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Charge the iPhone 4S with 3GS cable

Sdahe

Sdahe

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Oct 26, 2007
1,725
25
San Juan, PR
Hello Guys,

I was wondering if you can charge the iphone 4s with a 3gs cable... I'm in a meeting and left my charger at home but my friend has his 3gs charger with him and I was wondering if I can charge my 4S with it.

Thanks
 
Yes. iPod/iPhone/iPad dock cables haven't changed since they came out with a USB version many years ago.
 
Sdahe said:
Hello Guys,

I was wondering if you can charge the iphone 4s with a 3gs cable... I'm in a meeting and left my charger at home but my friend has his 3gs charger with him and I was wondering if I can charge my 4S with it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes. When I'm at my girlfriend's place, I charge my 4S with her 5+ year old iPod classic cable. I have to push in the little buttons on the side to remove it :p
 
Iphonero said:
Try to charging iPad with iPhone cable and you'll see how long it takes...
Click to expand...

The problem is not the cable, they're identical. Difference is laid on the wall charger itself. iPhone's provide 5Watts of power and for iPad's can suck up to 10Watts.

iPad wall charger can charge both just fine, on the other hand, iPhone wall charger takes longer to charge iPad due to power limitation. So yeah, it's not about the cable.
 
I still have the sync cable that came with my original iPhone back in 2007 and use it to charge my 4S, along with a few other sync cables and chargers I've bought at various times over the past 4 years. They all work interchangeably just fine.

And it's the charger you use, not the cable, that determines how quick or slow an iPad charges.
 
I use the cable that came with my iPod video many years ago. I think i bought the thing around Christmas of 2005. However, I told the genius that I used it one time and he said "you should only use the current style cables because the changed a swapped pin locations". However, I don't believe them, and it worked fine on my 3G, 4, and now 4S.
 
appleguy123 said:
They've all been exactly the same for years.
Click to expand...

No, it hasn't. Apple changed the cables from it being able to charge via to charge from USB and Firewire. This started in the 3G. I've had every iPod and iPhone model imaginable. I have some cables that only work for certain models because of this change.

http://mike.kruckenberg.com/archives/2008/07/iphone-3g-firewire-charging-adapter.html

http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1115413

http://www.applegazette.com/iphone/you-cant-charge-the-iphone-3g-on-ipod-audio-systems/

There's a lot more if you want to google this change.
 
thatoneguy82 said:
No, it hasn't. Apple changed the cables from it being able to charge via to charge from USB and Firewire. This started in the 3G. I've had every iPod and iPhone model imaginable. I have some cables that only work for certain models because of this change.

http://mike.kruckenberg.com/archives/2008/07/iphone-3g-firewire-charging-adapter.html

http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1115413

http://www.applegazette.com/iphone/you-cant-charge-the-iphone-3g-on-ipod-audio-systems/

There's a lot more if you want to google this change.
Click to expand...

He said that the cables have been the same for years... And they have. The 3G came out years ago.
 
bjb.butler said:
He said that the cables have been the same for years... And they have. The 3G came out years ago.
Click to expand...

Really? Semantics? Splitting hairs?

I'm sure now that will be the reason. Leave it vague, give yourself wiggle room in case you're wrong. It's been done for many years. Not the past 3-4 years.
 
thatoneguy82 said:
Really? Semantics? Splitting hairs?

I'm sure now that will be the reason. Leave it vague, give yourself wiggle room in case you're wrong. It's been done for many years. Not the past 3-4 years.
Click to expand...

He was referring to a USB cable that came with an iPhone. No iPhone ever shipped with a firewire cable. I use the USB cable from my 5G classic. Still works fine.
 
appleguy123 said:
He was referring to a USB cable that came with an iPhone. No iPhone ever shipped with a firewire cable. I use the USB cable from my 5G classic. Still works fine.
Click to expand...

Yes, I understand that. But, I didn't want everyone to think it's always been a USB for the iPhone when it was both USB and Firewire up to the 3G.
 
thatoneguy82 said:
Yes, I understand that. But, I didn't want everyone to think it's always been a USB for the iPhone when it was both USB and Firewire up to the 3G.
Click to expand...

But no iPhone ever shipped with a firewire cable, so it's irrelevant. Any USB cable that came with an iPhone(which is what I meant when I said that the cables have been the same for years) will undoubtedly work fine...
 
appleguy123 said:
But no iPhone ever shipped with a firewire cable, so it's irrelevant. Any USB cable that came with an iPhone(which is what I meant when I said that the cables have been the same for years) will undoubtedly work fine...
Click to expand...

I'm not debating that. I'm simply making people realize that all cables may not be as interchangeable as they think. Of course if it came with your phone, it will work and the entire iPhone line. But there are outdated cables that won't be able to charge it, or outdated docks as well. I know the OP's question's has been answered and I digress but I was simply spreading a little known change in the Apple iPhone/iPod world.
 
Any outdated cables will have a FireWire 400 plug on their end, not a USB plug. And if they are plugged into a modern iDevice, they will be notified of their incompatibility. Rule of noting: If it has a 30 pin dock connector and a USB plug, it's good and fully compatible with every iDevice that has a 30 pin dock connector.
 
thatoneguy82 said:
I'm not debating that. I'm simply making people realize that all cables may not be as interchangeable as they think. Of course if it came with your phone, it will work and the entire iPhone line. But there are outdated cables that won't be able to charge it, or outdated docks as well. I know the OP's question's has been answered and I digress but I was simply spreading a little known change in the Apple iPhone/iPod world.
Click to expand...

Are you that one guy that likes to argue about everything? :)

As far as the OP’s question goes regarding the 3GS: yes, which was answered numerous times in this thread.
 
-aggie- said:
Are you that one guy that likes to argue about everything? :)
Click to expand...

Oooh. nice bait. :)

But I'm just that one guy who likes to impart knowledge and help people physically and mentally wherever and whenever I can. Medical treatment specialist in infectious disease/HIV/AIDS, psycho-social therapy and Apple stuff that I've learned.

That's all you'll get it.
 
-aggie- said:
Are you that one guy that likes to argue about everything? :)

As far as the OP’s question goes regarding the 3GS: yes, which was answered numerous times in this thread.
Click to expand...

I don't think you understand what he's doing here..

I see where he comes from, and if i understand him correctly he just likes to spread more information about the question so people have more things to go on in the future and not just assuming or saying yes/no, but also have some solid info to go with it.

More information is always better. As these threads gets searched for sooner or later, another one who looks for this info will find out more about this than just the simple answer.
 
thatoneguy82 said:
No, it hasn't. Apple changed the cables from it being able to charge via to charge from USB and Firewire. This started in the 3G. I've had every iPod and iPhone model imaginable. I have some cables that only work for certain models because of this change.

http://mike.kruckenberg.com/archives/2008/07/iphone-3g-firewire-charging-adapter.html

http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1115413

http://www.applegazette.com/iphone/you-cant-charge-the-iphone-3g-on-ipod-audio-systems/

There's a lot more if you want to google this change.
Click to expand...

The specific change starting with the iPhone 3G was a change inside the phone itself, not a change to the Sync/Charge Cable. It imposes new limitations on the set of devices/docks/power adapters that are allowed to appear on the other end of the cable.

Aside from a simplification of the locking mechanism that physically holds the connector in place, there hasn't been a fundamental change to the cable itself since the 4th generation iPod in 2004.
 
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