Kuxiu charging stands work again with latest iPadOS 18.3 beta
Magnetic charging stands that utilize iPad Smart Connectors are working again with the latest iPadOS 18.3 beta, proving it was just a beta bug and not a larger move from Apple.
Apple doesn’t officially offer the Smart Connector through the MFi program, but manufacturers have figured out ways to use it with unofficial workarounds. So far, Apple seems like it doesn’t care about the use, but a beta bug caused some concern.
After the third iPadOS 18.3 beta was released, users reported that the charging capability of their Kuxiu charging stands had returned. Kuxiu had previously confirmed that they believed it was a beta issue, and not a move from Apple, and this seems to be the case.
Previously, users that were running the beta software could not charge their iPad over the smart connector. In order for the smart connector in products like the Kuxiu charging stand to work, they tell the iPad that it is connected to a Chinese Smart Keyboard.
While these issues are resolved for now in software, Kuxiu told AppleInsider that it was working to resolve the issue in hardware in future shipping models. While regular users should never have to worry about such beta bugs, Kuxiu is still attempting to ensure that even betas won’t stop the charger from working in the future.
As always, install betas at your own risk and understand that when things go wrong, there’s not much you can do except wait for the next beta. In the meantime, we can all hope Apple doesn’t decide to upset this excellent product category with an on-purpose update that breaks the charging loophole.
