Lightning headphone extenders are quite useful in a variety of scenarios. Sometimes cars like BMWs, Audis, and Mini Coopers have built-in audio input jacks that aren’t placed ideally or have a cable that’s too short. Or you might have a thicker type of iPhone case like an Otterbox which means you might need a short Lightning extender to bridge the gap between cables that don’t quite fit. Many people use these extenders to charge their Apple Pencils. In other cases, you might just need a longer cable to listen to music with your normal headphones (especially if you’re running your lightning headphones through your clothing instead of wearing the cable on the outside of your clothes). Luckily, Lightning headphone extensions cables can solve this problem for you. As an aside, if you’re just looking for a long USB to Lightning cable for charging purposes, those exist too.
All of the extenders in this article will work for all current iPhone models includingiPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xr, iPhone SE, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro max. You can also use them with iPads and iPad Pros.
5 Best Lightning Headphone Extension Cables & Extenders
3.9 Foot Lightning Extension Cable
This lightning extender cable measures almost 4 feet long and has tons of positive reviews on Amazon. It can pass audio, data, and video through, as well as charge your iPhone or iPad. It has a male Lightning plug on one end (to plug into your iPhone or iPad or iPod Touch) and a female Lightning cable on the other end. The braided cord gives it extra durability and it works perfectly with official and Apple certified lightning charging cables.
A bonus use for this cable is to connect it to your iPad and charge your Apple Pencil.
Short Lightning Port Extender for iPhone & iPad
This item features a male lightning cable connector on one end and a female Lightning port on the other end. This lightning extension cable comes in white and has been very well-reviewed by purchasers who are mostly using it to charge their Apple Pencils, another possible use case for a lightning extender cable. (Find more Apple Pencil charging cables here.)
6 Foot Long Lightning Extension Cable
If you need a long Lightning extension cable, this product might fit the bill. It’s a 6 foot long black Lightning extender and features a skinny male lightning connector on one end and a female lightning port on the other end. It’s been generally well-reviewed and works on iPhone (5 and later) as well as iPads and iPods with Lightning ports. Functions as a power source as well as plays music or video. Audi car owners, in particular, are using this to plug in their iPhones to their Audis which require an extra-long Lightning cable.
Frequently asked questions about Lightning cable extenders
Will this long lightning cable charge my iPhone as well as play music? Generally yes. All of the cables listed in this article should charge as well as play music at the same time if the device they’re connected to (like charging speakers for iPhones) allows that.
Will these lightning cable extenders fit in my particular case? Each case is different so we recommend checking the exact measurements of each of these Lightning extension cables against your actual case using a ruler and measuring in millimeters to judge whether or not they’ll fit. Some of these male-to-female lightning adapters are tapered at the male plug end so as to fit easier in tighter case openings like those by Otterbox and others.