Resolving USB Compatibility Issues

Apple's A and M series chips are rather picky about how you connect your camera, but you might also run into problems with Intel-based Macs. Sometimes Apple chips fail to work with a cable that's is properly working with an Intel-based Mac. We've examined several customer issues together with Apple's engineers, and the conclusion is that some USB hubs, docking stations and adapters will cause connection aborts. On macOS 11 and later we'll display an error message when the operating system detects this condition and informs our apps.

If you run into this problem, the solution is to change the way your camera is wired to your Mac, iPhone or iPad, eliminating incompatible hardware. Aim for connecting it directly and don't use USB hubs or docking stations. Below is a list of accessories we've tested and certified to work properly with our apps.

Along with changing the cabling, a few customers reported that simply rebooting the Mac and powering the camera off and back on resolved their USB connectivity problem.

Pulling the USB plug from the Mac, iPhone or iPad, waiting a few seconds and plugging it back in is known to resolve intermittent device detection problems in macOS, iOS and iPadOS that might arise even with proper cabling.

Certified Cables

Certified Adapters

  • iPhone, iPadApple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter
  • Apple USB-C to USB Adapter
  • Satechi USB-A to USB-C Adapter

Certified Docking Stations

  • MacElgato Thunderbolt 3 Dock
  • MacElgato Thunderbolt 3 Pro Dock

Certified Memory Card Readers

  • iPhone, iPadApple Lightning to SD Card Reader
  • Mac, USB-C iPadProGrade Digital CF & SD Dual Reader
  • MacProGrade Digital Thunderbolt 3 CFexpress Reader