An apparatus (100) and a method (200) for an accessory identifier for identifying a connected accessory type from three or more accessory types (102, 104, 106) are provided. Each of the three or more accessory types (102, 104, 106) has a unique identifier resistor (108, 110, 112), which is accessible through an identification pin (114, 116, 118) and is linearly related to each other in resistance value. Using a voltage source (120), presence of the connected accessory (102) is detected (204) by monitoring a voltage change at the source pin (126). Once the presence is detected, a predetermined current is sent through the source pin (126) and the resulting voltage at the source pin (126) is measured (208), and based upon the measured voltage, the connected accessory type (102) is identified (210).