Connector History

Similar to the iPhone, the iPad started out using the iPod 30 pin connector. It transitioned to Apple’s Lightning connector with the iPad 4 in 2012, and then began transitioning to modern USB ports (USB-C) in 2018, with the transition completing in 2022 with the iPad 10th generation .

Even though each model now uses a common connector, the technology behind it varies between models. Here’s the breakdown of the technology each iPad model supports as of August 2024:

So with that established, what kinds of benefits do you get with a USB port on an iPad?

Connecting to External Storage

The move to a modern USB port allows the iPad to take advantage of external USB storage. You could connect external storage devices over Lightning, but it was beyond finnicky and sometimes required non-standard hardware that didn’t work well with any other computer.

Plugging in an SSD to your iPad let’s your view the the contents of that drive in the Files app (assuming the drive is formatted correctly), and interact with that Storage from either the Files app or from other apps using the standard file picker in iPadOS. You’re able to the common actions that’s you would expect, like moving files and creating folder hierarchies. Some apps, like Final Cut Pro, will even allow you to work directly off an external drive, if the developer has implemented that functionality.

Utilize Docks and USB Hubs

Thunderbolt on the iPad Pro opens up your iPad to the ecosystem of Thunderbolt docks, which can provide a huge boost to your productivity. Using a dock with your iPad lets you to drive a full featured desktop setup.

For example, when I plug my iPad Pro into my Thunderbolt dock, I gain access to:

• A 27 inch 4k display
• Two Powered external speakers
• A 1080p camera for video calls
• Wired ethernet
• Additional USB ports (even USB-A if you’re using legacy accessories)
• An SD card reader

Thanks to the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 3, I have access to all of these accessories over a single connection. This also makes the same setup plug-and-play with my work MacBook Pro, or any Thunderbolt enabled PC.

So what if you’re using one of the iPad models that doesn’t support Thunderbolt? The experience is going to vary depending on the speed of its USB port. In the case of a USB 3 port, a dock should still work, but some of the advanced features like driving multiple 4k displays may not work due to the more limited amount of bandwidth (up to 40 Gbps vs up to 5-10 Gbps). In the case of a USB 2 port, features like powering a display may not even work (which is kind of okay since base iPads don’t get full external display support anyway). You may want explore alternative docks or adapters for extending your iPad.

Connecting to an External Display

With the correct adapter, the USB port on your iPad allows you to connect to a single external display. Your experience will vary from simply mirroring your iPad display (iPads with an A-Series chip) to full external display support (iPads with an M-Series chip). Depending on your use case, either of those may be fine.

Here’s how display support breaks down per model:

Faster Charging

While Lightning did support a form of fast charging, modern USB ports support even faster charging speeds. Apple does not document any specific fast charging claims for iPad, as they do with iPhone and Mac. They do, however, claim that using a higher wattage power adapter will charge your iPad faster. This article from 9to5Mac claims the magic number you need for your wall adapter is at least 30 watts.

Charging Other Devices

A little known and used capability of the iPad’s USB port is charging out, i.e. charging other devices. All you need is a reputable cable with a modern USB port to plug into the iPad. Smaller devices like AirPods or even your iPhone can easily be charged by the iPad. You can even charge another iPad from it.

Devices that require more power than the iPad can provide either won’t charge, or, in the case of something like a laptop, will charge the iPad itself. The downside to this is that you will drain your iPad’s battery faster, but that may be worth it if your phone needs a little extra juice to make it through the day.

Connecting to Wired Audio

With the removal of the headphone jack from modern iPad models, the only way to get wired audio is through the USB port. The easiest way to do this would be to use USB-C headphones like the EarPods that Apple sells but at this point there should be offerings from 3rd parties as well.

More realistically, you’ll want to use some kind of adapter with a standard audio jack on it to connect your existing headphones. If a music creator, the right adapter can make it easier to work with your musical instruments.

For example, I have a set of electric drums I wanted to record while also wanting to hear myself play. The adapter I already had didn’t work for this since the USB-C port on it only supported charging, and not data. I eventually landed on this USB-C hub with a USB-C port that did pass data from Anker. This allowed me to pass the Midi data from my drums to Logic Pro while still hearing everything through my wired headphones.

Higher Speed Data Transfers

The USB port on your iPad can transfer data at much higher rates than the Lightning port…..in some cases. The 2015 12.9 inch iPad Pro and both 2017 iPad Pro models supported USB 3.0 speeds over Lightning, something that was never added to the iPhone. Most Lightning devices only supported up to USB 2.0 speeds.

The table in the Connector History section illustrates the transfer speeds you can expect with each iPad model. If you have an iPad Mini, iPad Air or especially if you have a modern iPad Pro, you can expect pretty fast data transfer speeds.

Where does this come in handy in the age of AirDrop and cloud services? Well, there are still some cases where transferring data over USB/Thunderbolt will save you quite a bit of time. If you want to move large amounts of data between an iPad and Windows or Linux PC, for example, a USB flash drive would be the fastest way to do that. If you’re a creator that’s recorded 4k footage on your iPhone or camera, its faster to transfer those large video files to your iPad using a USB 3 cable or an adapter with an SD Card reader in it.

Connect to other USB Accessories

The nice thing about standards is that they generally get broad industry support. This means that your iPad will support many USB accessories out of the box with no additional software required. Accessories like USB keyboards, USB mice, and even USB Ethernet adapters should just work. Many audio interfaces will also just work (I use the Scarlett Solo, myself).

Some accessories will require specific driver support to function. In iPadOS 16, Apple added support for DriverKit, which provides a framework for building device drivers for both iPadOS and macOS. For example, Elgato’s forthcoming Stream Deck Kit will provide official Stream Deck for iPad for the first time, using DriverKit.

Connecting to a PC or Mac

This isn’t specific to USB ports, you could connect your iPad to a Mac or PC using Lightning as well. The iPad doesn’t mount as an external drive, so dragging and dropping files between machines is tricky without 3rd party software. Things you can do when connected to a PC, like transferring photos and videos or backing up your iPad locally, will happen faster if your iPad supports at least USB 3 transfer speeds and you’re using a USB 3.0 cable.

Conclusion

iPads are wireless first post-pc devices. Most people won’t be using their USB port for much more than charging their device. For those that want to do a bit more, its nice that modern iPads provide a versatile port than can be extended to meet the needs of advanced users.