We use our phone chargers every day to keep our devices alive. But the charger you pick can have long-lasting consequences to your safety.
That’s because when you’re buying or replacing a lost iPhone, Android phone or adaptor charger, you may be tempted to get a generic, off-brand version. They typically are much cheaper than manufacturer-approved ones. They often promise to be for USB-C cables, which means they will charge faster.
But this can come with hazardous side effects.
“A poorly made charger could come apart, or a plug blade may not be secured and remain in the outlet when you remove the charger, exposing live parts and creating a shock risk,” explained Pamela Rucker Springs, the communications director for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Also, the internal circuitry may be inadequate and cause a problem when charging a phone.”
In a study conducted by the British organisation Electrical Safety First, 64 generic chargers for Apple devices were tested for safety. Data found that 58% of the generic chargers failed an electric strength test, which checks insulation barriers between the main circuitry and the parts a person can touch. In other words, the chargers were safety risks because they were more likely to overheat, catch fire or cause electric shocks.
In worst-case scenarios, people can get seriously injured. In a case report detailed in a 2020 Annals of Emergency Medicine issue, a 19-year-old woman experienced second-degree neck burns from a generic cellphone charger. She was injured while she was sleeping and her necklace chain came in contact with a generic cellphone charger that was under her pillow.
“Consumers should be told to avoid these generic devices to reduce injury risk,” the authors behind the report concluded.
That’s why the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends using a charger from your device’s manufacturer, Springs said.
If you are going to use a phone charger that is not, however, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends at least using a charger that bears the marking of a third-party certification lab, such as UL Solutions, Intertek or CSA, Springs advised.
You should only buy chargers that have this kind of certification on their product packaging. For a UL Solutions-tested charger, it should say “UL certified,” for example. What it means is that the item has been put “through all of the paces” by the lab, explained Shanika Whitehurst, associate director of product sustainability, research and testing at Consumer Reports.
The labs test for issues like, “Is it going to overload and cause a fire?” Whitehurst said. “They really check out the device to make sure that there’s not a potential burn or fire hazard that’s going to be associated with it.”
Other Signs Your Charger Is A Risk Or Should Be Replaced
Beyond buying an untested generic charger, there are other health and safety risks it could pose. Don’t ignore these warning signs:
The wires are frayed or exposed.
If you actually see an exposed wire, your charger is now an electrocution risk, Whitehurst warned. “If people are unplugging and those wires start to show, they need to get rid of it and buy a new charger.”
The device gets too hot to touch.
“While a charger may get warm to the touch, it shouldn’t be hot to the touch or display any signs of melting,” Springs said. “It could be an indication of a problem with the charger or possibly the outlet itself.”
If it’s really hot to the touch, that suggests “there’s a lot of electricity pulling through it,” Whitehurst explained. And if you can feel heat from the casing on the wires, that’s bad, because it may suggest an insulation barrier problem, she said.
The device is charging non-compatible devices beyond your phone.
The best charger for your phone may not be the best one to charge your gaming device or laptop, even if the charger can fit in the port. “Just because it may fuel your phone doesn’t mean that it can do your laptop,” Whitehurst said.
Some USB-C phone chargers are not designed to handle all of the surging electricity at once for other devices, Whitehurst said.
So if you’re buying another phone charger, make sure to look at the device specifications. “It may advertise itself as only being able to charge one or two types of products,” Whitehurst said. “Pay attention to those things.“
Above all, notice when the price is “too good to be true,” Whitehurst said. Buying a generic phone charger is easier on your wallet, but your safety could be at risk. If the charger is $10 and it normally is $40, for example, “there’s a good chance that is a generic, and that probably isn’t something that you want to hook into your $1,200 cellphone.”