Accessory uses to much power (17 pro)

I examined a friend’s camera recently and we tested the current the camera was actually drawing and it was much more than the IR camera specified. I suspect a lot of these Chinese manufactured cameras are way above spec and tripping iPhones message.

At this point I’d contact the manufacturer’s support team and inquire about necessary firmware updates to make it compatible with new iPhone 17 models.

I have the same problem with my (non-pro) iPhone 17 when connecting a Hikmicro Mini 2 thermal camera. The camera works fine with an iPhone 15 and an iPad (via Lightning adapter). According to the specs the camera only draws 360mW: https://www.hikmicrotech.com/de/industrial-products/mini2-v2-thermal-camera-phone-attachment/

Apple Support performed diagnostics but could not find anything. I guess the new iPhone 17 lineup somehow has a lower power limit. I hope this gets patched in future iOS updates.

iPhone 17 is Apple’s latest mobile product and may have new parameters and systems for protecting both the iPhone and external device. Apple Support should perform diagnostics on the iPhone. However it may not be able to check actual output. The issue may need to be escalated to engineering.

You need to have Apple perform diagnostics on your iPhone. It can be done in person at an Apple Retail Store or at an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

If you’re in the US, please call  1-800-MY-APPLE, or outside the US, consult the support articles below. In Canada, call 1-800-263-3394.

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It probably is hardware limited. Is the thermal camera MFi certified to work with iPhones? If it’s not, that could be part of the issue. The output of the iPhone is not user adjustable.

I have the exact same issue occurring.

I purchased a hikmicro usb c thermal camera

my wife and I have iPhone 17 and 17 pro and both phones report this accessory uses too much power.

However, for work I have an iPhone 16. Works fine there.

It also works fine on my iPad Air M2.

This issue is specific to iPhone 17.

The manufacturer of the camera said there isn’t anything they can do about it and offered a refund.

Disappointing that there’s some sort of limitation on the new iPhones this year. The camera is designed to use a maximum of 0.31W

Jeff, please stop spamming with nonsense.

I have the exact same issue, the camera request by the standard and consumes 360mW(less than 5V 100mA) - this is way lower than external ssd.

The same camera worked perfectly with iPhone 13 Mini(!) and iPhone 15 Pro.

I already reported to apple as well - this is the direct Apple issue for iPhone 17. And it must to be fixed.

The exact same problem with USB DAC Onix Alpha xi1 - it's working fine on iPhone 15 Pro iOS 26. And doesn't work on iPhones 17 pro with same message: "This accessory uses too much power".

Same issue here with the Hikmicro Mini 2 camera and iPhone 17 pro.

I hope this is something Apple wil allow again in an upcoming iOS update.