The socket half of the lightning connector is actually pretty delicate inside: there are little tiny fingers that contact the strips on the plug. It's quite eas

The socket half of the lightning connector is actually pretty delicate inside: there are little tiny fingers that contact the strips on the plug. It's quite easy to damage those fingers and ruin the port when cleaning it out after exposure to dust or sand. Mind you my 7 year old broke the USB C connector on his Switch in much the same way. There's only so strong you can make something that small and dense with contacts.