The iPhone has finally switched to a USB-C connector, which means Android and iOS users can now share their cables with each other. Samsung users will be among the biggest beneficiaries of Apple's adoption of USB-C on the iPhone, but is it possible the USB-C cable you got with your Galaxy phone will end up damaging the iPhone 15?
After the iPhone 15 lineup was launched, a Chinese retailer's advice to one buyer ended up creating quite the commotion online. The retailer told a consumer that they shouldn't use Android USB-C cables on their iPhone 15, saying that cables that have fewer than 12 pins on one end can cause damage to the iPhone. But that's completely incorrect.
A USB-C cable can have up to 12 pins on each end (for a total of 24), and when the cable is connected to a USB-C port (like the one on an iPhone or Galaxy smartphone), the pins inside that port and those on the cable combine to initiate a connection and help the connected devices communicate with each other.
However, not all USB-C cables need all 12 pins. The number of pins can vary depending on the specs of the cable, such as its maximum transfer speeds or how much power it provides to the connected device, and fewer pins doesn't mean you will run into issues. A cable simply has to comply with the USB-C standard to work, and finding USB-C cables that aren't compliant are incredibly hard to find these days.
And that essentially means that USB-C cables sold with Android phones, including phones with the Samsung Galaxy branding, will work just fine on the iPhone 15. So if you have friends who decide to buy the new iPhone instead of a Galaxy S23 Ultra or a Galaxy Z Flip 5 and ask to borrow your Samsung USB-C cable, don't hesitate to give it to them.
