Existing users, 
iPhone charger compatibility
Posted 28 January 2008 @ 2pm in Troubleshooting
There are innumerable methods for charging the iPhone, including (but not limited to):
- The wall AC adapter
- The included USB 2.0 cable
- An iPod USB cable
- An iPod FireWire cable (which can be used to charge but not sync)
- Third-party chargers, docks, speaker systems and other devices
Most any device that has a 30-in dock connector and delivers power can charge the iPhone properly. However, reports of slow or no charging, erratic behavior, or even actual damage to the iPhone resultant from various charging methods litter discussion threads.
Take the following examples:
- “My iPhone didn’t fully charge for the first 5 days or so and the battery life seemed lower than expected. In the usage section it said 5 days and some change since last full charge. I fully drained the battery and did a full charge. That solved the problem and everything is working great now. Also, I am not sure if it made any difference or not, but, I was using an older charger for an ipod that was a firewire cable.” — Paul, iPhone Atlas reader
- “I used my iPhone on a iPod player (can’t recall brand) and got that error message although the music still played. I fried my battery or charging circuit. Apple store had to replace my phone.” — gjbike, Apple Discussions.
- “i plugged my iphone into my im7 last night and got the message saying this product wasn’t compatible with the phone and it asked me if i wanted to switch to airplane mode and i said no. This morning it wont switch on” dlalvani, Apple Discussions
- “I have an iPhone and I had just bought my cousin a belated birthday gift of Klipsch iGroove SXT speakers (had to come up with an excuse to let her have it before Christmas). […] we put my iPhone in. BIG MISTAKE. Even though the speakers have a “universal ipod connector”, putting my iPhone into it immediately made the bottom half of my screen go all garbled and rainbow/staticky. It then powered down and reset itself. When it came back up, it seemed to work fine, but when I went to plug it back into my laptop and checked on it 2 hours later, the battery had gone from 70% to 10%, and it was hot to the touch.” G Scott K, Apple Discussions
Apple provides little information on this issue. The company’s Knowledge Base article entitled “Charging the battery,” makes no mention of third-party chargers, nor FireWire-based chargers. However, the manual states:
“To charge iPhone, only use the Apple Dock Connector to USB Cable with an Apple USB Power Adapter or a high-power USB port on another device that is compliant with the USB 2.0 or 1.1 standards, another Apple-branded product or accessory designed to work with iPhone, or a third-party accessory certified to use Apple’s ‘Works with iPhone’ logo.”
So we’re seeking reports. Which devices have you found to properly charge the iPhone, or the opposite? Have you experienced charging problems with any devices certified by the “Works with iPhone” designation? Let us know.
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7 Comments
Posted by symmetricalism
28 January 2008 @ 2pm
i plugged my iphone into an alpine headunit ipod connector and then quickly disconnected it when audio wouldn’t come through the car speakers (it continued to play through the iphone’s speaker).
after unplugging it, the phone became warm and the battery drained much quicker than normal, completely dying after only a few hours. after charging it for hours by its wall AC adapter, it still wouldn’t turn on and was replaced free of charge at an apple store.
Posted by ginepri
28 January 2008 @ 3pm
Not 100% sure if the Belkin Auto Kit killed my iPhone , but be warned…
My iPhone (software unlocked and jailbroken with 3rd party apps) was working fine (only had it for a week). One day i connected it to my Belkin Auto Kit for iPod w/ Dock Connector (Belkin Part # F8V7058-APL which is supposedly OK for iPhones ) to charge in my car (which has been working fine for 2 years on my iPod Video !) About 30 min. later i grabbed my iPhone and noticed it was hot and the screen was full of colorful lines. I disconnected and power cycled the iPhone and it came back on shortly but the battery was very low. From that point on it was acting very dodgy like freezing up, WIFI did not work and i kept getting pop ups on the screen stating “iPhone needs repair - apple.com/support”.
I took it back to Apple and they swapped the phone. At that point it was completely dead and would not even power up anymore, thus they could not tell it was unlocked/jailbroken.
Posted by thedude
28 January 2008 @ 4pm
I use an older firewire ipod charger at work when i need to, it works but seems to charge slowly. I also have a Audio Link iPod integration kit for my Mazda, which charges it (what seems to be) full strength like the USB 2.0 dock charger.
Posted by mitchp
28 January 2008 @ 4pm
I use and charge my iPhone daily with an Alpine CDE-9883 (I believe) and it works almost flawlessly. I rarely if ever hear interference on the car speakers and I’ve never had a charging issue. The iPhone even fades the audio out and pauses (headunit display updates accordingly) when I get a call. Just thought I’d throw my two cents in on the Alpine units. They’re wonderful stereos :)
Posted by michoffm1
29 January 2008 @ 3am
my iPhone came with 1.1.1 and was working fine from start using the Belkin iPod car adapter mentioned by ginepri above, I do get the ‘not designed for iPhone’ message though…
Posted by hanusz
29 January 2008 @ 5am
A few months ago I plugged my iPhone into my iPod Hi Fi to charge it…got a non-compatible warning message and unplugged it. It was very hot and after 30 minutes it wouldn’t turn on. I called Apple and explained the problem and they authorized for a free pick up. I was told to only use it with Made for iPhone labelled products (shouldn’t the Apple-branded iPod Hi Fi be compatible?). Anyway I sent it back and got a new one the next week.
Posted by enderwiggins23
31 January 2008 @ 7am
I don’t have too much new to add here beyond a further warning. I too lost an iphone by sticking it in a cheap ipod boombox. It gave me the incompatibility warning. I put it in airplane mode. It worked. Hours later the battery got quite hot. And then never turned back on. Took my new iPhone into the store told him the phone just stopped working AND THIS IS WHERE THE WARNING COMES IN — the guy starts scrutinizing my phone for the most minute scratches and blemishes. He starts asking me if I ever dropped it and pointing out a tiny dent and saying it looks like there might have been damage done to it and thus any damage would not be covered under the warranty. At that point my phone was nearly new. I was freaked out that my $500 phone was broken and this guy is insinuating that he’s not going to fix it. He ended giving me a new phone but I think this is crap. They are trained to find reasons to NOT give you a new phone. Or maybe they are going to cut us off soon and not be willing to help us next time. Regardless they created a finnicky device that is SUPPOSED to be the best iPod ever but if you attach it to an iPod device it FRIES it? They don’t warn you that the cost of using it with a potentially incompatible device might lead to destroying your phone and it’s at Apple’s whim whether they will fix it for you. God forbid I wasn’t in warranty, I’d just be SOL. Honestly this is NOT Apples best thought out product and most certainly NOT the best iPod. BUYER BEWARE.