The approved charging cable for iPhones is the Lightning cable. You may not know it but most of the Apple chargers on the market are replicas and fake.
They look so much like the original that if you do not know what you are about to buy, then you would be purchasing a fake Apple
Charger.
Purchasing and using a fake Apple Charger for your iPhone comes at a great cost. Using a real the charger is always recommended as that is the suitable one for the phone.
In this article, you will learn how to identify a real Apple Charger and the differences between a real one and a fake one.
How To Tell If An Apple Charger Is Real
There is some key information on the Lightning charging cable packaging that can confirm if it is indeed real or not.
These include the manufacturing company, place of manufacture, and serial number. Should you see any of these texts, then your Apple charger is genuine;
- Design by Apple in California Assembled in China
- Design by Apple in California Assembled in Vietnam
- Design by Apple in California Indústria Brasileira
A fake Apple charger may not have any of these texts on the packaging. And even if they do, it will be full of typos.
The serial number for Apple chargers plays a role and can help you determine if the charger is real or not.
On the product package, right after the manufacturing company and place of manufacture, you should see a 12-digit serial number, which is a combination of letters and numbers.
This should tell you that anything above or below 12 digits is fake.
With the lightning connector (the part of the charger that is inserted), it is supposed to look smooth and be made of a single color, gold or silver, and a single piece.
A fake cable will be made of multiple pieces and the surface with an uneven surface.
With the size of the Lightning cable connector’s boot, anything more than 7.7mm width x 12mm length is a fake.
Look at the USB contacts and if they are silver-plated, then they are fake because the original ones are usually gold-plated.
The shell interlocks of the original are also rounded at the edges and spaced consistently. if the USB surface is grainy, then it is a fake.
All certified Apple products, including their chargers, have a Made For iPhone (MFi) logo on them.
This is bodily embossed on the package, and there is no way of missing it. So if after careful scrutiny of the charger’s package, you do not see any MFi brand, then it is a fake.
What Does A Fake Charger Do To Your iPhone?
You might think that it doesn’t matter what kind of charge you use as long as it gets the job done. But this is not so.
Using a counterfeit charger does a lot more damage to your phone than slowly charging it.
Using a fake charger destroys your charging system. Although you wouldn’t mind the phone charging slowly, it gradually reduces the efficiency of your charging system till the rate at which your phone charges become poor.
A fake charger can also cause your iPhone to heat up to the point where it explodes. It might sound extreme, but there have been cases of such happenings.
Using a fake charger causes your phone to heat up because the charging process is not going as it needs to.
Your battery might get damaged as a result of you charging your phone with a fake charger.
Charging powers up the battery, and if it is not done right, the battery will be damaged.
Conclusion
Now you know what fake chargers do to your iPhone and how to identify them from authentic ones. We expect you to make the right choice.
Make sure to buy your iPhone Lighting cables from official stores like Apple’s online website or other accredited shops.
FAQs on How To Tell If An Apple Charger Is Real
How do I know if my Apple charger is original by serial number?
Once you have identified the serial number, copy it and visit Apple’s website. Enter the serial number and wait for verification.
How do I know if my Apple charger is 20w or original?
To check the authenticity of your Apple charger, scrutinize the package it comes in for the MFi brand.
Further Reading
- How To Fix “iPhone Stuck On Charging Screen”
- How To Change Keyboard Color On iPhone
- How To Fix “iPhone Alarm Too Quiet”
- How To Fix “iPhone Charger Hot”
- Why Does My iPhone Have A Green Line On Its Screen? See How To Fix It