Published 2022-06-30 by TechNet New England
This message appears when your iPhone or iPad detects a connected accessory that may not work properly. ## Common Causes **Non-certified cable.** Third-party cables that are not MFi (Made for iPhone) certified may trigger this warning. Apple devices check for certification chips in Lightning cables. **Damaged cable.** Even Apple-branded cables degrade over time. Frayed, bent, or water-damaged cables can trigger this message. **Dirty charging port.** Debris in the port can cause a poor connection that the device interprets as an unsupported accessory. **Moisture in the port.** If the port was recently exposed to water, the device may show this warning as a protection measure. **Incompatible accessory.** Some older accessories are not compatible with newer iOS versions. ## Fix 1: Try a Different Cable Use an Apple-branded or MFi-certified cable. If the message goes away, the original cable was the problem. ## Fix 2: Clean the Port 1. Power off the device. 2. Use a wooden toothpick to gently remove lint and debris from the Lightning or USB-C port. 3. Use compressed air to blow out remaining particles. 4. Try connecting again. ## Fix 3: Restart the Device Force restart your iPhone or iPad (see our guide on force restarting iOS devices). Sometimes the accessory detection gets a false positive. ## Fix 4: Update iOS Go to **Settings > General > Software Update**. Some accessory compatibility issues are fixed in iOS updates. ## Fix 5: Dismiss and Test If the accessory works despite the warning (charges, plays audio, etc.), you can dismiss the message and continue using it. The warning is informational, not a hard block. However, if the accessory does not work properly or causes issues (slow charging, audio cutting out, data not transferring), replace it with a certified alternative. ## When to Contact IT If this happens with company-provided accessories or docking stations, report it to IT. The accessory may need to be replaced, or there may be a compatibility issue with the device's MDM profile or iOS version.