Apple Starts Blocking Knockoff Lightning Cables in iOS 7

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Posted September 19, 2013 at 2:20pm by iClarified

Apple has reportedly begun blocking some knockoff Lightning cables from working in iOS 7.

While there were early reports that this might be the case, 9to5Mac has confirmed the news.

We first spotted this in a Reddit post, and have since confirmed. The warning message itself is unchanged, but it’s no longer an empty threat – though as seen in comments, some non-certified cables are still working. Possibly ones that use cracked chips. The good news is that there is a workaround for others, but it’s not pretty …

Reddit user 3quanimity suggests trying:

1. Turn on USB power
2. Plug in lightning cable to iPhone
3. Dismiss any warnings
4. Unlock your iPhone.
5. Dismiss any remaining warnings.
6. Now with the screen turned on.
7. Unplug the knock off lightning cable.
8. Plug it back in.
9. Dismiss warning again
10. It should now charge.

Apple's authentication for the Lightning connector was cracked in October 2012 allowing third party companies to manufacturer accessories without approval. Presumably, Apple has found a way to detect whether its authentication was bypassed and has included this check in iOS 7.

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Apple Starts Blocking Knockoff Lightning Cables in iOS 7

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KN cable? - September 20, 2013 at 8:52pm

I ordered an extra cable from Sprint.com when I ordered iphone 5, it was when iphone 5 first came out. The cable worked perfectly until iOS7 update. The lightning cable was so new at the time and there was no counterfeit was on the market (I checked Amazon back then, all the price was the same). So who is BS'ing now? Anything purchased outside of apple store would be unauthorized?

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Wafiq - September 20, 2013 at 8:56pm

you can never tell which cables are working and which are not working because the software can lie to you. I have had my phone charging on a 3rd party cable and iOS 7 didn't show that my phone was charging at all. I unplugged 10 minutes later and got a 5 percent bump. This was happening because the after market cable i was using was not drawing the full 5 watts from my Macbook Pro. Mainly because it was not an apple cable so it didn't have the chip in it.

justabrake - September 20, 2013 at 1:23am

I'm saying china makes them stronger and if they had the compatibility to make it compatible I would buy China's brand apples in last years cables suck !

gamerscul9870 - September 20, 2013 at 1:39am

Mine works fine, I have no problem at all with it compared to 30-pins wiring.

justabrake - September 19, 2013 at 11:29pm

Whatever happened to we are going to make a universal cable for all cellphones 5 years ago ! So as we don't have waste in landfills ! All the manufactures said this !

Justtobesafe - September 19, 2013 at 6:34pm

As much as I would love paying for a cheaper lightning cable as the next guy, I think the check is in place to forewarn users that it is not completely safe to use unlicensed cables. So if anything goes wrong, like the Chinese woman who was electrocuted to death using an third-party cable, it's not Apple's fault. http://www.zdnet.com/third-party-iphone-charger-may-be-responsible-for-chinese-womans-death-7000018283/

Wafiq - September 20, 2013 at 9:00pm

I don't think you understand how cables work... the lady who blew herself up was plugged into the WALL and the CHARGER(not cable) was shorted so DC power was going to her phone(which is really bad). it had nothing to do with the 3rd party cable. If you read the article you posted, you would see that the dispute is with the charger and not the cable :)

Trey168 - November 30, 2013 at 5:05am

Umm I don't think you understand how charges work either... DC goes to the phone normally... I think you meant AC... The power brick's job is to convert AC to DC...

Wafiq - November 30, 2013 at 7:24am

hence the cables are not to blame? that was the point of that post. AC or DC, still the power plug to blame

Sami - September 19, 2013 at 6:26pm

I had an aftermarket battery case while on beta and it fried my battery completely. Had to buy a new phone. I would advise not to ignore and use oem cords and certified battery cases.

arkhi - September 19, 2013 at 4:06pm

I bought a genuine Apple Lightning to USB cable with my iPad from Apple's Australian Online Store.

TheRealNoGoodNick - September 20, 2013 at 12:56am

Happy using same old sheep? With less apps and performance, good luck!

odedoo1 - September 19, 2013 at 3:50pm

First it works just fine with none Apple cables also they already got iOS 7 ready cables that work without the warning pop ups, it's nothing to worry about.

dancj - September 19, 2013 at 3:40pm

It does deter me from upgrading from my iPhone 4s and iPad 3. The price Apple charges for Lightning cables is ridiculous.

dark_destroyer - September 19, 2013 at 3:09pm

It won't be long before a Chinese brother finds another crack work around for the new cables

they already did.

gamerscul9870 - September 19, 2013 at 4:10pm

Won't be long when people realize it was just a false message!

Sam - September 19, 2013 at 2:33pm

Yet another reason i will never update to ios 7.

Jack Black - September 19, 2013 at 2:34pm

Here here :)

gamerscul9870 - September 19, 2013 at 4:07pm

Many reasons yet this is not one of them! Plug it with itunes on PC and it will go away. Still works with iPhone whether you get them message or not! Here here!

Bebop - September 19, 2013 at 2:27pm

im using the original cable from the box and im getting this message! wtf!!

Patric Gmuer - September 19, 2013 at 3:17pm

It might have an old encryption key, plug it into iTunes and see if the message goes away after doing that.