Belkin today introduced a certified Lightning to 3.5mm audio cable, and announced that pre-orders will begin on its website today.

lightning to 3 5 audio cable 1
The cable has a male Lightning connector on one end and a 3.5mm output on the other, allowing iPhone models that lack a headphone jack to be connected to a car stereo via the AUX port without the need for any adapters.

The cable can also be used to connect an iPhone to other products with 3.5mm inputs, ranging from home speaker systems to over-ear headphones. This is possible because the cable has a built-in digital-to-analog converter.

lightning to 3 5mm cable 2
Lightning to 3.5mm audio cables have been available for several years, but Belkin's edition is certified by Apple under its MFi Program, which was recently expanded to include specifications for this type of cable.

Belkin's cable will be available in a three-foot length for $29.99 or in a six-foot length for $34.99 in the United States, with prices varying elsewhere. In addition to pre-orders on Belkin.com, the cables will available in the coming weeks at Apple Stores, Best Buy, Target, and select other retailers worldwide.

For a pricing comparison, Master & Dynamic recently released an Apple-certified Lightning to 3.5mm audio cable with an in-line microphone for $69.

Top Rated Comments

bladerunner2000 Avatar
96 months ago
$70 for a 3.5mm cable? Apple's greed and stupidity to remove the headphone jack started all this. What a circus.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lederermc Avatar
96 months ago
Only twice as expensive of buying 1) an Apple lightning to 3.5mm and 2) a 3ft patch cord.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bladerunner2000 Avatar
96 months ago
It's a reach to call it greedy. Apple has always pushed the envelope of technology, introducing new, better tech. When is a right time to do it, or not to do it? If we always stuck with older tech, imagine the world we'd be in today.

But I do agree that the price of these new accessories and cables is outrageous and unreasonable.
There is NO better tech than the headphone jack for the SIMPLE purpose of plugging in a pair of headphones. What Apple did is straight garbage.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
96 months ago
Except, yanno, digital audio is far superior to what can be delivered over a headphone jack. So there is that small detail.
Nobody's ears can hear digital audio... only analog. The change that Apple implemented is shifting where the digital audio is converted from the DAC (still) inside the iPhone to a small DAC outside the iPhone (maybe 2 inches away max).

For transporting an audio signal over good distances, maintaining a digital stream certainly has merit. But that does not apply to this situation. A distance of only an inch or two matters not. And since there is still a DAC inside the phone so it can function as a phone, this "innovation" created a redundancy requirement that binds an external wired option to a proprietary jack that Apple controls (thus the relatively high price of this product).

Anyone believing that Lightning or Bluetooth is better ALREADY had both options while iPhone still had a headphone jack too. The latter did not have to go to make either of the former function- they already functioned. As consumers, we simply lost something very useful (if nothing else, the ultimate backup option if either "the future" options failed us by loss, forgetting to charge, etc). And now we can spend money to try to get some of its benefits back while cutting Apple in for Lightning licensing gains too.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EdT Avatar
96 months ago
Waiting for the “Apple is usually the first to remove obsolete components” post.

When Apple removed the floppy disk drive from computers file sizes had grown way beyond the 1.44 MB file size that floppy disks could store, and read/write CD’s and DVD’s were included with computers. When they got rid of DVD’s USB flash drives were cheap and commonplace. When they didn’t support Flash files on iPhones it was because Flash software didn’t work very well on mobile devices and it was also a large security risk. I bought my first smartphone at this time and it was an Android because it ‘supported’ Flash web pages. Like hell it did. Even Android finally admitted that Flash was a buggy unreliable security risk that was difficult to get working on mobile devices.

The 3.5 mm Jack? Cheap, easily available and better quality sound than Bluetooth head sets costing 5 times more. And it works with anything made by almost anyone without needing a separate charger to recharge your battery powered Bluetooth device. And Apple hasn’t used the space freed up for some other device inside the phone. This “improvement’ wasn’t.


And I don’t know that Apple was the leader in removing all of the obsolete equipment that they have been credited with.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coolfactor Avatar
96 months ago
Launching where? Into space?

$70 for a 3.5mm cable? Apple's greed and stupidity to remove the headphone jack started all this. What a circus.
It's a reach to call it greedy. Apple has always pushed the envelope of technology, introducing new, better tech. When is a right time to do it, or not to do it? If we always stuck with older tech, imagine the world we'd be in today.

But I do agree that the price of these new accessories and cables is outrageous and unreasonable.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari. More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
iPhone 17 vs Air and Pros Feature

New iPhones See 'Stronger Than Expected' Demand With One Exception

Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain. There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
space black mbp

Here's Every New Apple Product That Leaked Yesterday

Wednesday October 1, 2025 8:27 am PDT by
A handful of upcoming Apple products leaked yesterday, through a combination of YouTube videos out of Russia and U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documents that were released, despite Apple's confidentiality requests. The leaked products include an iPad Pro with an M5 chip, as well as updated MacBook Pro and Apple Vision Pro models. All of these devices had already been rumored...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple's iPhone Driver's License Feature Now Available in 11 U.S. States

Tuesday September 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Apple recently revealed that the feature would soon be available in North Dakota, and starting today, the feature has officially gone...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Event in October? Here's What to Expect

Monday September 29, 2025 9:31 am PDT by
Apple's annual iPhone event is in the rearview mirror, but rumors suggest the company plans to release a handful of additional products before the year ends. Will there be another Apple event this October? We discuss the possibility below. Apple in October Apple's most recent October events were in 2021 and 2023. In 2022 and 2024, Apple did not host an October event. Instead, it...
fcc vision pro leak

FCC Accidentally Leaks Apple's Next Vision Pro

Tuesday September 30, 2025 3:48 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has seemingly confirmed Apple's work on an updated version of the Vision Pro headset. One of several documents the FCC shared today references an Apple-designed "Head Mounted Device" with a model number of A3416. An included image confirms the device is a Vision Pro. The FCC's uploads are transmission tests, SAR test reports, and...
macbook pro prime day 2025

FCC Leaks Upcoming MacBook Pro and More

Tuesday September 30, 2025 1:58 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Communications Commission has confirmed Apple's work on a new version of the MacBook Pro and several other products, leaking details on the devices ahead of launch. The FCC published documents that reference model numbers that do not correspond with existing devices. A3434, for example, references an unreleased MacBook Pro, while other numbers are likely for...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Apple's 2025 Product Roadmap: What's Still Coming

Wednesday October 1, 2025 3:56 pm PDT by
Apple's two big yearly events, WWDC and the iPhone launch, are done and over with, but there are still some new products that we're expecting to see before the end of the year. Apple TV The Apple TV hasn't been updated since 2022, so it's due for a refresh. It doesn't look like Apple is going to change the design of its set-top box, but we can expect a faster chip Apple code suggests...
maxresdefault

New iPad Pro With M5 Chip Leaked in Unboxing Video

Tuesday September 30, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
An apparent unboxing video for an unannounced iPad Pro with the M5 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The same YouTube account leaked the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip before it was announced by Apple last year, so this is likely a legitimate leak. Based on the box shown in the video, this appears to be a 13-inch iPad Pro with an M5 chip, 256GB of...
iOS 26 Everything New Feature

26 Hidden iOS 26 Tricks to Change How You Use Your iPhone

Wednesday October 1, 2025 9:16 am PDT by
Apple released iOS 26 in mid-September, bringing a range of new features and changes to iPhones across the globe. But not all of the included improvements have been showcased with Apple's typical fanfare, and many are likely to have been overlooked. Below, we've highlighted 26 lesser known additions and enhancements that could potentially change how you use your iPhone on a daily basis. Got...