Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapters Non-functional with Latest iOS Updates
Users of Apple’s popular Lightning to USB 3 camera adapter have been expressing concerns about serious issues for the past week. This hardware is used to connect USB accessories to iPhones and iPads and costs approximately €50. However, the hardware is currently no longer usable when iOS 16.5 or iPadOS 16.5 is installed, which were released on Thursday. When the power adapter is connected, this camera adapter does not supply power back to the iPhone or iPad, and data is not transferred, for example, to load images from a camera or to use an external digital audio interface.
The hardware is required because the iPhone is lacking a USB port, and a USB-C port may be installed with the release of iPhone 15 in the autumn. Apple has relied on its proprietary Lightning connector for years, while switching to USB-C for current iPad devices. The Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter offers a USB-A connector that operates at USB 3 speeds, plus another Lightning connector. The latter is used to charge a device while using USB 3 products, though this is merely a stepping stone until iPhones and older iPads are able to directly support USB devices. This adapter is popular in sales due to limited alternatives.
Apple has yet to comment on the issue, and it remains unclear what causes the problem. iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 do not introduce any significant changes, and internal modifications may interfere with adapter use, making it a software problem for now. Apple is already working on developing iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6, which won’t be released for several weeks at the earliest. It’s possible that an emergency update will be delivered in advance.
Problems with the adapter seem to be consistent among most owners, who have reported that the adapter stopped working once iOS 16.5 was installed. “After updating to 16.5, it no longer works. My girlfriend’s phone, which hasn’t been updated yet, continues to work normally,” added another user.
