Student who supplied iPhone with USB-C, puts Lightning connector in Android device

The student who equipped an iPhone with USB-C last year has equipped an Android phone with a Lightning port “to bring balance to the chaos.” The port supports both charging and data transfer.

Ken Pillonel, a master’s student of robotics, assures viewers that it’s not an April Fools’ Day joke, although his video is deliberately released on that date. The cable itself presented another challenge. Opposite Engadget he tells that Apple’s Lightning cable is “not stupid” and “only wants to charge Apple devices.” He therefore had to be able to ‘fool’ the cable and also get his solution to fit in the telephone. The latter does not seem to have been completely successful: the cable protrudes slightly more from the Android device than the iPhone.

The maker made headlines last year because he managed to equip an iPhone X with a USB-C connector. It also supported data transfer and charging and sold the device on eBay for $86,000. Only a system restore and system update would undo his mods. Apple is the only major party that does not put the now common USB-C on its mobile devices, with a few exceptions. The European Commission also wants to change that.

Pillonel says he is working on a full video detailing the build. He may also put his documentation back online, just like he did with the modified iPhone.