Lightning Audio + Charge RockStar

Not all jack-lightning connectors work two-way. Some only allow you to listen to music but don't work for a phone call or a skype/zoom call. I purchased two other cheaper products in the past and had to return them. This one from Belkin works very well both ways and allows you to charge your phone at the same time. With intense use, it has lasted 4 months which for some might not seem to be a lot but you have to remember that this short piece of cable and adaptor was in and out of my pocket every day, bent to fit in, taken in and out at least 30 times a day which makes it bending more than 3600 times. My wired headphones did not last that long.

I have used Belkin products for years and have always found them reliable and good quality. As you can also buy this device from the Apple Store then they must be confident in it. It is bulkier and more exurban other adapters due to it being an active device but sound quality is excellent through a decent set or headphones or ear buds.

I had previously been foolish enough to buy a £6.99 version of this type of adapter. Waste of money. Then I saw this Belkin adapter. Every Belkin piece of gear I have bought has worked without a problem. And this adapter is no exception. The take away from this is simple. You get what you pay for. Cheap Chinese crap that fails to deliver what it claims, or a more expensive name brand that does.

I bought some other items like this off Amazon for my iPhone 7 Plus to charge and listen to headphones at the same time and all broke within a short period of time. If bought them as they were cheaper, but ultimately you end up buying 2 or more for the cheaper value and you could just invest in a well named product that actually works well and works well for a long time. Since I’ve had this it’s worked perfectly. There is no defects on it, no glitches where one socket works and other doesn’t for example and the wiring is perfectly intact. I highly recommend regardless of the price, it’s well worth it.

TL;DR: Great while it works - just don't expect it to last for more than a month or two in a car! I purchased this January 10th, 2019. It's April 16th as I write this. The initial unit I received worked wonderfully. It was installed in my car to both charge and send audio to my car's head unit. Plug in one wire, stick my iPhone in the car phone mount (now screwed to the dashboard, suction cups are not great!) and go - everyone's a winner. Then came February 2nd, 2019. Happily driving along, and the audio cut out. Strange. Must be a bad connection, I thought. Pulled over, wiggled the connector and the music resumed. I then set off, and it cut out again. This was how the first one of these units failed, and was replaced without question by Amazon, as expected. Kudos to Amazon as usual for excellent service. The second unit arrived on the 11th February 2019 and, again, worked flawlessly, up until today, the 16th April 2019, when this time the sound works but it no longer charges my iPhone. I've tried a couple of different iPhones - it's not my phone that's the problem - these adapters just cannot handle being used in a car, it seems. I'm not swinging off the cable itself, I always grip the connector itself when connecting or disconnecting. I would recommend you steer clear of this device. I've just found a Bluetooth audio receiver sold as being for use with old Hi-Fi systems and I think that may be a more reliable choice for car audio uses. A shame, as when this adapter worked, it was marvelous. It happily passed the full charging current to my iPhone XS Max without complaint.

My iPhone 7 Plus does not have a 3.5mm stereo jack socket for earbuds or headphones. Instead Bluetooth wireless earbuds / headphones are recommended for use with the Bluetooth-equipped, wireless iPhone. However, all of my Bluetooth earbuds / headphones are equipped with rechargeable batteries, which have a finite operational life. When charged, most will work for up to 10 - 20 hours before needing to be recharged. The Belkin adapter splits the iPhone 7 Plus's Lightning port into 2 ports: a 2nd Lightning port and a 3.5mm stereo port. The later port means cabled earbuds / headphones can be plugged directly into the iPhone adapter. Bluetooth is not needed. The 2nd Lightning port can be used to power the iPhone when cabled earbuds / headphones are in use. Consequently, there is no drain on the iPhones's battery when earbuds / headphones are worn. Without an external charger connected to iPhone adapter, the earbuds / headphones will hasten the drain on its battery. Highly recommended for users who prefer cables earbuds / headphones to using wireless, Bluetooth earbuds / headphones.

We’ve tried some cheaper brands that only lasted for months, in the end we came back to Belkin — they work reliably and last for years

I tried my luck with this adapter as I was looking for something I can use for data sync/transfer as well as use my lightning ear phones. I use an ethernet cable with my iPhone, as I have no wifi in my house. The cable did not work. Not only that, I received a pop up on my phone that this accessory is not compatible with my iPhone 13 Pro Max, so buyer be warned. Another odd thing was, this item was not actually brand new. It had clearly been opened and used before, as the base of the adapter had a lot of micro scratches and no protective film (the kind we all like to peel so satisfactorily from our new tech gadgets) and there was also no documentation/warranty information in the box as you would normally expect for a product like this. I'd have returned it for this reason alone, but I wanted to be sure it will actually work with my phone first. Bit of a shame as this is not exactly a cheap adapter, and Belkin is a fairly reputable company which sells directly on Apple's website. I've returned mine now, so the search continues.