Other The iPhone USB-C/Thunderbolt Thread: what works?

[BeyondtheTech]

I bought this NOVOO hub for my MacBook a while back and it works great on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Great if you want portability and all the options. https://www.amazon.com/NOVOO-Ethernet-Delivery-compatible-MateBook/dp/B07HNXRX5T

 

[zorinlynx]

Just plugged my b&w px8 headphones into the usb-c port on my phone and Apple Music now displays hi res lossless as 24/192khz which I’ve never had before 😜

Holy crap this is amazing. This switch to USB-C has opened a whole world of peripherals that had been locked away from iPhone users.

I bet my USB-C to TOSlink adapter will work too. Lossless toslink from my phone to a nice sound system! WIN!!

 

[Dan08]

Interesting. Do the FIDO2 features work?
My YubiKey works, but the password isn't inputted on the key itself.

I don’t use FIDO2 features on my OnlyKey, but as you mentioned; my YubiKeys seem to all work great for that.

I tried with a different Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-A adapter that I have, and still no luck.

But then I tried with a newer model of OnlyKey that I have (still their USB-A version, just a not the original model I had been trying earlier) and it works fine with either adapter.

Seems a bit like an OnlyKey issue and not an iPhone issue at this point. Anyone with the latest model of OnlyKey should be fine.

I still ordered a few of those Anker adapters that you mentioned though! They look much more portable than the Apple/Amazon ones I have.

 

[kyjaotkb]

wow

I believe that it has been possible on the iPad since launch and on the iPhone since a little later - 2012, 2013 maybe?

 

[Southernguy]

Holy crap this is amazing. This switch to USB-C has opened a whole world of peripherals that had been locked away from iPhone users.

I bet my USB-C to TOSlink adapter will work too. Lossless toslink from my phone to a nice sound system! WIN!!

Give it a go and report back!

 

[kyjaotkb]

Holy crap this is amazing. This switch to USB-C has opened a whole world of peripherals that had been locked away from iPhone users.

I bet my USB-C to TOSlink adapter will work too. Lossless toslink from my phone to a nice sound system! WIN!!

I have a Lightning to USB3 adapter and it already allowed me to use most USB devices (type A connector) with Lightning iPhones, including DACs allowing me to output Qobuz or Apple Music at 24/192. As a matter of fact the mighty £9 Lightning to mini-jack adapter outputs at 24/96 already. But this indeed opens the world of USB-C devices (since there aren’t really any USB-A male to USB-C female cables out there).

 

[zonai]

Absolutely need to make sure whatever you’re looking at can support the needed write speeds, as they usually only list read speeds.

Needs to be up to 220MB/s if you’re doing 4K/60 per:

About Apple ProRes on iPhone - Apple Support

Learn about Apple ProRes on iPhone. Apple ProRes enables multistream, real-time editing performance while delivering professional image quality.

support.apple.com

In that case I don't think you can use a flash drive, the write speeds wouldn't be high enough.

I had a dongle for CarPlay to allow you to make a USB-A connection while fast charging with USB-C that worked well with Lightning, but now won't make any data connections with the USB-C iPhone. I'm at a loss for what to do, I'm only getting 5W of power with USB-A which effectively means my phone isn't charging.

 

[Yorkieray]

You can also try using an adapter, similar to this:

View attachment 2277669

Basesailor USB to USB C Adapter 2Pack,USBC Female to A Male OTG Charger Type C Converter for Apple Watch Ultra iWatch 7 8 9,iPhone 15 14 13 Plus Pro Max,AirPods 3,iPad Air,Car,Samsung Galaxy S24 24 23

Basesailor USB to USB C Adapter 2Pack,USBC Female to A Male OTG Charger Type C Converter for Apple Watch Ultra iWatch 7 8 9,iPhone 15 14 13 Plus Pro Max,AirPods 3,iPad Air,Car,Samsung Galaxy S24 24 23

www.amazon.com

I ordered a couple of adapters similar to these from Amazon for use in the car with my new iPhone 15 PM. I have a Ford with a USB-A socket for connection for charging and Carplay.
It seemed to be working yesterday, but today, there was charge to the iPhone and no connection for Carplay. I even saww a message flash up on the car display that there may be a fault with the cable. i'm going to now order a USB-A to USB-C cable, as this should be more reliable than a cable and adapter.

 

[DeanL]

I don’t use FIDO2 features on my OnlyKey, but as you mentioned; my YubiKeys seem to all work great for that.

I tried with a different Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-A adapter that I have, and still no luck.

But then I tried with a newer model of OnlyKey that I have (still their USB-A version, just a not the original model I had been trying earlier) and it works fine with either adapter.

Seems a bit like an OnlyKey issue and not an iPhone issue at this point. Anyone with the latest model of OnlyKey should be fine.

I still ordered a few of those Anker adapters that you mentioned though! They look much more portable than the Apple/Amazon ones I have.

Please add the details of your OnlyKey that works and the one that doesn't work in the Wiki for the benefit of other people

 

[zorinlynx]

I have a Lightning to USB3 adapter and it already allowed me to use most USB devices (type A connector) with Lightning iPhones, including DACs allowing me to output Qobuz or Apple Music at 24/192. As a matter of fact the mighty £9 Lightning to mini-jack adapter outputs at 24/96 already. But this indeed opens the world of USB-C devices (since there aren’t really any USB-A male to USB-C female cables out there).

The problem is nearly every device you plugged in, the iPhone would complain about using too much power. Out of about 20 thumbdrives, only one I had would work. You can use a powered hub but at that point it's just becoming a pain in the ass.

 

[Ryan P]

I have always heard that 5W charging is less taxing on the battery than 20W because it produces less heat. Can you share a link to where you’re getting the information that this isn’t the case?

A 5W charger could actually cause increased deterioration. If you do anything other that leave it there with the screen off, likely it ends up having to use the battery while being charged, instead of just drawing needed power from the wall, causing increased battery wear.

The charger automatically slows down as the battery gets closer to full, and many other brands charge at far faster speeds than Apple.

 

[Supermallet]

A 5W charger could actually cause increased deterioration. If you do anything other that leave it there with the screen off, likely it ends up having to use the battery while being charged, instead of just drawing needed power from the wall, causing increased battery wear.

The charger automatically slows down as the battery gets closer to full, and many other brands charge at far faster speeds than Apple.

Interesting, I hadn't considered that.

 

[Mcdevidr]

People complain their iPhones get hot just from charging and some usage, so imagine what a much larger OS would do to a phone.

1. macOS has a memory footprint much larger than iOS or iPadOS and the OS uses much more disk space.

2. macOS also manages memory differently than iOS/iPadOS. Background processes also consume more resources on macOS.

3. Mac apps are more CPU intensive than iOS/iPadOS apps.

4. macOS has two partitions, one for the system and one for the user. This would not be good for booting dual operating systems on a phone or tablet.

5. The directory structure of the user's home folder is completely different on macOS compared to iOS/iPadOS.

6. Finally, they will not put a system called 'macOS' on a non-Mac. That's like a restaurant putting beef strips in a vegan burger. Branding and naming matters.

Cool story bro. It doesn’t have to be exactly Mac OS so I didnt really need a ten point plan besides I’m sure they could figure out a way to give me a desktop experience. I just can’t manage my files from iOS the app because it sucks. So I need the finder program or some equivalent to manage my iCloud files.

 

[sack_peak]

A 5W charger could actually cause increased deterioration. If you do anything other that leave it there with the screen off, likely it ends up having to use the battery while being charged, instead of just drawing needed power from the wall, causing increased battery wear.

The charger automatically slows down as the battery gets closer to full, and many other brands charge at far faster speeds than Apple.

That is what I observed when I plugged in a 96W 2019 MBP 16" Core i7 to a 18W USB-C charger and left it at idle. Battery drained like crazy. It would slow charge when it is turned off.

When I switched it to a 60W USB-C charger it slow charged while in use.

So in my mind if you want to slow charge while using it you need to use a charger that is between 40-80% of the fast charging max the device can take.

I slow charge my iPhone 13 Pro Max using a 12W USB-A charger. It fast charges on 27W USB-C.

I did not observe battery drain on a 5W USB-A CarPlay radio but I really wished Apple imposed a tech spec of 27W USB-C for any post-2018 CarPlay radio as they released a USB-C to Lightning cable by then.

 

[dcrumbaugh]

I can connect, power and play audio through my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface. Haven’t done any other testing or tried the reverse (external source into the phone via the interface).

 

[one more]

I ordered a couple of adapters similar to these from Amazon for use in the car with my new iPhone 15 PM. I have a Ford with a USB-A socket for connection for charging and Carplay.
It seemed to be working yesterday, but today, there was charge to the iPhone and no connection for Carplay. I even saww a message flash up on the car display that there may be a fault with the cable. i'm going to now order a USB-A to USB-C cable, as this should be more reliable than a cable and adapter.

Thank you for flagging it up! I guess it depends on the adapter then. Some of them are only meant for charging and not for a signal transfer. These particular adaptors by Basesailor are confirmed CarPlay compatible by Amazon users. 🖐️

Can you tell us exactly which adapter you have tried with your Ford? Please send us a link or a picture, so others do not fall for it.

 

[rezwits]

I can confirm, that the:
Motu M4 4x4 worked with the iPad Pro 12.9" 5th Gen, and bus powered the device too with zero signal loss or distortion using this cable: OWC TB4/USB4. (note: other cheap cables have tons of distortion).

I tried to see if I could bus power, from iPhone 15 Pro Max, no dice, LOL. But I didn't think that would. But I had this in my sights, just in case: CalDigit USB3 Hub

Plugged in power from an Apple USB-C (non-MBP) 20Watt, using the supplied CalDigit Cable, (as it's really suited for power anyway because it lacks good data I hear), to the hub, and then one of my OWC TB4 cables, to the Motu, then a 2nd OWC TB4 cable, to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and viola! No distortion, not pops, cracks anything. All powered up and working with a project from the iPad Pro opened in Garage Band (over iCloud)!

Now just waiting for this Cable Matters DP to HDMI female adapter, because from the CalDigit Hub the HDMI 2.0b port is shot, i.e. distorted. But thing is HDMI output from the iPhone sucks because of the lack of features. I really want to see if I can get maybe 120Hz refresh! LOL.

But also DP will have HDR etc... so! Happy Hunting!

 

[freelance2]

I use a PC and/or Laptop to backup my iPhone and iPad, and sync audiobooks and music. So, I tested several "modestly priced" cables to see what could do this at 10 Gb/sec vs 480 Mb/sec. I wasn’t able to measure actual data rates, just observing the time taken for the backup operation.

iPhone 15 Pro backup to a PC with a USB 3.1 Type C port on a Gigabyte Z370 AORUS 5 motherboard. This cable works great, ie, much much faster backups.

NIMASO USB C 3.1 Gen 2 Cable, 2 meters

NIMASO USB C 3.1 Gen 2 Cable 10Gbps Data Transfer, 4K Video Output Monitor Cable 100W PD Fast Charging Cable for iPhone 15Pro/15ProMax/15/15Plus, MacBook, Huawei Matebook, iPad Pro 2020, Chromebook

This is usb c 3.1 gen2 cable, suit for video display and connecting your monitor, compatible with thunderbolt 3 port and usb c 3.1 gen2 port.

www.amazon.com

iPhone 15 Pro backup to a Laptop with a Thunderbolt 4 port on a Lenovo 13s Gen 2. This cable also works for the latest iPad Pro 11, both with fast backups.

APEXSUN USB C Thunderbolt 4/3, USB4, 5.5 inches

APEXSUN (2 Pack FPC 0.4FT USB C Cable，USB C to USB C Flexible Cable Support Thunderbolt 4/3,USB4,240W Charging,8K Display,40Gbps Data Transfer for External SSD, EGPU,Docking,MacBook,Pad, Phone

data transmission speed provided by thunderbolt 4 and USB 4.0 cables

www.amazon.com

 

[ecschwarz]

I'll add my pile of things that work with the regular iPhone 15:

• USB keyboards (with USB-A-to-USB-C adapter)
• Anker USB-C SD/microSD card reader
• Anker USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter
• Belkin USB-C to ethernet adapter
• Anker USB-C to HDMI adapter
• HP Elite USB-C Dock G3 (headphone out, HDMI, ethernet, and USB all recognized)
• ForHelp 15.6inch Portable Monitor

 

[ecschwarz]

This UPERFECT 4k OLED 15.6" travel monitor, which is the perfect travel companion to my 16" M2 Max MBP, works amazingly with a single thunderbolt cable plugged into my iPhone 15 PM. The 4k playback is fantastic and is frankly better than all the blooming on the XDR display of the MBP.

Touch screen does not work like it does when connected to my Mac, but hey… playback is great. COD mobile is not 4k and is the same aspect ratio as the phone. Not sure what games(if any at the moment) can mirror at 4k. I guess I’ll wait for Assassin’s Creed.

Link here (Bought mine off amazon for much cheaper by "Innocn" but they can not be found anymore)

That reminds me of a nicer version of these ($100 regularly, $75 with Prime) that we snagged at my day job - they also seem to work just fine: https://www.amazon.com/ForHelp-15-6...efix=portable+monitor+15.6,aps,97&sr=8-3&th=1

 

[adam1080]

That reminds me of a nicer version of these ($100 regularly, $75 with Prime) that we snagged at my day job - they also seem to work just fine: https://www.amazon.com/ForHelp-15-6inch-Portable-External-Ultra-Thin/dp/B0BNWWF32B/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3HYT3KGW27D78&keywords=portable+monitor+15.6&qid=1695664654&sprefix=portable+monitor+15.6,aps,97&sr=8-3&th=1

Yeah, if you don't want 4k and OLED both, there are some very cheap/reasonable options.

If you are a freak like me and have to have both, then you will pay for it. I got mine for ~$600, but now you will be paying closer to $800.

 

[Menibike]

I'd love to find a super compact USB-C 3.2 drive like this PNY 128GB Elite-X Fit, but in USB-C. Something I could plug in for ProRes recording without it sticking out 3". Has anyone found one?

Seems to be plenty of options that surpases needed speed, just not as small as the one you want.

Amazon.com: Usb-c Memory

Amazon.com: usb-c memory

www.amazon.com

 

[kyjaotkb]

I have questions about the USB-C to Lightning adapter (https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MUQX3ZM/A/usb-c-to-lightning-adapter). Purely theoretical question without any practical use… does it produce USB3 speed over Lightning? One could connect a USB3 camera connection kit to it and a USB-A SSD to the kit and test. The most pointless test, of course

 

[kyjaotkb]

Does anybody know if the iPhone 15 Pro gets 10Gb/s through USB 3.1 or 3.2? If it’s 3.1 then it seems like transfers to and from M1 Mac’s would be limited to 5Gb/s…

M1 Mac Thunderbolt 4 ports mostly don't support 10Gb/s speed - 9to5Mac

Pro users of M1 Macs have reported disappointing transfer speeds with external SSDs, and tests appear to show that most M1 Mac Thunderbolt 4.

9to5mac.com

 

[DeanL]

Does anybody know if the iPhone 15 Pro gets 10Gb/s through USB 3.1 or 3.2? If it’s 3.1 then it seems like transfers to and from M1 Mac’s would be limited to 5Gb/s…

M1 Mac Thunderbolt 4 ports mostly don't support 10Gb/s speed - 9to5Mac

Pro users of M1 Macs have reported disappointing transfer speeds with external SSDs, and tests appear to show that most M1 Mac Thunderbolt 4.

9to5mac.com

3.2 Gen 2