How to Fix "This Accessory May Not Be Supported" for iPhone

When I connect my iPhone to the charging cable, it vibrates and says something like, "The accessory may not be certified." I've tried a lot of cables, including original Apple cables, but the results are the same. I've also tried to put my motherboard into another working case, but it does the same thing. Do you know which IC can be broken on my logic board? Thank you. – From iFixit

Since updating to iOS 7.0.3 I've getting a prompt "this accessory may not be supported" after a few minutes charging. Charging then stops and I've unplug the cable and reconnect, then hopefully get another 5 minutes before the message appears again. The phone is pretty much unusable now as I can't get it charged. Only using genuine apple cables (have tried 4 separate cables) and have tried charging both via the wall and the laptop, but the result is the same. – From Apple communities

Although iPhone is one of the most powerful smartphones in the world, many people still encounter some silly errors while using it every day. For iPhone users, "This accessory may not be supported" error has to be the most frustrating one. Out of nowhere, iPhone begins to complain about the hardware or charger.

Why do I get error "This accessory may not be supported"?

As far as I can tell, "This accessory may not be supported" error message mainly appears under two conditions as below. Note that if you get another message like "This cable or accessory is not certified and may not work reliably with this iPhone/iPad", they are basically the same issue.

1. Charging the handset. If you're using a cheap, non-Apple charger, it would be easier to get this error message. But sometimes, even if you are using an official Apple lighting cable, the error can also happen due to the firmware problem within the operating system.

2. iOS update. Many Apple users are complaining that the error "This accessory may not be supported" appears right after upgrading to the new iOS and it has nothing to do with the faulty device or cable.

Solutions to "This accessory may not be supported"?

Now that we know the problem has to do with the faulty charging cable of your iPhone/iPad, how to solve this problem? In the following article, we will provide you several simple methods to help you get rid of "This accessory may not be supported", hope they can help you.

Solution 1. Remove dust from the charging port and the cable

Dust is one of the most common causes of "This accessory may not be supported" error. If you've never cleaned the charger port of your iPhone, dust or pocket lint may get caked inside it. Inspect both your changing port and the cable with a bright light, and clean them with a toothpick or an old toothbrush.

After you clean both of them, plug the cable into the power socket and charge your iPhone. If the error message still shows up, then go through the next solutions.

Solution 2. Change the charging cable

As we talked before, most of the "accessory not supported" issues are caused by the cable. We suggest you to change an official Apple cable or a high-quality OEM cable, plug it into the power socket and charge your iPhone. See if the error still appears. If it doesn't, you are good, maybe your old charging cable has been broken somehow. If it does, go through the next solution.

Solution 3. Switch on Airplane Mode

First, connect your iPhone to the charging cable. The error message "This accessory may not be supported" will appear, dismiss or ignore it. Next, turn ON the Airplane mode in your device.

Now switch OFF your iPhone. Wait for another 2 minutes and switch it ON again. You will no longer receive the error message.

Solution 4. Change power supply

Not all USB ports provide the same amount of power. Sometimes we can charge iPhone from computer, but there is not enough power to charge iPad.

So if you get error message "This accessory may not be supported", perhaps that because your device needs a different power supply. Try to change a different power source and see if it works.

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Solution 5. Use jailbreak to bypass "This accessory may not be supported"

If your iPhone is jailbroken (iOS 8.1.3 cannot be jailbroken at the moment) then you can use Bypass Unsupported Access addon available in Cydia.

The process is simple: Open Cydia, add new repo - canolli.myrepospace.com - and search for the Bypass Unsupported Access. Download and install it to get rid of the error message permanently.

These are all the solutions we collect to help you get rid of the error message "This accessory may not be supported". If one of them works for you, let us know in the comments section below. Still have more questions about "This accessory may not be supported", you can also leave us a message.