Sidecar with iPad only works with USB-C and not Thunderbolt cable when not using WiFi

Question

Sidecar with iPad only works with USB-C and not Thunderbolt cable when not using WiFi

Has anyone else had this weird experience with iPad and Sidecar? I'm using Monterey 12.0.1. With WiFi turned off on the iPad, I can only connect to the iPad using a USB-C cable and not a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 cable. Also when connecting the iPad to the MBP (M1 Max Pro), it only charges consistently with the USB-C cable. With the T3 or T4 cables, the charge indicator goes on and off.

iPad Pro 12.9-inch, 3rd Gen, Wi-Fi, Cell

Posted on Dec 24, 2021 7:02 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 24, 2021 7:28 AM in response to andrew.in.Boston

There is no such thing as a “vanilla” USB-C cable. The only thing that is common between USB-C cables is the physical connector. USB-C encompasses a whole family of standards.

USB-C can (but does not necessarily) support multiple types of connection and services - but not necessarily all at the same time in a single cable. Only a subset of the available pins may be connected - or be wired for specific services.

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Answer 2

Dec 24, 2021 7:07 AM in response to andrew.in.Boston

USB-C is a common connector - but different USB-C cables can be wired to support different functions. Thunderbolt cables are not all-purpose cables - any more than standard USB-C charging/data cables able to support connection to Thunderbolt interfaces.

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Answer 3

Dec 24, 2021 7:21 AM in response to LotusPilot

The thing about this case is that the problem is specific to Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 cables. I don't have this problem when using a "generic," non Thunderbolt, USB-C cable. I would expect that a T3 and T4 cable should do everything that a vanilla USB-C cable does, or maybe this is a wrong assumption on my end.

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Answer 4

Dec 24, 2021 7:37 AM in response to LotusPilot

Though my assumption is that I should be able to use Sidecar with a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable connecting the iPad to the Macbook Pro, with WiFi turned off. Is this an incorrect assumption?

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Sidecar with iPad only works with USB-C and not Thunderbolt cable when not using WiFi

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