My Phone has a Belly Button!

Who knew? But this lint can cost you!

Do you rely on your phone? Like, really rely on it like its a new body part? Many of us do. So what happens when one day you notice the charger is not charging it? eGads! It has 4% to live! 

Here's something I never thought of, and the cause for my phone not charging, and here's how I found out.

For about a week I noticed my phone charge connector having a bit of play in it. Well, naturally, I use it every day to charge up my Internet Lifeline Device that most of us just call a phone, so I figure I must have worn it out. eGads! That could be an expensive repair.

I am lucky to have an Apple store within a mile of the office and I stopped in. "Stopped in" is Apple-talk for waiting an hour for an appointment with a technician. I told Stephanie, the nice young lady who helped me, pulled out a wad of cables and connectors on a keychain that put most janitors to shame and dug around for what looked like a paper clip bent so a lone prong stuck out. 

She began digging inside the phone charge adaptor slot and pulled out this HUGE (just like Trump would say it) chunk of lint. "My phone has a belly button!" I exclaimed, and she politely laughed. 

So your phone might not be broken or even worn out. Every once in a while, take a look in there and CAREFULLY clean it out. 

I came back to the office and told Kate, and she promptly operated on her own phone, and so you have her to thank for the lovely photo of phone lint displayed here.

If you're not sure you can be careful (those inside prongs break and you get to buy a new phone) then you may find it well worth it to "Stop In" at Apple (plan to skip lunch) and the nice people there will clean out your phone's belly button for you.

 

Don GingoldDon Gingold

Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sprocket Websites, Inc.; Co-Founder Chicago Area DotNetNuke User Group

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