Several iPhone 14 Pro users have reported that they are encountering a "Charging on Hold" error. Here’s what you can do to continue charging your device.
Information in this article apply to iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Starting with iOS 16, Apple introduced a new feature that puts your iPhone’s charging on hold when it gets too hot or cold to protect its battery from possible permanent damage.
However, if the "Charging on Hold" alert constantly keeps popping up on your iPhone 14 Pro even when your phone’s temperature feels normal, there’s either something wrong with your iPhone or the charger you’re using.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to get rid of this annoying notification. Below, I’ll explain how to fix the Charging on Hold error on your iPhone 14 Pro for good!
1. Close Apps Running in the Background
One of the reasons your iPhone 14 Pro keeps showing the Charging On Hold alert could be the power-intensive apps running in the background. Even though most apps running in the background remain in a suspended state, some apps, such as music players or news apps, keep refreshing in the background and fetch new data.
Force closing these apps may help cool down your iPhone and resume charging. To force quit an app, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and then swipe up on each app in the App Switcher to force close it.
Under normal circumstances, you shouldn’t constantly close apps on your iPhone since it does more damage to the battery life than good. However, force-quitting apps is an easy troubleshooting step in cases such as this one.
You can also turn off Background App Refresh to prevent apps from consuming system resources in the background, which can help cool down your iPhone 14 Pro and stop it from showing Charging On Hold error. To turn it off, go into your iPhone Settings, then tap General followed by Background App Refresh. Tap the name of the feature again, located at the top of that screen, and then choose Off.
2. Uninstall Suspicious Apps
It’s possible that an app that you recently downloaded carries a bug that’s triggering the Charging On Hold feature. There are a few signs that suggest that an app carries a bug, such as when the app keeps crashing or slows down your iPhone 14 Pro significantly while you’re using it. Uninstalling the app from your iPhone will likely solve this issue.
To uninstall an app, long-press on its icon. Tap Remove App from the menu that appears. Then, choose Delete App to uninstall the app from your iPhone permanently.
3. Don’t Use Your iPhone While Charging
Although it’s generally safe to use your iPhone while charging, prolonged heavy use may overheat your phone’s battery, slowing down the charging rate and eventually putting it on hold.
Therefore, it’s best to keep your iPhone aside for a while and let it fully charge before using it again.
4. Turn Off Your iPhone for a While
Even if you think your iPhone isn’t abnormally hot to the touch, it’s likely the battery and internal components are overheating due to several reasons. Apple recommends turning off your device for a while and letting it cool down before turning it on again and putting it on charge.
To turn off an iPhone 14 Pro, press and hold the Side and Volume Up (or Volume Down) buttons simultaneously.
5. Turn Off Optimized Battery Charging
The Optimized Battery Charging feature reduces the wear and tear on your iPhone’s battery by controlling how quickly it charges and significantly slowing down charging once it reaches 80%. In some cases, the Charging On Hold alert may appear once the battery has charged up to 80%, after which the battery stops charging no matter how long you leave the device connected to power.
This could be due to a bug in the Optimized Battery Charging feature. So, we recommend disabling it temporarily by going to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and toggling off Optimized Battery Charging.
6. Turn On Airplane Mode
Being constantly connected to the internet can be the source of the problem you’re experiencing. If that’s the case, turning on airplane mode can help reduce the load on the battery and prevent it from overheating, which might solve the Charging On Hold issue.
To turn on Airplane Mode, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to reveal the Control Center. Find the Airplane toggle in Control Center and tap it. The icon should turn orange, indicating it has been enabled.
7. Update Your iPhone
Make sure you’re always running the latest version of iOS, as it comes with performance improvements that can prevent your iPhone 14 Pro from experiencing “Charging on hold” error.
If you’re still using an older iOS version, it’s possible that a bug may have crept into your phone’s system that keeps giving you the Charging On Hold alert even though there’s no need for it. Installing the latest iOS software may fix this bug and solve the problem.
To update your iPhone, head over to Settings > General > Software Update. Tap Download and Install if a new update is available. Also, make sure Automatic Updates are enabled so you don’t have to manually check for updates every time.
8. Switch to an official Apple charger
Some off-brand chargers are cheaper than Apple official ones. But that’s because the charger isn’t precisely made to feed the amount of power required. So it may be overloading your iPhone 14 Pro thereby triggering “Charging on hold” error. Swapping that out for a charger from Apple might help here. But before you toss it into the bin and head to the store for a replacement, there are a few things that you can do that might help.
- Unplug your charger from the power source, wait for a few minutes, and then plug the charger back in. You can also try using a different USB port or power outlet to see if that makes any difference.
- It’s also possible that the adapter and cable you’re using to charge your iPhone are of low quality. In that case, try charging your iPhone with a high-quality MFI-certified lightning cable and adapter.
- If the problem persists, opt for slow charging for a while. Fast charging generates more heat than slow charging, which may be why your iPhone 14 Pro is getting hot and giving you the Charging On Hold notification. Connecting your iPhone to an adapter with a low rating might help solve the issue.
9. Reset your iPhone
If you find that your iPhone 14 Pro still giving charging on hold notification after trying the steps mentioned above, you should try resetting the phone to return it to its factory settings.
This will delete all apps and customized settings, but it could potentially help you troubleshoot the problem you are experiencing. Go to settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.
Quick tip: Make sure to back up your iPhone using iCloud or a computer before performing the factory reset to save your data and restore it later.
10. Get your iPhone repaired
Sending your iPhone in for repairs should be the last resort after trying all of the steps above, and your iPhone 14 Pro is still throwing “Charging on hold” notifications. You could potentially have a hardware problem that requires an expert to open your phone up to fix.
The best way to do this is to contact Apple support for assistance so they can schedule you for an appointment at your nearest Genius Bar.
Successfully Fixed Charging On Hold iPhone 14 Pro Error
The Charging On Hold notification is useful only when it’s working properly. If you keep getting the notification every time you charge your iPhone 14 Pro, you’re either using a low-quality charger or your device is sending a false alert.
It’s also possible that your iPhone is actually getting hot due to heavy-duty apps working in the background or because you’re using it while charging. The troubleshooting methods we discussed should resolve the issue, but if none of them helped, it’s best to contact Apple Support for further help.