Fast Chargers May Require USB-C Authentication to Work at Full Speed With 2018 iPhones

[dk001]

Oh my god give it a rest.

Curious ... Why?

Apple cables / chargers are some of the most expensive and middlin' quality of all the cables and chargers I have purchased over my years in iOS. Even, sadly, the charging setup that came with my rMB (2015) was of similar quality but expensive to replace with Apple OE. As you can likely guess, I did not buy OE for these.

 

[826317]

Ah, yes, security reasons. Specifically, the security of being able to charge $10 / piece for an encryption key.

What are you talking about? Maybe I'm missing something, but requiring chargers to be C-AUTH compliant, doesn't make Apple any money...

 

[Baymowe335]

Can't blame then, they have become very adapt to milking people for years now. Just look at all those dongles.

Has nothing to do with “milking” you. They are executing a strategy. Working pretty well too.
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Be nice, 99% of the time they'd be correct! Just... not this one specific time.

They make money, of course, that’s the goal of business. However, there aren’t going to ruin the golden goose to make a few pennies on dongles. The revenue from these types of adapters are literally rounding errors for Apple.

 

[gnasher729]

So funny people think Apple's primary driver on decisions like these is money.

The money they have to pay their lawyers when someone buys a cheap-ass charger, leaves their iPhone charging at home, the charger sets the iPhone on fire, and their house burns down. USB-C is designed to supply 80 Watts. The plug in your wall is designed to supply 2,000 or 3,000 watts. A really badly built charger could cause any kind of trouble.
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Or better yet - DO NOT buy chargers from Amazon - the majority of companies claiming to be compliant are in fact counterfeit, fraudulent and fake! And good luck doing any returns!

There have been reports of really shady dealers in China who removed the original chargers from iPhone packages, replaced them with cheap knock offs, and sold the originals for good money. That's the world we live in. But that way, you are still 99.9% safe. There was a report of Apple buying 100 or so "original Apple" chargers from Amazon, and not one was original Apple. About 20% were good quality and safe.

 

[rjp1]

Never economise on anything in life.
Cheap is cheap for one reason only!

Lol - You probably use Monster cables, too.

There can be cheap price/bad quality and cheap price/good quality. It is not that people have a problem paying for accessories. Rather, it is that people don’t want to be ripped off. As long as people like you are around, they can continue marking these accessories up by ridiculous amounts.

 

[69Mustang]

As usual, Apple enforces another method to isolate their customer base and force them to buy and utilize only Apple hardware. Apple has made a tremendous effort to ensure that their customers shall never utilize or even consider any third party accessories or components without suffering degradation. An ultimate method, perhaps in the future, when third party devices are utilized or the sealed cases are opened the Apple device self-destructs.

You've misunderstood what you read. Nothing about C-AUTH certification isolates, well, anything really. C-AUTH does prohibit the use of 3rd party chargers. It's designed to ensure all USB-C chargers -Apple and 3rd party - meet a standard. Chargers meeting that standard should be able to charge your devices. They don't have to be Apple brand.

Curious ... Why?

Apple cables / chargers are some of the most expensive and middlin' quality of all the cables and chargers I have purchased over my years in iOS. Even, sadly, the charging setup that came with my rMB (2015) was of similar quality but expensive to replace with Apple OE. As you can likely guess, I did not buy OE for these.

Apple cables/chargers may indeed be some of the most expensive and middling quality cables. Immaterial to the topic. This isn't about Apple cables and chargers.

 

[fairuz]

You guys thought Apple would finally have a standard charger? Ha! They will, but they also control the standards now. It's like Google with Chrome, the only browser that supports certain "standards" made at Google.

BTW, fast charging sounds bad for the battery. I do the opposite: slow-charging my iPhone on a low-amperage USB port. I mean, once the phone's plugged in, it's going to charge to 100% eventually.

 

[dk001]

...

Apple cables/chargers may indeed be some of the most expensive and middling quality cables. Immaterial to the topic. This isn't about Apple cables and chargers.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. If there is a way to monetize this, I am sure Apple will.

 

[skinned66]

I've bought many cables and chargers over the years from different suppliers and I test them all for current shielding, etc. Some are great or better than OEM despite not being mFI and some are absolute trash straight out of the package. Same for chargers.

Addressing security is also a noble goal.

Overall I'd be okay with this. I just hope that there are a lot of third party adopters.

 

[69Mustang]

Perhaps. Perhaps not. If there is a way to monetize this, I am sure Apple will.

There's no perhaps to it. C-AUTH is a standard. Apple doesn't control it. Whatever else Apple may do to monetize something... this ain't it.

 

[Wackery]

Rumors suggest Apple will bundle a faster 18W power adapter with its next-generation iPhones, expected to be unveiled this September, but third-party fast charger compatibility may be limited.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara, citing information from suppliers, claims that third-party fast chargers may require USB-C Authentication [PDF] certification, or C-AUTH, to charge the 2018 lineup of iPhones at full speeds. Otherwise, the iPhones may display a warning, and limit charging speeds to a max of 2.5W.

USB-C Authentication is intended to protect against non-compliant USB chargers and to mitigate risks from maliciously embedded hardware or software in USB devices, so core to Apple, this seems to be all about extra security.

Apple is one of over 1,000 member companies of the USB Implementers Forum, so USB-compliant fast chargers are available from a wide variety of brands. Before purchasing a random fast charger from the likes of Amazon, though, it may be a good idea to check the list to see if the company is in fact a member.

Article Link: Fast Chargers May Require USB-C Authentication to Work at Full Speed With 2018 iPhones

I asked Anker and they say they’re qualified

 

[Kaibelf]

Apple locking users into expensive cables and chargers again!

Although from a safety perspective I can understand why they are following this route too!

Apple locking people into something? As per the article: "Apple is one of over 1,000 member companies of the USB Implementers Forum, so USB-compliant fast chargers are available from a wide variety of brands. Before purchasing a random fast charger from the likes of Amazon, though, it may be a good idea to check the list to see if the company is in fact a member."

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

Assuming you're in the US, it has to be TUVus (or cTUVus, meaning Canada and US). TUV next to PSE is for Japan's own scheme. The Anker products that are sold at big-box stores are certified.

Oops, it has TOV.

Edit: On second thought after seeing the image on the PC, that's a U and a scratch. And I got that piece of black dirt off of my hand, too.

 

[PaulRustad007]

Why can't you just decide to tell the phone to charge unless you want to tether? Unlock to set. Surely in that situation the USB port is safe? My Android phone does that. Am I missing something?

from what i have heard, the actual charger can have malware installed inside, and when you connect it to charge, it will transfer the code right to the phone, bypassing all security and install its mess for whatever. By having the handshake ( so to speak) it is helping to prevent that...and this is a flaw in all USB devices, wether it is A B or C.

 

[Guy Clark]

Apple monopolising the market for pure greed knowing they can charge an extortionate amount for a fast charger with the Apple logo slapped on it which no doubt will be manufactured by an OEM much like the dreadfully designed and expensive VESA mount for the iMac Pro.

 

[himanshumodi]

Does this have any implication for the cables? I don't mind using apple branded charger... I have never used a non-apple one except for the car charger.

The cables are a completely different story. I really don't want to be limited to the spaghetti cable Apple provides.

 

[dk001]

There's no perhaps to it. C-AUTH is a standard. Apple doesn't control it. Whatever else Apple may do to monetize something... this ain't it.

Not disagreeing. Just saying that if an opportunity presents itself, Apple will utilize it based on their past behavior.

 

[manu chao]

For people's own safety so they don't catch malware.

Because if you charge only with 2.5 W, you cannot catch malware??????

My understanding was that the safety aspect refers to electrical safety, not malware safety.

 

[RobbieTT]

Apple monopolising the market for pure greed knowing they can charge an extortionate amount for a fast charger with the Apple logo slapped on it which no doubt will be manufactured by an OEM much like the dreadfully designed and expensive VESA mount for the iMac Pro.

Hey, stop making us Brits look stupid. This is Apple adopting and conforming to a widely held standard along with 1000+ other manufacturers. This is precisely what most of us want Apple to do!

If nothing else just look at the pretty picture that goes with the article - showing an iPhone and Anker charger - this combination will work!

 

[manu chao]

Isn't the 29W charger USB-A? This is about USB-C.

The 29-W charger is USB-C. It was released with and for the 12" MB, the first Apple laptop to come with USB-C (instead of USB-A) and to charge via USB-C. One advantage of USB-C is that the cables are bi-directional (ie, the have the same plug at both ends, all previous USB cables didn't).[/QUOTE]

 

[Guy Clark]

Hey, stop making us Brits look stupid. This is Apple adopting and conforming to a widely held standard along with 1000+ other manufacturers. This is precisely what most of us want Apple to do!

If nothing else just look at the pretty picture that goes with the article - showing an iPhone and Anker charger - this combination will work!

You speak for the entire population of the United Kingdom. That is a massive undertaking.

 

[NT1440]

Does anyone really think this won’t be rolled into the MFi program? Like, really?

The ability of people to complain about non-issues on here never seems to stop.

 

[dan110]

I don’t think this is the popular opinion - but I agree with what’s being said in the article.

I feel it’s best to be safe when it comes to power and charging.

Just my use pattern, but I only ever charge my iPhone overnight, and 5W is more than enough for that daily recharge.

I can absolutely appreciate faster charging, but I think one should be careful with chargers and cables for this use. I do think Apple should have decently priced USB-C fast chargers for those who’d like to make use of it.

But everyone here knows that won't happen. Apple makes too much money off of creating the need for proprietary cables/chargers that they can charge a premium for. That's a core pillar of their business model since ... forever in tech years.

 

[konqerror]

Oops, it has TOV.

Edit: On second thought after seeing the image on the PC, that's a U and a scratch. And I got that piece of black dirt off of my hand, too.

It's actually an umlaut over the U, TÜV is the proper name.

 

[69Mustang]

The 29-W charger is USB-C. It was released with and for the 12" MB, the first Apple laptop to come with USB-C (instead of USB-A) and to charge via USB-C. One advantage of USB-C is that the cables are bi-directional (ie, the have the same plug at both ends, all previous USB cables didn't).

[/QUOTE]
Ah, then that is a good question because that charger and the standard were release during the same year. I'd guess - guess being the operative word - with Apple being on the Board of Directors of USB-IF they were privy to the spec being developed and what the final specifications would be. Again, pure speculation but I would think Apple would ensure all of their USB-C chargers were compliant.