On this week’s edition of Tech 911, a reader writes in asking about third-party iPhone adapters—specifically, will using one turn his device into a ticking time bomb.
Ticking? Definitely not. Explosive? Probably not. Do you run a risk? Yes. Do most people care? No.
So, about those chargers
Lifehacker reader Gilese writes:
“So we know using cheap, third party cables to charge an iPhone is bad, but what about the little bricks that plug into the wall or nubs that plug into a car lighter? Is it safe to use those with a certified Apple cord?”
The answer is probably not going to thrill you: It depends.
I’ll caveat my advice by saying that I’m hardly an electronics expert like Nathan K. or Benson Leung, but I’ll do my best. Generally, Apple would prefer you use Apple devices—and only Apple devices—to charge your iPhone. But even the tech juggernaut stocks plenty of third-party adapters and cables at its own online and retail stores. If the company was truly that concerned about third-party products potentially wrecking or blowing up its devices, it wouldn’t sell them.
That said, the best suggestion I can give is also the most generic: Don’t buy power adapters or cables that don’t pass the smell test. If something looks too good to be true—perhaps its priced extraordinarily low compared to other power adapters you’re looking at, or it just looks like a crappy counterfeit of a real power adapter—don’t buy it.
(Here’s an older, but good comparison of what’s inside a real iPhone power adapter versus a counterfeit one, if you want to geek out for a moment.)
When you’re shopping, research products from big, reputable brands you’ve heard of: Anker, Samsung, Belkin, RavPower, etc. Read reviews from others who have purchased the power adapters, and note any instances where people have had critical issues when charging their smartphones or tablets. Sometimes, that just happens. If it feels like it’s happening to a majority of people who are leaving a review for a product, steer clear.
You can also try looking up whether certain adapters have USB-IF certification from the (non-profit) USB Implementers Forum or if they’re Apple MFI-certified (short for Made For iPhone). These still doesn’t guarantee that every certified power adapter will work perfectly one-hundred percent of the time, but it can help decrease the risk that you’re buying something that hasn’t been vetted in some fashion.
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