Use your Lightning headphones on your Mac or iPad Pro with Anker's new USB-C adapter

Accessory maker Anker has launched a USB-C to Lightning audio adapter, allowing iPhone and iPad owners to use their Lightning headphones with any USB-C device.

The adapter is MFi-certified by Apple, and can connect Lightning headphones to hardware such as Macs, iPad Pros, and Windows 10 PCs, Anker says. This should include full mic and remote support. The company does caution that Macs may require a one-time setup in which the adapter is selected for output and input.

Anker is further promising 24-bit, 48-kilohertz lossless audio for compatible files and headphones. Digital fidelity is one of the main selling points of Lightning.

Lightning headphones are relatively rare though, since the industry — Apple included — has increasingly shifted toward Bluetooth, and sets with 3.5mm or USB cables have wider uses.

Lightning is featured on Apple's EarPods and urBeats3. Some third-party brands making products include Sennheiser, Audeze, Pioneer, and Radius.

The Anker USB-C to Lightning Audio Adapter costs $29.99.

21 Comments

mac_128 3452 comments · 12 Years

About 5 years ago

Finally! This should have been available when Apple first removed the headphone jack. How many years has it been that Apple customers couldn’t use the same pair of Lightning headphones on their iPhone, iPad and MacBook? Even though Apple removed the headphone jack, calling it old technology, and touting the superiority of Lightning, most customers had to resort to using the Lightning to 3.5mm dongle and an old pair of 3.5mm headphones, if they wanted to carry only one set of headphones and be able to connect to both their iPhone and MacBook, let alone any other common audio device.

Now if someone would come up with a Lightning headphones to 3.5mm dongle, the transition to Lightning connectors as a replacement for the old headphone jack would be complete.

MplsP 4021 comments · 8 Years

About 5 years ago

mac_128 said:

Finally! This should have been available when Apple first removed the headphone jack. How many years has it been that Apple customers couldn’t use the same pair of Lightning headphones on their iPhone, iPad and MacBook? Even though Apple removed the headphone jack, calling it old technology, and touting the superiority of Lightning, most customers had to resort to using the Lightning to 3.5mm dongle and an old pair of 3.5mm headphones, if they wanted to carry only one set of headphones and be able to connect to both their iPhone and MacBook, let alone any other common audio device.

Now if someone would come up with a Lightning headphones to 3.5mm dongle, the transition to Lightning connectors as a replacement for the old headphone jack would be complete.

It would be really nice but it won't happen. The lightning connector is an active device that needs power; you can get that from the lightning jack, of course, or a USB C port, but not from a 3.5mm audio jack.

Totally agree with your comments regarding the connectors, though. The Anker dongle costs $30 - so that's an extra $30 to get the same functionality we used to have for free with the 3.5mm jack. My daughter told me a few weeks ago that she doesn't want an iPhone for her next phone because it's too much of a pain dealing with the dongle for the headphones. She also complained that she can't use the same headphones with her laptop and iPhone unless she has the dongle with and has resorted to tying the dongle to a set of 3.5mm headphones. Despite Tim Cook's proclamations, 3+ years on the 'obsolete' headphone jack is still the standard and from from obsolete.

SpamSandwich 32917 comments · 19 Years

About 5 years ago

Apple getting rid of the standard 1/8” audio port on some products has really made a mess of things.

techsavy 34 comments · 5 Years

About 5 years ago

Like apple has shown before. They are fully prepared to remove accessibility from their products so that you the customers are forced to purchase exclusively from Apple.