The most exciting new feature of the iPhone 15 isn’t the rumored curved design or ultra-zoom camera—it’s the switch from Lightning to USB-C. But a new report from a famous leaker claims that the charging port might not be so universal.
According to ShrimpApplePro on Twitter, “usb-c with MFI is happening” and “accessories such as EarPods and cables” are already made by Foxconn. In a follow-up tweet, he Explains that cables that are not MFi-certified will be “software limited in data and charging speed.”
Apple introduced the Made for iPod program in January 2005 and expanded it to the iPhone and iPad when the devices arrived. It was officially changed to MFi in 2012 when Lightning came to the iPhone 5. As Apple explains, the program gives developers “access to the technical details and resources needed to create accessories that communicates with Apple devices using MFi technologies and components.” It currently includes a wide range of accessories, including game controllers, headphones, speakers, and of course, cables.
Apple charges $99 a year for participating in the MFi program and earns an unspecified “royalty” related to MFi accessories. On the MFi Program website, it states that this information is only available under NDA.
ShrimpApplePro’s claim is that an unsupported cable will result in a slow charging speed that is MFi certified. It is not clear if this means that charging will be slower than the current 20W speed, or if it will be limited to 20W and USB-C iPhones will support faster charging. It has already been said that the iPhone 15 Pro models will support Thunderbolt transfer at 40Gbps, so MFi certification is likely required to achieve those speeds.
With current iPhones, accessories that are not MFi certified are not guaranteed to work with the iPhone and will often display a “This accessory is not supported” warning when connected. That same caveat doesn’t apply to the iPad’s USB-C accessories, and there have been no reports of slower charging speeds when using third-party cables.
However, the iPhone is far and away Apple’s biggest selling device, so it’s no surprise to see Apple expand its USB-C program. The majority of MFi devices are Lightning, and while accessory manufacturers still need to support Lightning devices while older phones are still being sold, the transition to USB-C is sure to be easy.
For all the latest news and rumors about this year’s new handsets, check out our iPhone 15 superguide.