What is the ‘safety certification’ for USB Type-C and Lightning cables?

Take you to learn more about E-marker, MFi certification!

 

E-marker on USB Type-C

 

Did you know you have an identification chip built-in your charging cable? On the Type-C charging cable connector, there is a chip called E-marker (Electronic Marked Cable), just like the security identification card of the charging cable, this chip indicates the manufacturer, specification and current load capacity and other information.

It can monitor the charging status and allocate the current properly.

 

At present, the specifications of Type-C charging cables on the market are mostly 3A and 5A. According to the regulations of the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the E-Marker must be embedded in the Type-C cable to ensure the charging is under the safe-protection mechanism when the power adapter’s electric current output is greater than 3A. If the E-marker is not embedded in accordance with the regulations, it is possible to damage our devices.

 

It is curious that how we identify if an E-marker is embedded in the Type-C cable we have? In fact, the E-marker cannot be identified out externally from the Type-C cable. If you want to test whether the cable we have is embedded in the E-marker, we must use a professional instrument to test. Therefore, it is highly suggested that we should not buy the cheap cable because it could be riskier than our first thought. It is important to buy the extremely reliable cables in compliance with high quality assurance.

 

Apple MFi-certified lightning cables

 

MFi Certification (Made For i-Product) is a test plan and formal authorization standard to provide the manufactures access to the technical specifications and resources needed to create accessories that communicate with Apple devices using MFi technologies and components. As long as the product with an MFi certification badge, this indicates this has been officially certified by Apple standards.

 

MFi authorized manufacturers’ characteristics:

 

  • Durable and Sturdy | This product uses Apple’s MFi licensed technology to connect electronically to Apple devices. It will work perfectly with less damage.
  • Quality Assurance |The manufacturing process is certified by Apple, and even the product packaging needs to be submitted for review!
  • Maintenance Acceptance | Apple accepts the devices in abnormal condition for repair due to the use of MFi-certified products

 

If you use an unlicensed charging cable that has not been authorized by MFi certification to charge, it may cause the charger to become overheated and catch fire. If the device is damaged, Apple will not accept in such a situation! Therefore, when purchasing a charging cable for an Apple device, it highly suggested to choose whether the product has certified by MFi certification to ensure the safety of charging.

 

Due to a great number of counterfeit products on the market, in addition to identifying the MFi certification on the package when purchasing, if you still have doubts about the products, you can visit the “MFi Licensed Accessories” page of Apple’s official website to view whether the product is in the list of manufacturer with completion of certification approved by Apple, You will not run the risk of the safety to charge your devices.

 

In addition, if you buy an uncertified charging cable, the Apple device will pop up a warning when charging to notify you that the cable is not certified.

Apple’s certification is very strict. According to statistics, only about 2% of manufacturers can pass the MFi certification on average, and Innergie is one of the few charging brands that enjoys this certification!

After learning about the E-marker and MFi certification, we will recommend you the charging cable designed by Innergie:

C-C 1.8m – USB-C to USB-C cable 1.8m 100W PD 5A E-Marker Fast Charging

Supports fast charging and 480 Mbps data transfer with the E-Marker IC.

Innergie C-C cable can deliver up to 100W power when both adapter and device support 100W charging.

C-L 1.8m – USB-C to Lightning Cable 1.8m 3A Fast Charging

Better durability than the original one. 

Being Certified with Apple MFi and passed 15,000+ bending test for long-lasting lifespan.