I posted in Android and iPhone communities a couple of weeks ago seeking a solution or at least a reason for issues I've been having with cell phones and a tablet but did not get a resolution, so I'm reposting with updates.
I use a Pixel 9 Pro XL and my spouse has an iPhone 17 Pro Max and an iPad A16. A few months ago my P9PXL started popping up an error message that liquid was detected when I plugged most charging cords into it. The phone became very particular about which charging cords (blocks?) it would work with. The liquid detected error message stopped popping up after a week or two but the sensitivity to which cords it would work with has continued to this day. Interestingly it seems to work best with cheap charging cables and blocks, as opposed to higher dollar/powered cables and blocks.
A few weeks ago the same exact problem began to occur first with my spouse's iPad A16 and then shortly after with their phone 17 Pro Max. They often get a warning message about liquid detected but not always. Sometimes when they plug one of the devices in simply nothing happens. Sometimes they get the liquid detected warning. If they get the liquid detected message there's an option to tap to bypass it. Sometimes when you tap to bypass the device will start charging and sometimes it won't.
I have bought numerous chargers and cables off of Amazon trying to find a fix. All of the blocks and cords are PD and many are supposed to be capable of higher powered charging, i.e. faster. These items range from 20w to 65w. More often than not ALL of the devices (my P9PXL, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the iPad A16) will work with a cheap low power charger/cord purchased from a gas station, as opposed to the higher powered PD compatible items I researched and bought off Amazon. In fact, I have 3-in-1 charging cables that likely came from a convenience store that I keep plugged into the USB-A ports at each end of the couch. Often either/both our phones will not work with the USB-C connection but WILL work with the Apple lightning connection using a USB-C adapter! WTF?!
I have tried charging all three devices at both work and home with no difference in how well they charge. Also, neither my daughter's Samsung Z Flip 5 nor an iPhone 13 we use for work have any of these charging issues. Those devices work with everything without any problems. It's just the P9PXL, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPad A16 that are temperamental about charging.
When I posted this problem initially a couple of weeks ago the overwhelming response in both the Android and the iPhone communities was to clean the ports. I had already had my Pixel phone cleaned by a guy at a Best Buy Geek Squad counter but that didn't do anything. But I did as advised and cleaned all the ports of all the devices myself using 91% isopropyl alcohol, the pointed end of a plastic floss stick, and a couple of small brushes that I had. Cleaning the ports seemed to help improve connectivity a tiny, tiny bit initially but did not resolve the unpredictable charging issues.
I then took my P9PXL to the guy at the phone repair kiosk at the mall to see if it would make a difference having it 'professionally' cleaned. However, instead of cleaning any of the devices he plugged some sort of reader into the charging port of my phone that declared it good and in working order. But when he plugged my phone into the USB-C charging cable he had as part of his repair set-up it did nothing. So he declared my phone's IC chip damaged. He then did the same thing with my spouse's iPhone 17 Pro Max, which also said the port was healthy, yet the phone would not charge. So the mall repair guy diagnosed all the devices as having damaged IC chips but he never cleaned the ports, which is what I went to him for. I don't trust that diagnosis though because the problem is so hit and miss.
For example, I took all my charging blocks and cables up to work and went through them trying different combinations until I found one that worked with everything. This was a dual 20w charging block (each port has a dedicated 20w port) along with a braided USB-C Apple cord that came with an Apple device. This combo of charging block and cable worked on all three devices at work. I had multiples of both the charging block and Apple cable, so I left one set at work and took another set home.
At the end of our couch we have two end tables that have two US electrical outlets, one USB-C port, and one USB-A port. Both of the Apple devices charged using the charging block and/or cable in all three of the power outlet types. (Used a USB-C to A adapter to test that port.) However, today I plugged the iPhone 17 Pro Max into the cord that was plugged into a charging block that was plugged into the US electrical outlet that's made into the end table. It did not work when it had previously. I then pulled the cord out of the charging block and plugged it directly into the USB-C port made into the end table. It still did not work. HOWEVER, when I plugged my Pixel 9 Pro XL into the cord plugged into the USB-C port it did work and began charging my phone. BUT when I pulled the charging cord out of the USB-C port and plugged it into the charging block that was plugged into a US electrical outlet also made into the end table it DID NOT work.
This all just simply does not make any sense to me at all. There does not seem to be any logical rhyme or reason to this issue we're experiencing between three separate services from two different manufacturers.
I'm wondering if one of your chargers is defective, delivering too high a voltage, and slightly damaging the charge controllers on your devices. The fact that the devices failed one after the other suggests sone sort of "contagion" as they have, presumably, been in different environments, so are unlikely to have picked up the same amount of dirt. You also mention that they seem to work better with cheap chargers and cables, both of which, regardless of labeling, are less likely to support PD, and are more likely to just pass the standard 5v, which hints at a problem with your devices' ability to perform PD negotiation.
You might want to see if the repair shop can run board level diagnostics on one of your devices to check if the charging controller is ok. Do check the basics like the port beung really clean first though as that will cost you nothing. I find using the thinnest embroidary pin I can find gives a chance to really scrape around in the socket to dislodge any compacted lint.
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