You Can Charge Your iPhone With An iPad

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However you feel about mobile phones and tablets, most will agree that keeping them charged and ready for use can be a royal pain. The struggle to keep devices charged is usually due to a lack of electrical outlets to plug into when we’re on the go. That’s particularly true in some public spaces like restaurants and airports, where constant battles for plug-in power rage between those in need, and even more so during power outages, when plugging in actually provides no power. In these instances, some Apple owners might be interested to know that you can charge an iPhone with a fast-charging USB-C port using the power from your iPad.

Sure, this might seem like the very definition of the old adage about robbing Peter to pay Paul, but at the end of the day, we’d wager that most of you would want to prioritize having a powered-up phone over a fully-charged tablet when you’re on the move. Assuming that’s the case, here’s how you can charge an iPhone with an iPad.

If you’ve never considered the possibility of charging your Apple iPhone from an iPad, you might be surprised to learn just how easy it is, as the option requires just a couple of simple steps. Before you begin, however, you’ll need to ensure you have the right gear on hand to transfer that precious power between devices. Primarily, you’ll need to have either an Apple USB-C to Lightning cable or a Lightning to USB cable on hand. And in the latter case, you may also need an Apple USB-C to USB Adapter, which you can pick up on Amazon for about $19.00 these days. But if you have a Slashgear-approved iPhone 16 Pro or a newer iPad with USB-C ports, you can literally just plug them directly into each other and watch the transfer happen.

If you’ve yet to move on from Lightning cables, follow these steps to charge using a Lightning to USB-C cable.

1. Connect the USB-C end of the cable to the iPhone’s charging port.
2. Connect the Lightning end of the cable to the iPad’s charging port.

The iPhone should begin charging immediately upon connection. If you have a Lightning to USB cable, follow these steps: 

1. Connect the USB cable to the USB-C to USB adapter.
2. Connect the adapter to the iPad’s charging port.
3. Connect the USB-C end of the cable to the iPhone’s charging port.

Yes, it really is that easy to charge an iPhone using an iPad. And yes, these instructions can also be followed to charge another iPad or even an Apple Watch in the same way.