Charge and connect with the USB-C connector on your iPhone

USB-C is a universally accepted standard that enables charging, syncing data and playing audio and video. iPhone 15 and later models have a USB-C connector, which allows you to charge and connect to a variety of devices, including Mac, iPad, AirPods Pro (2nd generation), external storage devices and displays.

Charge your iPhone

You can charge your iPhone with a USB-C cable and power adapter compliant with the USB-C standard, including USB Power Delivery – such as the cable that came with your iPhone. These cables and power adapters are widely available from Apple and other manufacturers.

Connect the cable to the USB-C connector on your iPhone and to a compatible USB-C power adapter. Then plug the power adapter into a wall socket.

If you have a 20W USB-C power adapter or higher-wattage USB-C power adapter – such as the one that came with your Mac laptop – you can use it with your iPhone for faster charging. You can also charge your iPhone by connecting it to the USB-C port on your computer.

Connect your iPhone to your iPad, Mac and other computers

You can connect your iPhone to your iPad, Mac and other computers to transfer data, such as your photos and videos, using a USB-C cable compliant with the USB-C standard, such as the cable that came with your iPhone. These cables are widely available from Apple and other manufacturers. Just connect one end of the included USB-C charge cable to the USB-C connector on your iPhone and the other to the USB-C port on your computer.

Your iPhone will charge while connected to these devices. iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max support fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds up to 10 Gbit per second when using an optional USB 3 cable.¹

Charge other devices with your iPhone

You can use your iPhone 15 and later to charge your AirPods, Apple Watch or another small device that supports USB Power Delivery at up to 4.5 watts.

• If you have another device with a USB-C connector, connect it to your iPhone with a USB-C cable, such as the one included with your iPhone.

• To charge a device that has a Lightning connector, connect it to your iPhone using an Apple USB-C to Lightning cable.

• Charge your Apple Watch by connecting an Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable directly to your iPhone. You can also connect a Magnetic Charging Cable to your iPhone with the Apple USB-C to USB Adapter.

Play audio

To play audio on your iPhone, you can use its built-in speakers, connect to AirPods or other Bluetooth devices, or use AirPlay. You can also use the USB-C connector to listen with wired headphones or other audio accessories, such as the new EarPods (USB-C), sold separately.

If you need to play audio through the USB-C connector to other speakers or headphones, you can connect using the Apple USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter or the Apple USB-C to Lightning Adapter.

Connect to displays and monitors

You can connect your iPhone to external displays using the USB-C connector, so that you can watch video, see photos and more on a larger screen. Depending on the display that you’re connecting to, you might need an adapter, like the Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.

When you connect an external display, it shows what you can see on the built-in display of your iPhone, unless you’re using an app that has a second-screen experience (such as a video app).

USB-C displays

iPhone uses the DisplayPort protocol to support connections to USB-C displays at up to 4K resolution and 60 Hz.²

To connect your iPhone to high-resolution displays, use a USB-C cable that supports USB 3.1 or higher, such as the cable included with the display or the Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) Pro Cable (1 m), sold separately.²

iPhone also supports high-dynamic-range USB-C displays. You can switch between SDR and HDR modes by going to Settings > Display & Brightness and selecting your connected display. iPhone matches the frame rate and dynamic range of currently playing content when you turn on Allow Display Mode Changes.

Some USB-C displays can also charge your iPhone while it’s connected.

HDMI displays and TVs

You can connect your iPhone to an HDMI display or TV with a USB-C to HDMI adapter or cable. Adapters and cables that support HDMI 2.0 can output video from your iPhone at 4K resolution and 60 Hz.

The Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter is compatible with iPhone. This adapter can output video from iPhone at up to 4K resolution and 60 Hz,¹ including content in HDR10 or Dolby Vision if your display or TV supports HDR.

Connect to other devices

The USB-C connector on your iPhone can also connect to a variety of devices that are compliant with the USB-C standard, such as:

• CarPlay-compatible cars

• External storage devices

• Monitors and external displays

• Microphones

• External battery packs

• USB to Ethernet adapters

• SD cards using SD card adapters

The USB-C connector on iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max ,iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max supports USB 3 for data transfer when used with a USB-C cable that supports USB 3². iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max also support recording ProRes video directly to an external storage device, up to 4K at 60 frames per second.

You may need an adapter to connect some devices to your iPhone. Here are some common connections:

• If the device that you’re connecting to has a USB-C connector, use a USB-C cable that has a USB-C connector on each end, like the cable that came with your iPhone 15 and later.¹

• If your car has a USB-A connector, you can use a compliant USB-C to USB-A cable.

• To use your current Lightning accessories, you can use the USB-C to Lightning adapter, which supports power, data and audio.

Devices and cables that aren’t compliant with the USB-C standard may not work as expected. In some situations, USB-C accessories and cables, such as those from third parties, can interfere with wireless connections. If you experience slower Wi-Fi or mobile data performance while using a USB-C accessory, performance should return to normal after the accessory has been disconnected. To prevent future interference, disconnect when you’ve finished using the accessory or try using a different cable, such as the Thunderbolt 4 (USB‑C) Pro Cable (1 m), which is designed to minimise interference.