Real Outrage Over Fake Apple Product
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Social Media Users Rage Against New iPhone 18 Charging Port as an Apple Cash Grab — But It’s Not True
What’s happening: An AI-generated video purporting to show a new charging port on the upcoming Phone 18 sent social media users into a frenzy, many wrongfully accusing Apple of ending use of its universal USB-C port in a supposed cash grab.
A closer look: Social media users are claiming that Apple’s iPhone 18 series, which is expected to be released in September 2026, will switch to a magnetic charging connector that snaps into a charging port — a feature similar to the “MagSafe” charges compatible with some of Apple’s MacBook laptops. Users claimed that Apple’s supposed switch to a new charging port was a greedy attempt to generate more revenue by requiring Apple customers to buy new Apple chargers.
Many users cited a video (above) first posted by verified TikTok account @AppleLuxs, which purportedly shows the new iPhone 18 with a MagSafe charging entering its charging port. The original video garnered 16.8 million views and 760,900 likes.
TikTok account @nikcqts posted the video of the supposed iPhone 18 charger with the caption, “Apple really tryna money grab with the iphone 18 new charger.” The video received 2.1 million views and 83,700 likes.
TikTok user @santiiiiii3y3kon posted the video of the supposed charger with the caption, “iPhone 18 pro charger is just weird.” The post generated 4.5 million views and 414,600 likes.
Actually: NewsGuard found that the @AppleLuxs TikTok account that posted the video cited above is linked to an Indonesia-based Apple reseller that used AI to create the video. The likely purpose of the fake claim is to generate engagement and ad revenue to the account. Apple has not made any announcement about introducing a new charging port on its iPhone 18 series.
@AppleLuxs has previously shared AI-generated and digitally manipulated videos promoting supposed iPhone 17 and 18 features. For example, a Jan. 26, 2026, AI-generated video by the account purported to show a coffee-brown iPhone 17 Pro Max — a color that Apple does not currently offer. (That shade of brown has been rumored to be a color option for the iPhone 18.)
MacRumors, a website that reports on unreleased Apple products based on credible sources including patent records, says that it does not expect any changes to the iPhone 18 charging port, which has been a standardized USB-C port since the launch of the iPhone 15 series in September 2023.
It is unlikely that Apple would switch from using a USB-C charging port for its iPhone 18 series due to international regulations.
The EU ruled in October 2022 that all new mobile devices sold in the region as of December 2024 must support USB-C charging. This forced Apple to switch from its proprietary Lightning connector to USB-C in 2023, Apple’s head of marketing Greg Joswiak said at an October 2022 technology conference.
Apple’s press office did not respond to an emailed request for comment. TikTok’s press office did not respond to a contact form submission seeking comment on @AppleLuxs’s verification. NewsGuard sent a direct message to the TikTok accounts cited above seeking comment but did not receive any responses.
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In Case You Missed It … Conspiracists Somehow Link Nancy Guthrie to Epstein
Social media users are stringing together a bizarre web of conspiracy theories to connect Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping to the Justice Department’s release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In the past week, 75,200 X posts mentioned both “Guthrie” and “Epstein,” generating a combined 17.4 million views, according to a social media analytics tool used by NewsGuard. The far-fetched theories — ranging from claims that Donald Trump orchestrated the kidnapping to suggestions that Guthrie’s own family is responsible — provide a window into the conspiratorial mindset that can take hold when there are gaps in reliable information about high-profile events.
Read the story here.
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Reality Check is produced by co-CEOs Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz, and the NewsGuard team.
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