2016 Prius - Will USB charge my phone?

Yes. Just plug your phone cable into the USB and it charges. At least it does for iPhone, and I'm assuming it will work the same for Androids. I have an iPhone 6 and that solution works well. Also, today i got a Qi case for the iPhone (Bezalel Latitude) and it works perfectly on the charger pad.

 

It does, but I didn't like leaving a charging wire coming out of that USB port all the time.

I stuck a USB adapter in the second 12-volt outlet (the one for for the back seat) and leave a 3' +/- cord for my phone coming out of that one. It tucks away nicely but is still easy to locate without looking.

 

does the usb charge as fast as a 12v adapter?

 

It seems just as fast as the 12V

 

thanks!

 

A friend of mine is testing a Prius Gen4 as I am typing and he says that the Navi gave him an error message saying the iPhone requires too much current and cannot be charged via USB. Is this for real?? A USB port that does not even deliver 500mA??

 

Works fine but sometimes my 5S says the cable is unauthorized. When I start it again it works fine. Just an Apple thing.

Just eat around the worms in the Apple.

 

Well, I hope it is really a software bug between the Toyota navigation system and Apple's accessory charge cable.
Because a USB port that doesn't even supply 500mA to charge an iPhone (or any other average phone) it is a TOTAL NO GO.

 

I cannot confirm because I was not there at the time. But knowing him, I am pretty sure it was original.
I know that there is a new navi software available since a few days for the EU version (Toyota uses 2 completely different systems in EU vs USA, the former designed in EU), I suspect that fixes it for the new Prius and even more sure it was not updated on the Prius he was testing. I hope....

 

Both Apples work fine on the USB port.
Still waiting on a shipment from China to check the no wires charger. Also you can use the cigar port with a USB for a back up.

 

On any apple device, there will be an occasional error message about the cord not charging - just unplug and try again and all will be well.

 

Another thing to check is lint or debries in the lightning port of the phone. A few weeks ago, I noticed that charging was iffy with my iPhone. I checked several cables and charges, but with all of them, sometimes the phone charged and sometimes it didn't. I could jiggle the connector and the charging would vary. I tried various ways to non-destructively scrape inside the post and nothing seemed to be there. Finally, I tried using a wooden toothpick and a small thread came out. Since then, the connections are all tight and charging consistently works.

 

Thanks guys. I think it all has to do with the software of the EU version, and likely also my friend didn't try to plug it in/out another time. I know of the error messages of Apple accessories.
The message though was on the Navi and it complained about too much current required. It was not on his phone.
Well I will let you know how it works on mine, once I get my hands on it

 

Most modern phones (and all tablets) want to charge with more than 500mA. Most will still accept the USB spec current, but I know my phones will complain about "slow charging" if that's all they see. I think Apple was the first to tie the two data lines together with a certain size resistor to indicate that a standalone charger was capable of delivering more than the standard 500mA limit on the remaining two power lines.

The charging device identifies the type of port through non-data signalling on the D+ and D− signals immediately after attach. A [dedicated charging port] simply has to place a resistance not exceeding 200 Ω across the D+ and D− signals.

Per the base specification, any device attached to [a standard data port] must initially be a low-power device, with high-power mode contingent on later USB configuration by the host. Charging ports, however, can immediately supply up to at least 1.5 A. More current may be supplied up to the maximum current of 5 A, but the charging port may apply current limiting, or even shut down. The maximum current is determined by the over-current protection maximum current in the baseline specification. Note that it is specified only that USB connectors are tested to a contact current rating of at least 1.5 A.

-- USB - USB Battery Charging (Wikipedia)​

I think/hope the Prius port is at least USB 2.0, and that spec maxes out at [email protected], but since the port in a Prius is not a dedicated charging port then it must present itself as a 500mA port until it and the device negotiate (in software) a higher current rate. USB 3.x allows higher power levels, but I doubt our port is USB 3.

Proprietary technologies like Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 and the standardized-but-not-yet-ubiquitous USB Type-C supply up to 3A. I don't know what Apple uses, but my Android device is a QC device and some of the newer Nexus phones are Type-C. The Prius connector is not physically Type-C, and it is unlikely to support Apple- or Qualcomm-proprietary tech.

In summary, I expect the Prius USB port to comply with a particular USB specification and you won't get any fast charging beyond what that spec provides. Hopefully it's USB 2.0 and not 1.x, but even with 2.0 you still need the device and the car to successfully negotiate currents higher than 500mA.

 

Exactly my point - the USB plug should at least manage to deliver 500mA standard, i.e. any iPhone should be able to charge from it, even if really slow.... but it cannot complain that 1A is too much, let alone 500mA...!