iPhone 5 Vulnerable To Third-Party Cables Says Repair Firm

If your iPhone 5's cable is acting up and you're considering ordering a replacement from a third-party vendor, you might want to reconsider that decision. Repair firm mendmyi has identified an issue that it says is affecting many iPhone 5 handsets, and they all concern the use of third-party chargers.

The repair firm said many iPhone 5 users would bring their handsets in over failure to turn on. Replacing the battery would work, but once that battery ran down, the handset would again refuse to turn on, prodding them to crack one open and poke around.

The folks behind the project eventually narrowed the issue down to an IC called U2 that deals with power distribution. When damaged — which is believed to result from third-party cables — the iPhones may hang at 1% when charging, or may in other cases not turn on at all.

Poorly made third-party cables are believed to be causing damage to the identified IC, and it isn't entirely clear whether this issue is exclusive to the iPhone 5. Apple users are officially encouraged to stick with the company's cables rather than cheaper alternatives.

SOURCE: Apple Insider