MBP USB-C cable not charging Huawei Freebuds 3 case? They charge just fine with other USB-C cables

[VMX]

Hi there!

So I just got my first MacBook Pro from my company (loving it so far), and I'm glad to see that the Huawei Freebuds 3 that I was previously using with my phone (Pixel 4) and my Windows PCs (desktop and laptop) work great on the MBP. I'd say they even sound a bit better on the MBP than on Windows, and connectivity for work calls seems to be more reliable as well which I didn't expect!

However, I'm facing a very strange issue: the USB-C cable that came with my Mac simply won't charge the Freebuds 3 case at all! The cable has a G0J serial number, which is rated for up to 100W charging according to Apple, so it's more than capable of charging them. But whenever I plug it in, the case LED won't turn on and the buds simply won't charge.

I have discarded the power brick being the issue, because if I swap Apple's cable with the one that came with my Pixel 4, Apple's power brick charges the Freebuds case just fine as expected. However, if I plug Apple's cable into the MacBook (or any other power source), the Freebuds don't charge either! So it's definitely the cable, and not the power brick.

Needless to say, the Freebuds charge just fine with all other USB-C cables I've tried, and Apple's USB-C cable also charges all my other non-Apple devices just fine as well! Does anybody have any idea of what the issue might be?

Here's a summary of the combinations I've tried:

Device	Cable	Source	Working?
Freebuds 3	Apple's USB-C cable	Apple's power brick	No
Freebuds 3	Apple's USB-C cable	MacBook Pro	No
Freebuds 3	Pixel 4 USB-C cable	Apple's power brick	Yes
Freebuds 3	Pixel 4 USB-C cable	MacBook Pro	Yes
Freebuds 3	Pixel 4 USB-C cable	Lenovo Yoga laptop	Yes
Freebuds 3	Lenovo Yoga charger	Lenovo Yoga charger	Yes
Pixel 4	Lenovo Yoga charger	Lenovo Yoga charger	Yes
Pixel 4	Apple's USB-C cable	Apple's power brick	Yes
MacBook Pro	Lenovo Yoga charger	Lenovo Yoga charger	Yes

It's very frustrating, because I was expecting to travel with my MBP's charger only... but if I can't find a solution for this I'll have to carry a second cable just to charge the Freebuds.

Does anybody have any idea of why the MBP's cable doesn't charge my Freebuds, and only my Freebuds, while all other chargers do it just fine?

Appreciate any help I can get.

 

[jerryk]

Seem like an issue with the Freebuds. Have you checked with the company and verified they support 100W cables. Maybe they have a MacBook 96W charger with an Apple charging cable they can try.

I have used my 16" Apple charger and cable with a lot of devices (battery packs, computers, iPads, Samsung phones, iPhones, ...) and never had a problem charging.

 

[VMX]

That's the thing though... I don't think the cable being "rated" for 100W makes any difference. The power source (e.g.: the brick/laptop/whatever) will negotiate the power with the device being charged every time and adhere to that.

And as said, I've charged the Freebuds just fine using the MBP power brick... just using a non-Apple cable.

I've also charged the Freebuds with a host of chargers and cables, including 65W and a 45W laptop chargers from Lenovo, my 18W Pixel 4 charger and cable, a couple of Samsung chargers, several laptops and desktop PCs with the Pixel 4 cable... they all work with the Freebuds just fine. It's specifically the Apple cable that won't charge them.

It feels as if Apple's cable had some sort of logic inside it preventing it from working with certain devices? I'm at a loss really.

 

[jerryk]

USB-C devices and cable negotiate the charging rate. And if that rate is over 60W the cable must be emarked, usually marketed as certified for 100W, with a chip. My guess is something in this negotiation is failing since charging ear buds should require much less power. And since your MBP charger and MBP cable work with other lower power connections like to a Pixel that would leave me to believe the issue is the earbud chargers power logic not playing with Apple's logic. Have you tried the power cable from another Mac to ensure it is not a cable specific issue?

 

[VMX]

Thanks! That makes sense.

Unfortunately I don't have any other Mac cable (or Apple device for that matter) to try that.

However, every single USB-C charger that I've tried (including the 65W one from my Lenovo L490 laptop) works just fine with the Freebuds.

If I knew it's a defective cable I would even be OK with buying a second one myself... but I don't know how I could find out.