I have a Mercedes 2018 which has a USB port to connect to CarPlay. My new iPhone 12 uses a USB-C connector. Is there a cable or adapter to use my new phone to connect in my car?
iPhone 12, iOS 14
If you click on either of the links, you will see what the cable looks like.
there are 3 different connections at play here. 1) Lightning 2) USB type C 3) USB type A
Your iPhone has a Lightning connector.
The cable that came with your iPhone is a Lightning to USB C
The 'plain' USB port you'd find in your vehicle is more than likely USB A
therefore to connect your iPhone to your vehicle you'd need a Lightning to USB A
Both cables that I provided links to are of this combination.
Click on those links and view the images to make sure it looks correct to you.
(I am making an assumption that your vehicle is USB Type A, but it is a pretty solid assumption)
If you click on either of the links, you will see what the cable looks like.
there are 3 different connections at play here. 1) Lightning 2) USB type C 3) USB type A
Your iPhone has a Lightning connector.
The cable that came with your iPhone is a Lightning to USB C
The 'plain' USB port you'd find in your vehicle is more than likely USB A
therefore to connect your iPhone to your vehicle you'd need a Lightning to USB A
Both cables that I provided links to are of this combination.
Click on those links and view the images to make sure it looks correct to you.
(I am making an assumption that your vehicle is USB Type A, but it is a pretty solid assumption)
probably easiest to buy a different cable
Or Anker has decent cables too
https://www.anker.com/products/variant/powerline-iii-lightning-cable/A8813021
Yes, that cable will work. They changed to USB-C because it supports faster charging than a USB-A power source does. And USB-C is the standard that is replacing the decade-old USB-A standard. It also supports faster data transfer.
So does this cable have USB on one end and USB-C on the other? Just trying to figure out what to do since the slot in my car is plain USB. The whole USB-C thing is new to me, and I’m not particularly tech savvy. Thanks
Just to clarify. I have an old iphone so I have my old charger (lightning to USB) which works fine in my car. Are you saying this same charger cable will work with the new iphone 12's? It's just all about the lightning part of the cable that allows it to work? If so, why the heck would they change to USB C? This link you provided doesn't say it works for 12's. https://www.anker.com/products/variant/powerline-iii-lightning-cable/A8813021
Thank you for your help and patience.
Yes, the cable for your previous iPhones (that have a lightning port) will work on the new iPhone 12.
I can't speak as to why Apple changed it to USB C, but that's the way the industry seems to be moving.
I'm also pretty sure that USB C charging is more capable of delivering faster charging speeds. That alone is a solid reason to switch to it
The cable is just a Lightning to USB A. It will work with any device that has a lightning port (including the iPhone 12).
I use one of those Anker cables every day in my vehicle for CarPlay and I have an iPhone 12 Pro.
They probably only list compatible devices for the convenience of people that don't understand how it works and have not yet updated their site to include the iPhone 12.
Adapter to use USB-C lightning cable to attach to USB port in automobile
