In our first impressions and full review of the new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, we highlighted it: the accessory gives the iPad an additional USB-C charging port. This way, we can use it to charge the device at the same time as we use an external storage unit in the built-in port, for example.
however, it seems that charging from this port does not work with all adapters and third-party cables even if they are certified. This is what some users discovered on the MacRumors forums, a medium that ended up highlighting it on its cover.
Our test results
I myself tested with the charging port of my iPad Pro (2020 11 inch model) and my Magic Keyboard and here is what I found:
- Charging via Magic Keyboard’s USB-C port it’s correct if I use the official 18W cable and AC adapter.
- Charging via Magic Keyboard’s USB-C port It’s not correct if I am using a USB-C cable from Amazon Basics and an Anker AC adapter with multiple USB ports. The message you can see appears in the image above in the upper right corner of the iPadOS: » do not charge«
- Charging via Magic Keyboard’s USB-C port it’s correct If I am using an Amazon Basics USB-C cable and an official 12W AC adapter included in older iPad models.
- Charging via Magic Keyboard’s USB-C port it’s correct if I use an Amazon Basics USB-C cable and the official 18W power adapter.
- Charging via Magic Keyboard’s USB-C port It’s not correct if I am using an Amazon Basics USB-C cable and an Amazon Basics power adapter with multiple USB ports. The message « appearsthis accessory is not compatible with this device“On the iPadOS lock screen.
Personally, I attribute this to a matter of wattage of these adapters, it is possible that the Magic Keyboard has slightly higher requirements than the USB-C port on the iPad itself. This port accepts charging on all cables and adapters I mentioned, although in some of them it is very slow come and take almost a whole night.
It’s possible that a software update could change that, but for now the best thing we can do is use the official cables and adapters to charge the iPad Pro through its magic keyboard. Otherwise, consider using at least those that have MFi certification to avoid the risks.
Source: Appleinsider
