Quick answer: unplug the cable, tap the phone port-down against your palm, and leave it somewhere dry with moving air for 30 minutes to a few hours. Wireless charging still works and is safe in the meantime.
Why it appears
iPhones (iPhone XS and later) and Samsung Galaxy phones check the charging port for moisture. If they find any, they stop wired charging, because power plus moisture causes corrosion on the pins. The warning is a safety feature, not a fault.
How to clear it
- Unplug the cable and any accessories.
- Hold the phone port down and tap it gently against your hand.
- Leave it in a dry place with some airflow. Don’t use heat or compressed air to force it.
- Try charging again after 30 minutes. It can take up to a day to dry fully.
iPhone offers an “Emergency Override” to charge anyway. Only use it in a real emergency – charging with moisture in the port can damage the port and cable.
The warning won’t go away
If the phone hasn’t been near water, or the warning keeps coming back for days:
- Check the cable – a damaged or wet cable can trigger it. Try another one.
- Look in the port with a torch for fluff or a green/white crust (corrosion). Fluff can hold sweat or moisture – see cleaning your charging port.
- Restart the phone. On Samsung, also try clearing the cache of the USB settings app via Settings → Apps → show system apps → USBSettings → Storage → Clear cache.
A port that shows the warning constantly usually has corrosion on its pins and needs cleaning or replacing.
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