Rumor: Apple Will Restrict Non-Certified USB-C Accessories on iPhone

(Credit: Mishaal Zahed/Unsplash) After years of griping, Apple is finally going to release an iPhone with USB-C in 2023. All it took was a supranational political and economic union of 27 individual states to force its hand. But you know what they say: Be careful what you wish for. When the first USB-C iPhone debuts later this year, it might not look like all the USB-C cables you’ve been stockpiling. A new rumor claims Apple’s “Made for iPhone” program will remain in place to certify USB accessories.

The Made for iPhone (MFi) program has been a cash cow for the company, which charges OEMs to certify that their products work with the iPhone. That was almost understandable when Apple was using its own custom port, but the move to USB-C gave Apple an opportunity to standardize. But Apple is not known for leaving money on the table.

According to a reliable Apple leaker who goes by ShrimpApplePro, the company will retain the option to limit the functionality of devices plugged into the iPhone 15. So, it’ll be a lot like the current situation, except these devices will be connected to a USB-C port. This rumor does jive with claims that have been circulating on the Weibo social network in China, which state the iPhone 15 will have an authenticator chip that will verify accessory compatibility.

Apple unveiled Lightning when most mobile devices still used microUSB.

One of the primary advantages of USB-C is that it can support a wide array of features using established standards, but the EU regulation that dragged Apple into the future only stipulates that devices need to use the USB Type-C port. Technically, there’s nothing stopping Apple from adding a layer of authentication on top of the port, provided non-certified cables have some basic level of functionality.

We can only speculate about the exact nature of Apple’s new MFi program, but it’s likely that only certified cables will be able to fast-charge the device. You may also see USB accessories fail to connect with the irksome “This accessory is not supported” error we had hoped to leave in the dust. If the rumors are true, it could signal Apple’s intention to lock down USB-C on its other devices. The iPad and MacBooks have had USB-C ports for several years, and they’ve adhered to standards so far.

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