Apple is widely expected to swap out the Lighting Connector on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro in favor of USB-C, although according to a rumor shared on Chinese microblogging website Weibo, Apple could limit USB-C functionality to approved “Made for iPhone” (MFi) accessories, similar to the way Apple requires Lighting accessories to use an authenticator chip to avoid the “This accessory is not supported” warnings on connected Apple devices.
According to MacRumors, Apple has developed its own variant of USB-C for this year’s iPhone 15 lineup which could see USB-C functionality limited to only approved accessories part of the company’s “Made for iPhone” program, which requires third-party accessory makers to pay Apple to sell certified accessories that work properly with connected devices.
The report suggests that Apple could limit features like fast charging and high-speed data transfer to Apple and MFi-certified USB-C cables, although it isn’t clear whether this will actually happen.
One possibility is that through making its own USB-C accessories, Apple could limit fast charging features to the high-end iPhone 15 Pro series, for example.
For context, Apple uses USB-C for the 10th-generation iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro and does not have any authentication chip like that rumored to be coming to the iPhone 15 lineup.