3.5 mm Audio + Charge RockStar

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

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.

Having tried a cheaper lightening/audio adapter and a cheap BT receiver for my car, decided to give this one a try from Belkin which to my knowledge is a more reputable brand. Essentially I wanted to charge my iPhone and listen to music via the aux input at the same time in my car. Adapter build quality feels ok but can’t comment as much on durability as just received the item and tried it out. Audio is fine. When connected to both 3.5mm aux and charger there is a slight hiss which is more audible when nothing is playing, but this is far less noticeable than with the cheap BT receiver or cheaper alternative adapter that I’ve tried (and returned) and crucially is not so noticeable as to be an issue.. in a situation where only the 3.5mm aux is connected then there is no hiss. Overall does the job and worth spending the extra money instead of going for the far cheaper alternatives.

My beloved iPhone 6S has an argument with a van door and lost. I inherited an iPhone 7 which meant no headphone jack. My car is on the older side and only has a 3.5mm socket for aux audio input. I could just use the headphone adaptor which I also had to buy for mobile use but then I wouldn’t be able to charge the phone whilst playing audio (you know, like we always used to without extra dongles). So this unit became a pricey necessity. Allows me to charge and play at the same time and does the job very well. One advantage is that I leave it in the car and now I only have one cable to connect to the phone but I still resent having to buy it. Only reservation I have on durability is the Apple-style eco-rubber cable which I worry will wear out quickly as I’ve had with similar Apple dongles. Would have preferred it to be braided. Price also seems steep for what it does but it’s all part of the cost of owning Apple products, I suppose.

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.

The belkin one was the only one that worked, I tried cheap, I ended up buying the belkin.

All of these adapters break, no matter what brand. Most commonly the cable frays or cracks. Sometimes they just stop working entirely for no reason. If you're hoping that this one won't because it's a big brand and expensive, then you're sadly mistaken. However, the difference here is that you can contact Belkin support can get a replacement. Try doing that with the fly-by-night sellers from China here on eBay. Getting a replacement from Belkin is a hassle and they make you destroy the old one by cutting through the cable. And, of course, they really shouldn't break in the first place. But at least it's not a total rip off.

Great product and excellent quality too