It probably goes without saying that USB-C is the standard we can expect in the future in terms of device connectivity. So far we’ve seen many Android OEMs adopt the feature, and we are also seeing laptop manufacturers adopting USB-C ports as well, but the problem isn’t so much the adoption, but the creation of USB-C cables.
In the past we have covered how there are some USB-C cables that aren’t 100% compliant with the standard, which can be rather dangerous, and now it looks like Anker is issuing a recall on their USB-C cables due to its unsafe nature. The problem apparently is due to the Anker’s USB-C cables that are capable of “remembering” the voltage of previous devices.
What this means is that if you were using the USB-C to charge a laptop, which obviously needs more power than a smartphone, and you were to unplug it and then plug it into your smartphone, it will give your smartphone way too much power which in turn could fry it, causing a battery explosion, or start a fire.
That being said, not all of Anker’s cables are bad and only a certain model is affected. According to Anker, “We are offering all of our PowerLine USB-C A8185011 users a full refund. In addition, we would like to offer a free Anker PowerLine USB-C cable to affected customers once we have improved Anker PowerLine USB-C A8185011.” In the meantime you can check out the demonstration of the USB-C cable in the video above courtesy of researcher Nathan K.