[Detroit80]

I find it incredibly annoying that every time I plug in my iPhone, the radio mutes, then tells me something to effect of it not finding any USB music files, and sits there until I click OK. Well, duh, that's because I don't have any music files on my phone, but I still like to be able to plug it in for charging.

Is there some way of turning off this USB auto scan thing?

 

[llninja]

I find it incredibly annoying that every time I plug in my iPhone, the radio mutes, then tells me something to effect of it not finding any USB music files, and sits there until I click OK. Well, duh, that's because I don't have any music files on my phone, but I still like to be able to plug it in for charging.

Is there some way of turning off this USB auto scan thing?

Instead of plugging into the car-supplied USB port, just plug into a cigarette-style power USB adapter to charge your phone. I've got one in the dash above the center display, one inside the center console, and one in the back seat.

 

[TSquare]

I would think that you could get a USB charging cable to use instead of your data cable. You will probably need some sort of adapter to fit your iphone though. Or get a USB power plug to fit into the 12 volt port. I have this one, it has 2 USB charging ports and also reads the 12 volt bus, current flow to the USB, and air temperature.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SWGWILI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[SharkVolt]

Added benefit to using accessory plug instead of usb one is that if you get the correct one, you get much higher rate charging than most usb jacks provide.

 

[Sean-a-Tron]

As others have said, just buy a decent quality USB car charger. Standard USB 2.0 ports only supply 2.5 watts, which is not enough to add any reasonable charge to modern smartphones within your average commute. Most phones charge a little over 5 watts. All high-end Android phones support some form of fast charging which can go in excess of 12 watts (Most common is Qualcomm Quick-charge).

Try this one. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-PowerDrive-iPhone-Galaxy/dp/B00VH84L5E/

 

[freshcut]

Android user here, so unsure if this is possible on the iOS but can you set the phone so when you connect to USB it will only charge? I know Android has the option to use the USB as mass storage, or charging through USB only.

 

[hellsop]

As others have said, just buy a decent quality USB car charger. Standard USB 2.0 ports only supply 2.5 watts, which is not enough to add any reasonable charge to modern smartphones within your average commute. Most phones charge a little over 5 watts. All high-end Android phones support some form of fast charging which can go in excess of 12 watts (Most common is Qualcomm Quick-charge).

Try this one. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-PowerDrive-iPhone-Galaxy/dp/B00VH84L5E/

Note: NEVER EVER plug a true USB-C device (like the Google Nexus or Pixel phones) in with a Qualcomm Quick Charge rig. Q restasks some of the data lines to supply extra power lines and it's conceivable that there are Q chargers out there that don't properly ask if it's a Q device before putting 12 volts onto those data lines.

Belkin makes a really nice auto adaptor with a true USB-C charging cord wired to it and also as a USB-A (normal big rectangle one) power port that can take other charging cords. It's a reliable fast-charging choice for Nexus or Pixel.

 

[turboguy327]

Yea, you're not gaining anything trying to use that USB to charge. It's for data. You need a USB power adapter. I HIGHLY recommend this one. Super fast charging and can locate your car(I've never used it but it seems great in theory.

nonda ZUS Smart Car Charger with Car Locator and Car Battery Monitor App Dual USB[Reversible]Ports for iPhone,iPad,Nexus,Galaxy Note/S Series and More https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HMF7M38/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8-Q0yb0C5XMN8

 

[llninja]

Note: NEVER EVER plug a true USB-C device (like the Google Nexus or Pixel phones) in with a Qualcomm Quick Charge rig. Q restasks some of the data lines to supply extra power lines and it's conceivable that there are Q chargers out there that don't properly ask if it's a Q device before putting 12 volts onto those data lines.

Belkin makes a really nice auto adaptor with a true USB-C charging cord wired to it and also as a USB-A (normal big rectangle one) power port that can take other charging cords. It's a reliable fast-charging choice for Nexus or Pixel.

I wonder what happens if you plug a google nexus or pixel phone into an 89W MacBook Pro USB power supply. Hopefully it won't fry, but it seems a bit scare to power high and low power devices off the same cable.

Similarly, I wonder if I'd melt anything if I plugged the USB type C cable that came with my 29W MacBook power supply between the 89W power supply and the 15" MacBook Pro. The two cables are definitely different thicknesses, so I'm afraid to try it. I'll plug the big MacBook into my little power supply and cable, and it charges very slowly, and I'll plug the small MacBook into the big cable and power supply, but I'm not ready to try the small cable between the big computer and power supply.

 

[Sean-a-Tron]

Note: NEVER EVER plug a true USB-C device (like the Google Nexus or Pixel phones) in with a Qualcomm Quick Charge rig. Q restasks some of the data lines to supply extra power lines and it's conceivable that there are Q chargers out there that don't properly ask if it's a Q device before putting 12 volts onto those data lines.

Belkin makes a really nice auto adaptor with a true USB-C charging cord wired to it and also as a USB-A (normal big rectangle one) power port that can take other charging cords. It's a reliable fast-charging choice for Nexus or Pixel.

Actually, if the phone detects a QC compatible charger, the phone increases the voltage on the data pins to tell the charger how much to increase the voltage on the power pins. A QC compliant charger should never be able to damage a non-QC phone as that phone would not push 5V's or more onto the data pins. However, any charger can damage a phone if it's poorly designed.

I wonder what happens if you plug a google nexus or pixel phone into an 89W MacBook Pro USB power supply. Hopefully it won't fry, but it seems a bit scare to power high and low power devices off the same cable.

Similarly, I wonder if I'd melt anything if I plugged the USB type C cable that came with my 29W MacBook power supply between the 89W power supply and the 15" MacBook Pro. The two cables are definitely different thicknesses, so I'm afraid to try it. I'll plug the big MacBook into my little power supply and cable, and it charges very slowly, and I'll plug the small MacBook into the big cable and power supply, but I'm not ready to try the small cable between the big computer and power supply.

Don't worry about USB-C devices. As long as they're following the standards and rules, you can't mess it up. The cables have chips in them that communicate their electrical current limits and the devices themselves will communicate what they need and how much.

 

[llninja]

Don't worry about USB-C devices. As long as they're following the standards and rules, you can't mess it up. The cables have chips in them that communicate their electrical current limits and the devices themselves will communicate what they need and how much.

That makes me feel better. Maybe in the interest of science I should try all the permutations and see if I can check how much current I can draw through my skinny cable to test that out.

 

[Sean-a-Tron]

That makes me feel better. Maybe in the interest of science I should try all the permutations and see if I can check how much current I can draw through my skinny cable to test that out.

Just keep in mind that there are still some cheap non-USB compliant Type C cables that do not have the proper chips in them and will allow any current to pass through. Some people will buy $2,000 MacBook's but can't seem to spend $20 on a good quality Type C cable.

 

[llninja]

Just keep in mind that there are still some cheap non-USB compliant Type C cables that do not have the proper chips in them and will allow any current to pass through. Some people will buy $2,000 MacBook's but can't seem to spend $20 on a good quality Type C cable.

Not to worry, I only have true blue Apple usb type-c cables. Same goes for lightning cables - all Apple branded. I did have some Duracell branded cables, but frustratingly enough, they all stopped working in less than 1 month of use. Got replacements under warranty but am afraid to use the,

 

[Froggmann]

Chiming in with the chorus here. Use a power-point charger. THe one on the dash even has little notches towards the rear so the cord can come out without pinching anything. Personally I haven't had any issues with the Anker IQ chargers available on Amazon.

 

[llninja]

Don't worry about USB-C devices. As long as they're following the standards and rules, you can't mess it up. The cables have chips in them that communicate their electrical current limits and the devices themselves will communicate what they need and how much.

You were right. I took my skinny USB type-C cable that came with my 29W power adapter, plugged it into the 87W power adapter, and the Mac showed the 87W adapter, but only allowed 60W through it. When I put the thicker USB type-C cable in, it let me push 86W through. Interestingly enough, about a month after I received my MacBook in April 2015, Apple preemptively sent me new USB type-C cables and instructed me to throw away the older ones (I had 2 of them) citing a design flaw. I still have them, but probably will never use them. I am curious what the flaw was and how to identify cables that should be thrown out. Since I bought my mac and extra power adapter/cable from Apple, they knew how to get ahold of me, but I have no idea how they'd get a cable to someone who bought at some other retailer.