Apple USB-C: New iPhone drops ‘Lightning’ cable that has been used for more than a decade

Apple is changing the port in the bottom of the iPhone.

After more than a decade of the “Lightning” port being used in everything from the iPad to the iPhone, it will switch to USB-C with the introduction of the new iPhone 15 and 15 Pro.

Apple noted that the new plug would bring benefits when charging, transferring data, as well as working with audio and video.

And it said that the same cable can be used to charge other Apple devices that have already switched to USB-C: the Mac and iPad. It will also release a new case for the AirPods Pro that will also drop the Lightning plug.

(Apple )

With the new port, the new iPhone 15 and 15 Pro will be able to charge up the AirPods Pro and Apple Watch themselves, Apple said. Plugging a USB-C cable between the phone and other devices can allow power to come out of it as well as in.

As with other recent iPhones, the new models also have “MagSafe”, to allow for wireless charging. Apple had reportedly planned for that to replace the Lightning port in the coming years.

It was forced to make the change, however, by new EU rules that require all gadgets to adopt USB-C. Those rules are intended to mean that there will be one common phone charger, and to reduce waste from changing ports.

Apple had initially resisted the change, arguing that officials should instead focus on the other end of the plug – where the wire goes into the wall – to preserve the benefits of Lightning. But after the new rules were passed, it made clear that it would comply.

Apple still sells a range of accessories, including keyboards and mice, that are charged with the Lightning cable. Older models of iPhone that are still on sale – such as the iPhone 14 and SE – also mean that the cable will live on for some time.