Apple transitioned from Lightning to USB-C to its entire iPhone 15 lineup this year, meaning that if you are an Android smartphone owner, you can switch to any one of the four models that went on sale last week and not worry about having to charge it with a different cable. However, it appears that Apple does not want you to damage your latest purchase, as retail outlets in China state that using USB-C cables meant for topping up Android devices can lead to potential overheating issues.

Apple store outlet explains the differences between the iPhone USB-C cables and Android USB-C ones, mentioning a different pin arrangement

To avoid overheating issues when charging any iPhone 15, an Apple store in Foshan, Guangdong Province, has warned users from connecting those handsets with USB-C cables that come bundled with Android smartphones or designed specifically for them. Apparently, not all USB-C cables are made the same, with GizmoChinareporting that the differences exist in the pin arrangement of the interfaces.

There appears to be a smaller gap in the 9-pin and 11-pin connectors. When connected to the iPhone 15, the connector side of the cable might overheat, causing problems for the device’s USB-C port. Apple store employees may want to minimize these overheating issues, as excessive usage may melt or damage the USB-C port on the iPhone 15. There is no update on how the customer’s warranty will be honored if this happens, but we will try to dig out the information.

It also looks like these warnings are not limited to a single Apple store but multiple outlets located in China. At this stage, it cannot be determined if Apple informed employees to encourage customers to purchase the company’s own USB-C cables to maximize profits, as these accessories are priced higher than what you would get for an Android alternative.

So far, there has not been an incident where an iPhone 15’s USB-C port has melted or shorted due to using an Android cable, but since these handsets only launched last week, it will take some time for these overheating issues to manifest. We recommend that if you have purchased an iPhone 15, spending a little more on Apple’s USB-C cables will not hurt, as you never know that using a different accessory will cause irreparable harm to your brand-new iPhone.