Do I need a high-speed cable for iPhone 16 Carplay USB connection?

klark1 wrote:

The car is a 2016 VW Jetta GLI. And yes I can connect the phone via Bluetooth but I liked using the cable as it would charge the phone also. I think possibly they mean that the phone battery would charge slower and maybe the battery would get hot and over time could damage the battery

A VW Jetta GLI 2016 model won’t have USB-C fast charging support, so the whole cable discussion is moot.

VW Jetta started providing USB-C in 2020.

Apple CarPlay on this model seems to require a cable, though I’m encountering a whole lot of AI-generated slop while researching on this topic. It seems that wireless CarPlay arrived in VW infotainment systems in model year 2021. Which means the available Bluetooth path on 2016 is an audio connection, and not CarPlay. Check your owner’s manual and radio booklet for specifics.

Here is the VW USB-A to USB-C cable (this cable is comparatively expensive, and has a nice VW logo):

https://parts.vwstaug.com/p/Volkswagen__Jetta/Media-Cable--USB-A-to-USB-C/94213265/000051446BP.html

USB cable speed is not directly tied to power distribution and charging, this with USB-A or USB-C.

There are three available power (charging) levels on the USB-A connector available here, 5W, 10W, and 12W. None of these are fast charging. I’d also expect VW USB-A socket available here provides 5W, and not any higher wattage.

VW videos on using USB CarPlay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGUZw6SZ5SE

VW video from several years ago, and this video likely does not apply to your Jetta, as your model seems to predate the availability of wireless CarPlay:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGUZw6SZ5SE

VW appears to have owners’ manuals here:

https://www.vw.com/en/owners-and-services/about-my-vehicle/owners-manual.html

The specific booklet in your VW Owner’s manual you’re looking for here is the Radio booklet, a booklet which does not appear to be available online. That will confirm the provided USB details. Again, very likely USB-A with 5W, maybe 10W or 12W. None of which are fast charging levels.

All rechargeable batteries produce heat when charging, as well. Most devices — and all iPhones — will negotiate the power levels, and will further monitor and avoid battery overheating. And simply charging a battery will cause battery wear, as will drawing power from the battery. That’s how batteries work. They are considered wear items.

As for your preferred source of confusing or of (mis)information, “I don’t know” would have been a succinct and appropriate response from them, but they instead chose to provide you with confused, or false, information.

No, I don’t know who told you that, but please don’t take ANY advice from this source, ever. You can use a USB cable or Bluetooth, but neither will damage the iPhone battery. The USB cable will help maintain the charge on the battery. But it doesn’t need to be a high speed cable. Any good quality USB data+power cable will work, such as any cable from Apple, Anker, Griffin or other reputable manufacturers.

Based solely on what was posted, you were chatting with somebody that I would not rely upon for further technical advice.

Which particular vehicle model and infotainment system are you trying to connect to? You may not even need a cable to use CarPlay here. It’s quite possible Bluetooth will work, if your vehicle infotainment system supports that.

If you do need a cable for your particular infotainment system, one end of the cable — the end connecting into the iPhone 16 — will have a USB-C connector, while the other end — the end of the cable on the vehicle infotainment system — might have USB-C or USB-A, or maybe some other connector.