Is your iPhone charger acting up? Your recent upgrade to iOS 7 may be to blame.
Some Apple users are receiving the following warning message when they connect a device to its charger: “This cable or accessory is not certified and may not work reliably with this iPhone.” As a side effect, the charger may not reliably charge the device.
This message may be especially concerning to users who have what they believe to be an Apple certified charger, specifically the Lightning to USB cable, which can be purchased from the Apple store. Apple now requires Lightning cable manufacturers to include a chip in the port, but that was not always the case. Users with third party Lightning cables, as well as users with older cables, are experiencing the issue.
However, some users are reporting their third-party cables are still working, even after the update to iOS 7. These cables may be using cracked or compromised chips; such cables briefly flooded the market last October right after Apple announced the new port standard.
Unlike nearly every other smartphone manufacturer, Apple has spurned chargers with USB micro ports, instead opting for its proprietary Lightning port. According to a recent New York Times article, this allows the company to tightly control Apple accessories.
Back in June, 9to5mac reported that the upcoming iOS 7 would be able to differentiate between certified and third-party Lightning cables, though Apple said it wouldn’t block the non-certified cables.
I’ve contacted Apple for comment on this alleged bug and whether there are plans in the works to address it. In the meantime, this Reddit thread offers a potential workaround.
