Hi, I can’t find this exact question addressed anywhere. I’m in England and to charge my devices,I just went to a local Boots (like Walgreens) and bought a UK plug (the part that goes in the wall socket) with a USB slot to use with the USB charging cable I brought from home. Is this OK to do? My iPad seemed like it was charging fine (nd very quickly) but then it seemed like it was warming up a little so I stopped. Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle Suburbs
107 posts
We did iphone and ipads all during 7 days in London last year with no problems
Posted by
New England
702 posts
Yes. I bought a usb charger in London and did the same thing. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Yes. USB is the same the world over (5 V DC to be pedantic).
Long answer: The plug is not just a plug, it is voltage converter, converting what is coming out of the wall (230 V 50 Hz AC in the UK), to USB standard.
Possibly the one you bought is a fast charger, and you use a "slow" one at home.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8126 posts
You can probably find some output information on the USB, But primary USB voltage is 5 Volts, with some USB chargers able to output 9 Volts as well. What does vary is the Amperage, Some devices (like tablets) require a higher Amperage to fully charge, some device will use a higher amperage, with a higher voltage for quick charge. Your device will largely regulate what it is getting and rate of charge.
In the case of your iPad, it was obviously in a quick charge mode, sometimes devices can get a bit warm when charging so not necessarily a concern, but if it was uncomfortably warm, then it was wise to unplug it. I am sure Apple would recommend using only an official Apple charger made for the device.