An engineer puts the Lightning port on an Android smartphone

Ken Pillonel, a Swiss engineering student, had already replaced the Lightning port of an iPhone with a USB-C port and now he is doing the opposite, but on an Android smartphone. This is the Galaxy A51 from Samsung.

A Lightning port on an Android smartphone!

The feat is notable since the Lightning port is specific to Apple, it is found on iPhones, iPads and other brand products. And as you can imagine, Apple has done what is necessary for its system to work only with its products. This therefore forced the Swiss engineer to understand the operation so that charging and data transfer could be available with an Android smartphone.

Engadget was able to discuss with Ken Pillonel to find out more. “It was a complex modification that required original thinking”he said. “Lightning cables sold by Apple are not ‘dumb’. They can only charge Apple devices. So I had to find a way to trick the cable into thinking it was plugged into an Apple device. And the whole thing has to fit inside the phone, which is another challenge in itself”he added.

The Swiss admits that “the quality of the finished product is far from what it was for the iPhone”but it does not expect “whoever has his head” please do this to his device. “It was for fun, I just wanted to see if I could do it”he said, adding that such projects are a great example of what can be achieved with devices, even without help from the companies that made them.

We have the right to the image above and a short video for now. The longer video that will go into detail will be posted soon. on Ken Pillonel’s YouTube channel.