Having a number of different devices that all use the same kind of charger can be a really helpful convenience.
But what will happen if you try to charge two different devices with the same charger that came with one of the devices?
Does it cause damage?
Are Chargers Designed for iPads Harmful to iPhones?
It is not unsafe to charge an iPhone with a charger designed for an iPad. It is not a problem at all so long as both of the devices utilise the same kind of charging cable. Even though the charger for the iPad has a higher power output, the iPhone will only draw the amount of power that it requires. When using a charger designed for an iPhone, the iPad will simply charge at a slower rate.
Let’s get a basic understanding of how chargers work before we move on to discussing why the chargers will work for both of the devices.
Charging
A lot of people have the misconception that if you charge your iPhone, or any other device for that matter, with a charger that was designed for a larger device with a higher energy level, the battery in the smaller device will overheat or become less powerful.
iPhones are an exception to this rule.
The worry that something like this might occur is frequently kept alive by a lack of knowledge concerning the topic.
You are aware that your phone requires power, and the only way to provide it is to plug it in for a predetermined amount of time and wait for it to charge.
But did you know that each component of that puzzle (the adapter, the phone, and the cable) regulates that power in their own unique way?
Power adapters are designed to work with a particular voltage and are rated for a certain amount of current at that voltage.
When trying to charge a device, the voltage used must be compatible with what the device itself requires.
The maximum amount of current that the adapter is able to supply is indicated by the adapter’s current rating, which is measured in amps.
This unit must be at least equal to the quantity that is required by the device.
On the other hand, cables have a limit to the amount of power, measured in watts, that they can carry.
It is true that if the W exceeds that of the device, they will get hot enough to melt if they are subjected to the excess.
When it comes to chargers made by companies like Apple and Samsung, the voltage and everything else are standardised, which means that the power simply corresponds to the charging speed.
However, this will only happen if both the device you are charging and the adapter have a higher wattage capacity than the charging cable itself.
Here is an illustration of that: It wouldn’t matter if you had a cable that could only handle 20W and connected it to an adapter that could handle 100W to charge an iPhone because the iPhone only needs 5W of power to charge.
That is the only thing that the cable needs to transport.
On the other hand, if you took the same 20W cable and the same 100W adapter and used it to power a device that required 100W of power, the cable would melt and become extremely hot because it is being subjected to more power than it is able to manage.
When using a high-wattage power adapter to charge an iPhone, such as the one that would come packaged with an iPad, the iPhone will charge normally and at the same rate as before; it will not charge any quicker.
The iPhone will automatically stop charging once it has reached its maximum capacity.
This is because the battery technology in the iPhone is capable of determining how much power the iPhone already has and how much power it requires. This prevents the battery from being overheated or damaged in any way.
Chargers for the iPad vs Chargers for the iPhone
Now that we have an understanding of how each component of charging operates, we are in a position to determine which cables and adapters are compatible with which devices. The correct response is virtually all of them.
The vast majority of Apple’s products, including cables and adapters, are compatible with each other.
However, as of right now, the charging cables for the iPad and the iPhone are somewhat dissimilar to one another.
When it comes to charging, Apple’s iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later models), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later models), and iPad Air (4th generation) all utilise USB-C cables rather than the company’s standard lightning cable.
These iPads, however, are the only ones that present a challenge when it comes to using the charger that was designed for the iPhone.
Before those iPads were released, every other iPad used the standard lightning cable, which is the same cable used by all iPhones currently in production.
iPad adapters, both those sold separately and those included with the device, have higher watt outputs than iPhone adapters do.
The adapter for the iPad puts out 12 watts, while the adapter for the iPhone puts out only 5.
Apple also sells adapters for different types of devices.
There is also a 30-watt USB-C Power Adapter, which, despite the fact that it is designed exclusively for USB-C cables, allows the cable to be swapped out for a lightning cable without affecting its compatibility with other cables.
Knowing that any cable that matches an Apple device can be used to charge that device can help speed up the charging process.
As was just mentioned, all three of the power adapters allow the user to change the rate at which the device is charged.
The following is a list of all the electronic devices that use lightning cables, along with the adapter that comes with each one:
- All iPhones (beginning with the 5th generation) that use a 5W adapter
- iPad, 4th generation through 9th generation, 12W adapter
- iPad Air, both the first and second generation, requires a 10W adapter.
- iPad Air (third generation) — a 12W power supply
- iPad Mini (Mini) (1st-4th generation) —10W adapter
- iPad Pro, both the first and second generation, requires a 12W adapter.
Each of these chargers and adapters would be compatible with one another as well as with every iPhone that is currently available on the market.
Apple Guarantees
In addition to their unique technology for safe charging, which prevents their devices from receiving power once they have reached their maximum capacity, Apple also promises that later models of their iPhone will be able to charge more quickly.
When you use a USB-C to lightning adapter alongside any power adapter that is 18W or higher, Apple guarantees that your iPhone will reach 50 percent power in just 30 minutes.
It is important to note that, as of right now, none of the Apple products, with the exception of the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, come with either this kind of cable or power adapter. However, the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max do include a power adapter.
In order to achieve a rapid charge, you will need to acquire not only an additional cable but also a more powerful power adapter in addition to the ones that are already included with your device.
If you charge your iPhone with a charger designed for an iPad, the iPhone, the cable, or the adapter will not be damaged in any way.
You might even be able to achieve a faster charger by combining the components that are included with the device when it is first purchased.
Apple is an excellent choice for this purpose because it is able to detect when it has been charged to capacity and because it is now compatible with the more rapid and potent USB-C port.
