Will :agender_flag:I have an iPhone 13 with the Lightning connector for now. When I plug it into the front of my Mac mini with a cable purchased from AT&T, the phone says it’s slow charging.
Might this be a non-MFi cable? Or do the front USB-C connections only support limited power output?
I’m planning on getting an iPhone 17 Pro when it comes out, and am trying to prepare as best as possible.
#Apple #iPhone #MacMini #USBC #SlowCharging
David Nelson@AncTreat5358@mindly.social It’s probably supplying the standard 4.5w since it’s not explicitly labeled as a PD port. In general I’d say charging from a computer is always going to be on the slow side. Though the cable can also be a limiting factor in charging speed.
Sumocat 🐈⬛
@AncTreat5358@mindly.social First thing, USB has three separate specs for shape, data, and power. USB ports on computers usually adhere to the data spec requirement unless otherwise marked.
The front USB-C (shape) ports on a Mac Mini are USB 3 (data), which only requires 4.5W and are not advertised as supporting Power Delivery, so no fast charging. Thunderbolt rear ports should supply 15W, which is faster but not peak. Bottom line: data ports are not optimized for power by default.
Edwin G. :mapleleafroundel:@AncTreat5358@mindly.social I don't have a MacMini, so I can't do any testing there.
But it's possible that the AT&T cable is not a fast charging cable. It could only support whatever the original USB specification supports.
Will :agender_flag:@Sumocat@mastodon.world Ah, this makes sense. Thank you! I would have thought that, since they are front and center, they would've been optimized for charging stuff at a fast speed.
I did web search for these specs before posting, but was having trouble finding said info.
Thanks for your help, Sumocat.
Will :agender_flag:@EdwinG@mstdn.moimeme.ca That makes sense. I think iOS 26 was the first one to say "slow charging", so it might've been that way all along, even with plug-in-to-the-wall type.