screen from left to right. The process is similar for the iPhone X, XS and XR, except that you hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until slide to power off appears.
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Frequently asked questions
Questions answered in this article
Why Does My iPhone Say "This Accessory May Not Be Supported"?
When you try to plug an accessory into your iPhone's Lightning port, your iPhone says 'This accessory may not be supported' because something went wrong. Several different things can cause the problem: The first thing to do when your iPhone says 'This accessory may not be supported' is to try reconnecting it.
Go to sectionIs Your Accessory MFi Certified?
Most of the time, the 'This accessory is not supported' pop-up appears shortly after you plug your iPhone into a power source to charge it. In most cases, the charging cable you are trying to charge your iPhone with is not MFi certified, meaning it has not been made compatible with Apple's design standards.
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