It’s happened to everyone. You buy a cheap iPhone cable, use it normally. But it doesn’t work soon, and it’s not because it’s badly made. iPhone just refuses this cable to charge itself, that’s all.
iPhone X, 11 Pro, 12 Pro, 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro compared
Every iPhone and iPad has a system that checks cables, chargers and other devices for MFi certification. This ensures that the third-party accessory meets Apple’s quality standards. If the cable is not MFi (Made for iPhone / iPod / iPad) certified, the iPhone may refuse to charge.
You may not know, but you can check this certification online for any accessory sold on Apple’s website for a long time and in the world.
How to check MFi certificate for any accessory?
- Go to https://mfi.apple.com/account/accessory-search
- Select Brand from the list.
- Write the brand of the accessory manufacturer in the field opposite.
- Find your accessory in the results list.
If the cable and charger are listed, they are MFi certified. If not, it unfortunately does not meet Apple’s quality standards.
For example, when you search for Baseus, 34 products are listed in the Apple database. So, at best, 5% of Baseus variants are MFi certified. The Ugreen brand is in better shape with 297 records. Anker’s 2840 accessories are registered in Apple’s database.
Why not all accessories have MFi certification?
The answer to this is quite predictable. Because the certification process costs money and takes time. First, the manufacturer needs to contact Apple and provide them with an accessory for internal testing. The company and its service partners evaluate the “test product” on the following criteria:
- degree of warming
- Quality of components (including chip)
- Compatibility with Apple devices
- Reliability
- Interoperability of declared functions
If all tests are passed successfully, it will be passed to the next stage. The manufacturer has to pay a one-time fee to obtain the MFi certificate. This gives the relevant company the privilege of legally marking the accessory to be sold with the MFi logo and phrase. But it’s not over. Finally, the manufacturer will also have to pay royalties to Apple for every accessory sold with this certificate.
It is very costly for manufacturers to certify all the accessories they sell in this way. This is always reflected on the consumer. That’s why accessories with the MFi logo are always more expensive than those without that certification. So 95% of cables and chargers from AliExpress do not have MFi certification. Also, the presence of the MFi logo on the box or in the description does not guarantee anything.
Why is it important to verify the MFi certificate?
In addition to the example of “blocking” unlicensed cables at the iOS level, the absence of MFi certification increases the risk of damaging not only the accessory itself, but also the device connected to it.
However, having an MFi certified cable doesn’t guarantee anything supernatural either. Apart from increasing confidence and statistically reducing the probability of an unpleasant and unexpected failure.
Also, Chinese (less often – American, European) manufacturers deceive buyers of accessories, promising them MFi certification. Ultimately, this logo increases the value of the product and increases sales. Some buyers deliberately choose MFi-certified products, hoping for Apple-level quality.
Get in the habit of checking accessories from the MFi database before purchasing. It will take a few moments, but it will help you choose faster and save money.
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