Looking to buying a third-party MFi USB-C to Lightning cable for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch? Well, there's bad news for you.
"Only Apple makes the USB-C to Lightning Cable. There are no "Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad" USB-C to Lightning cables."
If you have a 12-inch MacBook or a new 2016 MacBook Pro, then there are two routes you can take for your accessory needs. The first one is fairly simple: buy a dongle. The second one is a future-proof plan: buy cables with USB-C connectors on them. The latter is the move you should make in order to rid yourself from dongles completely. But, some cables can be expensive if bought directly from first-parties, with USB-C to Lightning being one of them. So, the logical thing to do here is: go for a third-party USB-C to Lightning cable, right?
Well, wrong.
The thing is, while Apple may have a 'Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad' program going on for Lightning accessory makers, it does not apply to USB-C to Lightning cables, yet. So, if you stumble across a cable with a USB-C connector on one end and Lightning on the other from a third-party, avoid that cable at all costs. It will damage your device and Apple will throw a hefty bill at you if you take it to them for repairs, as damage from non-MFi accessories is not covered under warranty.
In fact, if you go to Amazon right now, you will stumble across many USB-C to Lightning cables that claim to fit your MacBook and iOS device with the utmost ease. But be warned, these cables are not certified by Apple so therefore could pose a serious risk to your iOS device and even your notebook.
The revelation of no USB-C to Lightning MFi cables comes directly from Apple itself and it reads as follows:
*Only Apple makes the USB-C to Lightning Cable. There are no "Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad" USB-C to Lightning cables.
This means your only option for buying a USB-C to Lightning cable is Apple itself. Currently, the company has two cables on offer which you can buy. One that sells for $19, and is 1 meter in length, while the other one sells for $29 and comes in 2 meters of length. Granted, a third-party option might cost half that money, but it's totally not worth putting your expensive investment in harm's way just because you wanted to cut corners on a cable.
Over time, we are certain there is going to be an MFi certification for USB-C to Lightning cables. But till that happens, Apple is your best bet to fulfill your needs.
