What Is the WhatCable Public Cable Observation Database?

The WhatCable public cable observation database is a searchable record of how real USB-C cables identify themselves across real hardware, built from observations that WhatCable users choose to contribute. You can search it by vendor, speed, and identity, or check whether a cable you own has already appeared. It is useful when you want to compare a cable's reported identity against what other people's hardware has seen, rather than relying on marketing claims alone. Nothing is uploaded without your action.

What the database contains

Each entry records what a cable reported about itself when connected through WhatCable — its identity, speed, and charging rating — as observed on real machines. The site describes the collection as "a public record of how real cables identify themselves across real hardware," and at the time of writing lists 145 cable observations.

Example entries shown on the site include:

These illustrate the kind of mismatch the database can surface: cables that look identical can report very different capabilities.

How observations get there

The flow is deliberately manual:

1. You connect a cable (and typically a device or charger) and let WhatCable read the connection.
2. WhatCable reads the identity the cable reports, checks it against USB Power Delivery rules, and compares it with what the Mac actually negotiated.
3. If you choose to contribute, the observation is submitted. According to the site, nothing is uploaded without your action.

WhatCable cannot see inside the cable jacket, and the site states it never pretends to — the database reflects reported identity and observed negotiation, not physical inspection.

What it helps you decide

• Before buying or trusting a cable: search by vendor or speed to see whether your model has been observed and what it reported.
• When a cable underperforms: compare your cable's reported identity with other observations of the same model to judge whether the limit is the cable, the charger, or the device.
• When claims and behaviour diverge: the database is a cross-check against spec sheets, since entries come from real hardware rather than vendor documentation.

Limits to keep in mind

The database is only as complete as user contributions — a cable that hasn't appeared may simply not have been observed yet, not be suspect. Entries describe reported identity and negotiated behaviour, which can differ from a cable's true internal construction. And because submission requires your action, your own observations stay local unless you choose to share them.

To browse entries, use the cable database linked from whatcable.uk; the app itself is a free Mac download for Apple Silicon running macOS 14 or later, with an optional Pro tier for deeper inspection.