Watch: Someone connected an iPhone 15 to an Android phone via USB-C

Apple’s move to USB-C has opened up a Pandora’s box of things you can do with the iPhone 15 series. Android phones are also unofficially on the list of devices you can now connect to the new iPhones via the USB-C port. While we wait for our iPhone 15 units to arrive and test this out ourselves, folks over at PetaPixel managed to plug the iPhone 15 into an Android phone to see what happens.

A YouTube Short posted by the publication shows how the iPhone 15 and Android phone react to each other when tethered together using a USB-C-to-USB-C cable. Almost immediately after connecting, the Android phone starts drawing power from the iPhone 15, and its battery begins to charge.

The iPhone’s battery doesn’t do the same initially. However, when the duo is reconnected, the iPhone 15 also starts drawing power and charging through the Android phone. It seems the connection behaves pretty erratically for now, especially for charging. We plan to test just why and how this happens when we get our hands on the new iPhones.

The presenters also tried sharing files from the Android phone to the iPhone 15 over the USB-C connection, but unsurprisingly, they were unable to do so. Data transfers didn’t work the other way around (iPhone to Android) either.

The iPhone 15 series is just now reaching reviewers and will start reaching buyers this Friday. We’re sure we’ll see several such experiments going forward, thanks to the USB-C port on the phones. Apple says you can connect the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro to a variety of devices, including Macs, iPads, the AirPods Pro (2nd generation), external storage devices, displays, and more. The devices can also charge AirPods, Apple Watches, and other small device that supports USB Power Delivery at up to 4.5 watts.