Use this app to check the quality of your USB Type-C cable
Following Benson Leung’s USB Type-C cable reviews is a pretty good way to ensure you don’t end up with a dangerous cable. But what if you already bought one and aren’t sure of its quality?
You’re in luck. USBCheck is an app that’s designed to help determine whether your USB Type-C cable is up to spec. The app checks the current draw of a cable while it’s plugged into your phone. If it notices that the cable is receiving the correct amount of power then it’ll spit back a positive result. If not? It spits a negative one.
We’re not quite sure how accurate the app’s readings are, so we wouldn’t use it as the end all be all determination tool. We’d suggest doing some research on the cable you bought to see if anyone has had any issues or if it was rated for being out-of-spec regardless of what the app tells you.
There are a couple of more caveats:
- The device only supports the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P and Pixel C for now.
- The app can only make an accurate reading if it’s plugged into a USB port on your PC. It cannot work while plugged into a wall outlet.
That said, the developer has open sourced the code so anyone can help improve the app, with his biggest goal being to support more devices. If you’re handy enough in that department then you can submit any changes you want right here. As for the app? Google Play has it right here for free.