Following the launch of the Type-C equipped Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and Pixel C devices, Google engineer Benson Leung set out to save us from all the dodgy non-compliant cables and adapters available on Amazon. Without the correct technical compliance, a Type-C adapter could charge a device too slowly, or at worst, ruin the product. Following Leung’s extensive testing, Amazon has now prohibited the sale of non-compliant accessories.
Amazon’s updated ‘prohibited listings’ page now includes “Any USB-C™ (or USB Type-C™) cable or adapter product that is not compliant with standard specifications issued by USB Implementers Forum Inc.” In simple terms, that means — in the words of Benson Leung — any “manufacturers who sell poorly made or intentionally deceptive #USB #TypeC cables and adapters are banned from Amazon, officially.”
While this means you shouldn’t see faulty, or non-compliant cables and adapters on Amazon anymore, that doesn’t mean they’ll be 100% gone immediately. When looking for chargers, cables and adapters for your Type-C equipped devices, you should still be vigilant in seeking out those listed as fully Type-C compatible. Google’s engineer himself found a cable which made his Chromebook Pixel and test kit completely unusable..
Looking at the list, it’s clear Amazon sees these bad cables as being on the same level as phone unlockers, DVD duplicators, laser pointers, region disabled DVD players and signal/radio jammers among many other seemingly sketchy electronic devices.
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