How Can I Check If My USB-C Charging Cable Is Failing Without a Multimeter?

Try cleaning the metal contacts with a pencil eraser, then wipe them with some alcohol. Make sure your phone is off when you do this. You can also use a toothpick dipped in alcohol to clean around the charging port on your phone. Just be cautious not to damage anything! Let it dry for a moment and then test your cables again.

There are apps available that can help you out. For example, Android has one called Ampere which provides charging statistics and info. There are similar apps for iPhone too. They can help you see if there's any issue with the power delivery.

New USB-C cables are pretty cheap—around 10 bucks or maybe even less. Why not just pick up a new one and test it? If it solves the problem, you can throw the old, uncertain cable away!

If you can't spot any external damage, first check the contacts on both ends of the cable. If they look fine, try using the cable with another iPhone. If it charges properly, then your cable is likely okay. Also, remember that iPhone charge ports can get dirty, so give that a look, too. If you have cables that don't work anymore, just toss them and move on!

If you see the charging indicator on your phone light up, that's a good sign. Try bending the cable gently at both ends and along its length. If the indicator turns off or on while doing that, then you might need to consider replacing the cable. A cable failing while still having the indicator light up would be quite unusual!

Most likely, it’s not your charger but the charging port on your iPhone that’s the problem. It might be worth checking that out!