It seems Apple devices and accessories are ubiquitous these days. While it is common for Lightning cables to be used daily, it is not always clear which ones are safe and which ones can lead to problems down the road. The article, “Why Counterfeit Lightning Cables Kill iPhones” written by Motherboard, discusses an unrelenting issue occurring in the charging world of electronic devices, particularly with Apple iPhones.
Counterfeit Cables in Sheep's Clothing
There is an abundance of knock-off Apple iPhone chargers on the market, and while it may seem safe to use them with your iPhone or other Apple devices, it turns out they can actually harm your phone all the way down to the motherboard, causing irreparable damage.
The article discusses how some of the Apple accessories on the market are not MFi (Made for iPhone) approved, meaning that they are not reviewed and tested against Apple’s standards and specification compliances. Charging cables that are MFi approved have been permitted by Apple and are considered safe for use by the general public. These cables will always include an MFi approved label.
Why Counterfeit Cables May Be Unsafe
Counterfeit cords that aren’t regulated are often produced with no safety precaution mechanism; they do not always include Apple’s certified E75 chip, which is a regulator of power allowances between the phone and the cable. Cables without this regulator chip, or cables with reverse engineered E75 chips, can cause the charger to overpower the iPhone and burn the Tristar (U2) chip on the motherboard.
The article mentions, "MFi cables are designed to work with an iPhone. The Tristar (or U2 chip) regulates the amount of power that your phone’s logic board can receive. A bonafide MFi charger has what’s called an E75 chip. The E75 is like a bouncer. It scans the crowd outside of the door, makes sure everything is chill, and then tells your phone that it’s okay go ahead and take in the voltage. Then, the E75 validates the message with a super-secret password. If you plug in a cord that doesn’t have an E75, you’ll see an "Accessory not supported" message on your phone. No password, no charging."
Permanent Damage Can Occur with Unregulated Lightning Cables
Those that have been unfortunate enough to use these unregulated charging cords and have experienced phone damage may suffer these consequences permanently.
The article adds, "If you think you’ve already damaged your phone due to a bum charging cord, I’m afraid there’s no good DIY fix…swapping out the battery or changing the charging port won’t work. It’s the motherboard that needs a little TLC. The Geniuses at the Apple won’t be able to help, either—they can’t make repairs to the motherboard."
Moral of the story is that while it may seem trivial or too expensive to purchase an MFi approved cord, going with this option may actually be saving you a lot of grief and money in the end.
