WhatCable: A macOS menu bar app that identifies USB-C cable capabilities in plain English
By
sleepingNomad
Kettled twice. Extra chewy, extra trustworthy.
Summary
WhatCable is a free, open-source macOS menu bar app that identifies USB-C cable capabilities in plain English. It reads data from macOS's IOKit framework to display what each connected USB-C cable can actually do (e.g., USB 2.0 charge-only vs. Thunderbolt 4 at 240W/40 Gbps), and explains why a Mac might be charging slowly. The app presents this information per port in a friendly menu bar popover, solving the common problem of identical-looking USB-C cables with vastly different capabilities.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledUSB-C hides a lot under one connector. Anything from a USB 2.0 charge-only cable to a 240W / 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 4 cable, all looking identical in your drawer.
macOS already exposes the relevant info via IOKit; WhatCable surfaces it as a friendly menu bar popover.
What can this USB-C cable actually do?
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