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Charging iPhone via iPod dock/cable on a Mac that isn't mine


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Charging iPhone via iPod dock/cable on a Mac that isn't mine
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2009-12-04, 19:54

Can this be done safely without wiping out the phone's data/activation? To be honest, I've never tried. Been kinda afraid to.



I'm sometimes at the house of a friend or relative and it'll be a day where I've used my phone a lot and the battery is low. It's still mid-afternoon and I'm nowhere near home (or heading there anytime soon). These people don't have the little USB wall charger, but all of them do have an iPod of some sort and a 30-pin connector and/or dock.

If I connect my phone to that (and their computer), will weird, bad things happen?



Is there some sort of "charge only" mode I can choose where the phone won't try to sync data, download pics, etc. and simply charge its battery?



This would sure come in handy sometimes. Like, oh, about four hours ago...

What's the deal on this? What happens if I connect my iPhone to a computer that isn't mine? Will it mount? Will it charge? Or will it wipe the data/info?

Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question with an obvious answer (because I'm not aware of it).



PS - And if the above isn't possible, doesn't that strike you as a neat, useful feature for Apple to implement in some future iPhone OS update...remote "emergency" charging on a friend's Mac with no data or syncing issues or hassles? Perhaps you go into your settings area and flip a "Charge Mode only" switch, allowing you to connect to any computer simply to charge the device and nothing else?
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PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Send a message via Skype™ to PB PM 
2009-12-04, 19:56

I've done it a few times before. A popup will say this iPod/iPhone isn't linked to this iTunes Library and ask if you want to or not. Just say no, and it will not sync, you can then unmount it and leave it attached to charge.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2009-12-04, 20:01

Well hot damn. That's good enough! Thank you very much for that quick response (it'll probably come in handy tomorrow).
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Gargoyle
http://ga.rgoyle.com
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: In your dock hiding behind your finder icon!
 
2009-12-05, 08:44

And if you carry a spare iPod/iPhone usb cable with you, then you can charge it from just about any usb port. In the past I have used the one on the back of my AirPort, My PS3 and even my friends new TV that has a USB port!

OK, I have given up keeping this sig up to date. Lets just say I'm the guy that installs every latest version as soon as its available!
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2009-12-05, 09:14

Cool. Even better to know. I think I do have an extra one of those stashed away. I might just put it in my car so it's always with me.

Of course, I could just buy a $20 car charger, couldn't I? But that's too easy...
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Wyatt
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2009-12-05, 10:35

If you want to be even more careful, set your iPhone to not sync automatically. Then you can plug it into any powered USB port without having to worry about your data. I regularly charge my iPod touch on my wife's MacBook (I have it synced to my work MacBook), and it never even asks me if I want to sync. It just charges and does nothing else.

Twitter: bwyatt | Xbox: @playsbadly | Instagram: @bw317
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