iPhone User Shares Experience with Hotel USB Charger and Recommends Privacy Setting Change

A Reddit user known as max1padthai shared an experience on the r/iPhone forum about charging their iPhone at a hotel. The post, which received more than 1,600 upvotes, detailed how the user plugged their device into a hotel charging port. The next day, upon checking security settings, they found the default configuration allowed USB accessory connections when the phone was unlocked.

The user then adjusted the setting to 'always ask' and reconnected the phone for a test. This prompted a message asking whether to connect to the USB accessory. As a result, the user realized their phone had connected to the device overnight without prompting the previous day.

Commenters on the post provided additional context about USB connections. ' prompt in USB client mode, the latter of which permits access to all files. They added that while USB accessories could potentially manipulate system parts, such as through a keyboard emulator, this remains safer than full data access in client mode.

Another commenter mentioned experiencing similar prompts even with an Apple charger on their iPad, attributing it possibly to worn connectors, and resolving it by unplugging and replugging. A third suggested avoiding random USB ports accessible to multiple people and recommended carrying a plug or charge-only cable.

Newsweek reached out to the original poster for comment via Reddit but received no response at the time of publication.

The incident relates to 'juice jacking,' a type of cyberattack where malware is transferred or personal data is stolen via a USB charging port without a charging block or charge-only cable. Such attacks are theoretically possible but rare. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) stated in 2023 that it had not identified any instances of juice jacking occurring.

Malwarebytes reported in 2025 that it also had found no examples since monitoring began.