Did you ever replace the cable the first few times you got the message?
Even Apple cables go bad, you're supposed to replace them at the first signs of problems.
Unauthorized Third-Party Chargers May Damage iPhone 5 Charging Circuitry
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Did you ever replace the cable the first few times you got the message?
Even Apple cables go bad, you're supposed to replace them at the first signs of problems.
elgrecomac
macrumors 65816
Gotta love it!
Nothing says bovine scat like a closed ecosystem....right down to the charger (?!)
Nothing says bovine scat like a closed ecosystem....right down to the charger (?!)
crisss1205
macrumors 6502a
Here you go, Apple approved 6ft cable.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=112&cp_id=11213&cs_id=1083101&p_id=10376&seq=1&format=2
And the official Apple 6ft cable.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD819ZM/A/
My wife has been through 3 or 4 of the "official" cables. They are not reliable for heavy usage.
Sneakz
macrumors 65816
Same. My official lightning cable that came with the phone occasionally brings up the message which I end up dismissing.
locoboi187
macrumors 6502a
Car charger:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10826&cs_id=1082603&p_id=8858&seq=1&format=2
Extension:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030304&p_id=8606&seq=1&format=2
These will work just fine as long as you use Apple's original cables.
If those aren't satisfactory solutions, there are also third party cables and chargers certified by Apple such as:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=112&cp_id=11213&cs_id=1120109&p_id=10574&seq=1&format=2
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=112&cp_id=11213&cs_id=1083101&p_id=10377&seq=1&format=2
jclardy
macrumors 601
I use the Apple charger in my nightstand but in my car I use an amazon-basics branded lightning cable and a PNY USB power adapter....
I hope my phone isn't fried
Amazon basics cables are certified, the power brick isn't but the cable is the thing that should actually be assigning the pins (As you could plug the other end into a 10 year old usb port and it should work.)
The sad part here is that Apple supplies all the specs required.
If not Apple, the USB organization publishes specs that ports are suppose to adhere too. Getting a charger right isn't rocket science.
If not Apple, the USB organization publishes specs that ports are suppose to adhere too. Getting a charger right isn't rocket science.
Tubamajuba
macrumors 68020
That's not how the business world works... you sell things for profit. And if they "tear up very fast", I question how you're using them. Certainly they'll begin to fray over time, but they should last a good while. One of my cables started to fray due to being kept in my car (extreme heat), so I put some tape on it and it's good to go. Not ideal, but not the end of the world
Apple engineered monopoly at its finest.
Thankfully, you have the choice of switching to Android or Windows Phone if you dislike this "monopoly" you speak of.
Every car with a USB port charges your device when you plug it in. Is Apple going caution us about that too? What about CarPlay? Is there going to be a special charging circuit built into all of those units too? I'd say Apple needs to be taking a closer look at their U2 chip.
crisss1205
macrumors 6502a
There are USB specs to follow. Car manufacturers are in fact following those specs. The problem is that unregulated (Chinese knockoff) adapaters and chargers are not safe for any device.
RMo
macrumors 65816
I use the Apple charger in my nightstand but in my car I use an amazon-basics branded lightning cable and a PNY USB power adapter....
I hope my phone isn't fried
The AmazonBasics Lightning cable is MFi certified, so you're fine with regards to the cable. (Monoprice is another cheap brand of cable that is also certified.)
However, I'm confused about the adapters. Is Apple warning against any USB power adapter, or just ones that claim to be able to output the higher amperage that iOS devices can request? If they're saying an iOS device can't handle a third-party 5V/0.5A charger (this is standard USB), that seems like it would be a problem with that charger on any device. I could understand concern, however, over the higher-amperage chargers since I assume it is still the case that Apple is using a proprietary USB protocol modification to allow this request to take place, and presumably the charger must strictly adhere to the requirements.
As many have stated there are approved products for both examples above...
but aside from that... Apple is under no obligation to release chargers that cover all needs of the device (yes they should as it will boost sales - but they can do what they want).... and maybe they have reasons for this or specifically dont want to support car charging (there are plenty of electronics that state use of a power inverter - needed to convert the power from a car to usable current - will void the warranty).
In fact, all of these reports over this has seemed very odd to me... All electronics are the same way - use of third-party products with a device is not covered under warranty and support cant help you (its not their product after all). Plenty of other products have issues similar to this with third party power adapters cause damage to the device -any video game console ever made for one - but you never see that in the news.
At my previous workplace - we had several computers motherboards fried from a static shock caused by poorly shielded USB flash drives people brought from home to transfer files. And these were name brand flash drives (SanDisk, Kingston, etc) and Dell desktops. A microsoft mouse with a damaged cable was the culprit in one instance. This was 6 years ago....
Apple is the only company I know that even approves specific third-party products (Apple even does tests themselves) and has a system to help consumers identify which third-party products are authorized to not damage your Apple Device.
xxnemoxx
macrumors member
Most of the people that get the iPhone I would say pay no more than $300 or so used for it, or just abandon the contract, at least thats the case I've seen where I live, almost no one buys the iPhone here at full price, oh well, guess they will find out sooner or later you get what you pay for.
I would expect car companies and stereo manufactures to get Approved through the MFi program... really since these are just USB ports attached to the stereo or car's computer, its really not any different than using your Desktop or Laptop computer's USB port to charge - which is approved and authorized by Apple as long as the cable used is approved. This is because computers all conform to the USB specifications which includes providing the correct current (in fact i think computer USB ports generally charge at a slower speed anyways.. eliminating this problem).
The issue described in this article is with cheaply made power adapters from China - likely made by people who know nothing about voltage regulation or the USB Specification for Power and doesnt care to pay extra attention to detail. They just slap it together and see if it draws power from an outlet (probably dont even hook it up to an iPhone, just a $2 voltage meter) and then sell it.
And this issue is not specific to Apple - if you were to buy a similar cheaply made charger for any other phone it has the potential to cause damage as well. And if Car and Stereo Manufacturers arent approved by apple and include cheap chargers in their cars - Apple devices will not be the only ones being fried (although probably the only ones you will hear about).
In fact, thinking more about it, my first cellphone - a Nokia - was fried due to a third-party car charger I used with it... this was in 1998...
Stingray454
macrumors 6502a
I really wouldn't. Here is a link that tests some original chargers versus low-cost china import ones. The difference is really huge, and the latter ones are quite often dangrous to both you and your device. I'm not saying this because I'm some hard-core apple fan (I don't even own and iPhone), but I would never risk using one of the low-cost third party chargers.
ActionableMango
macrumors G3
Nothing says bovine scat like a closed ecosystem....right down to the charger (?!)
Apple engineered monopoly at its finest.
This issue has NOTHING TO DO with a "closed ecosystem" or an "Apple monopoly".
As this article shows, knockoff chargers skip critically important safety measures such as insulation coatings and sufficient gaps between parts. For example, the distance between a high voltage part and a low voltage part:
The chip in the iPhone is expecting 5V, not 110V or 220V. It's not magically frying because someone hooked it up to the wrong brand charger, "oh, this is a Blackberry charger, I guess I'll die now". It's frying because someone bought a cheap charger that cut corners for part quality and safety.
Nothing you care about should be hooked up to this trash. Any quality charger that meets the specifications, approved by Apple or not, is fine.
richwoodrocket
macrumors 68020
Your comment doesnt really make sense... hardly anyone pays full price for any Phone and this is a well known fact. also, abandoning the contract would come with a large fee making the price higher... I think Chrjy probably knew this too - and his comment still applies... if you can afford $300 for a phone - you can afford a $20 charger, and if you cant well that is your risk on the $300 phone you just bought, maybe you should opt for the smaller size at $200 so you can afford a proper charger or save up until you do, or take care of the one that comes with it, or i guess you have to decide to risk damaging your $300 purchase with a $5 charger...
I was looking for a very short lightning cable - I have my iPod Touch 5g in the car in a mount that hooks to the air vents. The usb input on the stereo I installed is just a few inches away. Who wants a huge cord dangling down to the floor and back?
I found the perfect length cable on Ebay. Not mfi, of course. It worked great for a while, sometimes I would get the not supported popup, but then it started flipping out, saying the device wasn't supported, no device found, and other error messages. Sometimes unplugging it and replugging it in would make it work. Eventually nothing worked, so I had to go back to the original Apple cable.
Hope I didn't cause any damage to the iPod - haven't noticed anything.
I found the perfect length cable on Ebay. Not mfi, of course. It worked great for a while, sometimes I would get the not supported popup, but then it started flipping out, saying the device wasn't supported, no device found, and other error messages. Sometimes unplugging it and replugging it in would make it work. Eventually nothing worked, so I had to go back to the original Apple cable.
Hope I didn't cause any damage to the iPod - haven't noticed anything.
D.T.
macrumors G4
Hahaha, nice
Same here: 3 lightening cables, 2 from iP5s bought just after release, 1 from an iPad 4thG bought just after release. All are still working just fine.Yep. Our iPhones are charged 95% of the time by multi-USB strip/surge type products or car chargers combined with OEM/authorized cables - never had any issues.
As usually the Monoprice products are cheaper and really outstanding quality (I bought one to replace what I thought was a lost cable). FWIW, the Moshi cables at least appear to be really well put together (I had a free voucher, picked up an extra cable to leave at my desk for development).
There should be a survey to see if the same thing is happening with other devices. If it doesn't, then this feels more like Apple's own self-imposed limitation.
Yes, there are plain crap chargers out there. However, this is also creating FUD. I mean how about the USB port in my car? Do I have to buy a new Apple approved car now? And until Apple makes a USB charger with 5 USB port that can charge 5 devices at the same time, I'm keeping my Anker USB charger.
Yes, there are plain crap chargers out there. However, this is also creating FUD. I mean how about the USB port in my car? Do I have to buy a new Apple approved car now? And until Apple makes a USB charger with 5 USB port that can charge 5 devices at the same time, I'm keeping my Anker USB charger.