Belkin Recalls BoostCharge Pro Power Bank With Apple Watch Charger Due to Fire Hazard

[CBlakeston]

I have that charger and I keep using the charger. It is under supervision when charging my watch at home, and in my pocket when charging my phone on the go. I have never noticed it getting warm. And it doesn’t get warm(er) when it is being charged. I love the formfactor and how quick the watch is charged.
And I never got any recall notification… 🤷🏼‍♀️

Anybody suggest an alternative? Non-american please, I live in Europe 😉

This worked for me. It's brilliant. I miss the rubberised feel of the Belkin though and this Anker is the same volume but a different shape. Love the display on this new one though. It's also only £60 and the Belkin was £99.

Anker MagGo Power Bank for Apple Watch, Officially Certified 10,000mAh Compact Portable Charger with Built-In USB-C Cable, 35W Max Battery Pack, For iPhone 16/15 Series, iPad, AirPods, and More

Model Number: A1657 Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K, 35W, For Apple Watch) Fast Charging Anywhere for Apple Devices All-in-One Charging Power up with a versatile 10,000mAh charger that includes an adjustable, officially certified Apple Watch charger and an integrated USB-C cable, all crafted from 75%...

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[CBlakeston]

This is a story from early october. Why is it in the headlines again now? I got it from Amazon and again a recall message yesterday. Pity for the product, as I really liked it, but the reaction from Belkin and communication from Amazon.

I already got the refund and dit not get any instructions how to dispose it. I simply discharged it, dismantled the thing detached the batteries (2 cells) and recycled it the way you have to do it with batteries.

From my personal observations, I suppose, it has a charging problem, not properly controlling the current and stopping when full. It will not explode, it you do not do anything with it. I remarked strange charging behaviour already before the recall.

Any suggestion how I as a laymen with no knowledge of how to discharge stuff can dispose of it?

 

[axantas]

Any suggestion how I as a laymen with no knowledge of how to discharge stuff can dispose of it?

Charge your phone with it and have it a bit under control. It wont explode.

 

[axantas]

I have that charger and I keep using the charger. It is under supervision when charging my watch at home, and in my pocket when charging my phone on the go. I have never noticed it getting warm. And it doesn’t get warm(er) when it is being charged. I love the formfactor and how quick the watch is charged.
And I never got any recall notification… 🤷🏼‍♀️

Anybody suggest an alternative? Non-american please, I live in Europe 😉

I got the KPON Magsafe charger at Amazon 10'000 mAh - in Germany. It charges everything. The watch is charged rather slow, but I do not really care about this, as it also prevents the device from running hot.
Nice and compact without rubberized surface.

 

[Ament]

So I filled out that $ refund request and in the meantime I bought Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K, 35W, For Apple Watch). I hope I won't have to throw it in the trash in a month or so...

 

[CBlakeston]

So I filled out that $ refund request and in the meantime I bought Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K, 35W, For Apple Watch). I hope I won't have to throw it in the trash in a month or so...

That’s the one I got. Really love it

 

[Ament]

Really love it

But I heard that the watch charging is not as fast as in that Belkin (I have an AWU2). The spec says up to 5W for the watch but apparently in reality it gives 1-2W output. I've seen many videos on YT and this small display always shows ~1W when any Apple watch is charging. Can you confirm?

 

[CBlakeston]

But I heard that the watch charging is not as fast as in that Belkin (I have an AWU2). The spec says up to 5W for the watch but apparently in reality it gives 1-2W output. I've seen many videos on YT and this small display always shows ~1W when any Apple watch is charging. Can you confirm?

Anecdotally it seems the same or faster from the Belkin.

I think it does explain somewhere that the voltage for the watch varies as does the phone as the device requires it. The phone isn’t a constant 30w and neither is the watch a constant 5w. It varies and that’s normal. Obviously with a regular charger you don’t see that info.

But in the month I’ve used it with my
Series 10 it charges as fast as the
Belkin.

 

[Mac Eagle]

I don't have anything specifically against Anker as I do use their products, but for everyone saying they are better and not like Belkin, they also had some power bank recalls just a couple months ago:

https://www.anker.com/a1642-a1647-a1652-recall

I in fact had just purchased the A1642 power bank that was part of this recall for an upcoming trip and received the recall notice from Amazon just days before my trip.

Luckily, when I input my serial number it claimed that it was not part of the recall batch and was "safe" to use. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that claim. I do take some precautions with these batteries by keeping them in a fire bag and in a location that is as isolated as practical.

 

[CBlakeston]

But I heard that the watch charging is not as fast as in that Belkin (I have an AWU2). The spec says up to 5W for the watch but apparently in reality it gives 1-2W output. I've seen many videos on YT and this small display always shows ~1W when any Apple watch is charging. Can you confirm?

The anker also has a specific low power charging mode that limits it to 1w-2w I wonder if the videos you saw were using them for the watch?

 

[MikeDr206]

Very disappointing… both my wife and I have one and we love them. Actually am traveling now, and the watch is charging on this very product as I speak (WAIT, IS THAT SMOKE… jk).

Will stop using when I get back home. It appears that Anker has something comparable although it may be a bit chunkier.

 

[Victor Mortimer]

I don't have anything specifically against Anker as I do use their products, but for everyone saying they are better and not like Belkin, they also had some power bank recalls just a couple months ago:

I do.

They're a Chinese company. Buying Anker is directly supporting the Xi dictatorship. The same goes for several of the other companies mentioned in this thread.

 

[Reason077]

Has anyone got a Belkin wireless charger that isn’t a piece of crap?

There’s one here (combo phone/watch charging stand) that makes an awful high-pitched whine/buzz when it doesn’t have a device on it. So we have to leave it unplugged when not in use, which makes it kind of pointless from a convenience perspective.

Wouldn’t buy Belkin again.

 

[axantas]

Very disappointing… both my wife and I have one and we love them. Actually am traveling now, and the watch is charging on this very product as I speak (WAIT, IS THAT SMOKE… jk).

Will stop using when I get back home. It appears that Anker has something comparable although it may be a bit chunkier.

Fortunately the BoostCharge does not know to read and is unawareof the recall. 🤣 But you do do it the right way.

 

[FlyingDutch]

I don't have anything specifically against Anker as I do use their products, but for everyone saying they are better and not like Belkin, they also had some power bank recalls just a couple months ago:

https://www.anker.com/a1642-a1647-a1652-recall

I in fact had just purchased the A1642 power bank that was part of this recall for an upcoming trip and received the recall notice from Amazon just days before my trip.

Luckily, when I input my serial number it claimed that it was not part of the recall batch and was "safe" to use. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that claim. I do take some precautions with these batteries by keeping them in a fire bag and in a location that is as isolated as practical.

As a principle, a product recall is not an indication of a bad company.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Hm. It’s almost like maybe people should be avoiding Belkin products in general.

*smiles in Anker*

Anker have some form in this area tbh

Anker Recalls Model 535 Power Bank Due to Fire Risk

Anker recently announced that it is voluntarily recalling its 535 Power Bank (PowerCore 20K), as it can pose a fire and safety risk due to an...

www.macrumors.com

Stop using these three Anker batteries – they’ve just been recalled due to a fire risk

Another three Anker products bite the dust

www.techradar.com

 

[Entilzha]

Anker have some form in this area tbh

Anker Recalls Model 535 Power Bank Due to Fire Risk

Anker recently announced that it is voluntarily recalling its 535 Power Bank (PowerCore 20K), as it can pose a fire and safety risk due to an...

www.macrumors.com

Stop using these three Anker batteries – they’ve just been recalled due to a fire risk

Another three Anker products bite the dust

www.techradar.com

Totally granted! I truly wish I could remember the issue I had with a Belkin product years ago. But their customer service basically said “kick rocks loser, got your money lol” and that made me never want to give them the time of day again.

I need to dig into my emails and see what the heck it was all about…

 

[CarlJ]

Huh. I have one of these, in my glove compartment. Hasn't ever given me cause to be suspicious of it. I like the fact that if I get in the car realizing my watch battery is low, I can strap the watch onto it and put it on the passenger seat while I drive (I also have a watch charging cable in the car, but that's more work to pull out, uncoil, plug in, and set on the seat, plus, the watch isn't strapped onto it, so it can come off).

I normally use Anker for everything, but went Belkin for this because of the specific configuration. Are there any other watch-charging power banks out there that are trustworthy?

 

[JapanApple]

Yep. On one side it is good they are recalling products, meaning they are acknowledging manufacturing defects. On the other side, they are doing many mistakes lately. I was usually looking for Belkin or Anker when purchasing energy related products, but maybe it is time to discharge Belkin entirely.

Going against a safety indication is risky. You are probably right, but they are recalling the product.

You sure about UGreen and Satechi ? They sounds like cheap Chinese manufacturers to me… 🤔

not according to my personal experience.

Good for you. I rather pay or then use this crap.

 

[laz232]

It sounds like Belkin is not doing enough testing and analysis on these products before they are released.

Maybe or maybe their subsuppliers are lying to them.

Unlike small "fly-by-night" operations, Belkin has a market presence to protect, therefore the fact that they are issuing a recall could instead indicate they are much safer and proactive compared to dozens of others of suppliers.
I'm not claiming that this is the case here, but merely that lack of recalls by others does not necessarily indicate any quality / safety difference as you do not know the underlying true failure rate.

Akin to:

Survivorship bias - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[FlyingDutch]

Maybe or maybe their subsuppliers are lying to them.

Unlike small "fly-by-night" operations, Belkin has a market presence to protect, therefore the fact that they are issuing a recall could instead indicate they are much safer and proactive compared to dozens of others of suppliers.
I'm not claiming that this is the case here, but merely that lack of recalls by others does not necessarily indicate any quality / safety difference as you do not know the underlying true failure rate.

Akin to:

Survivorship bias - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Agree.
As I wrote above, a product recall isn’t an indication of a bad manufacturer per se. On the contrary it is an indication there is an after sale QC department. For sure if they have a few products recall in a short time frame, it could point out a bad QC during production.

 

[MikeDr206]

Agree.
As I wrote above, a product recall isn’t an indication of a bad manufacturer per se. On the contrary it is an indication there is an after sale QC department. For sure if they have a few products recall in a short time frame, it could point out a bad QC during production.

For this reason I only buy power banks from more reputable sellers. Any that Apple sells their stuff is a good guide. The likelihood some random Chinese seller on Amazon will do a recall is slim.

I give a little more leeway for USB chargers, but still have a very strong preference for reputable sellers unless the random Chinese product has a unique feature that I can’t otherwise get.

 

[FlyingDutch]

For this reason I only buy power banks from more reputable sellers. Any that Apple sells their stuff is a good guide. The likelihood some random Chinese seller on Amazon will do a recall is slim.

I give a little more leeway for USB chargers, but still have a very strong preference for reputable sellers unless the random Chinese product has a unique feature that I can’t otherwise get.

Belkin and Anker are sold in Apple Store…

 

[MikeDr206]

Belkin and Anker are sold in Apple Store…

Exactly! Mophie too, and I think Satechi?

I also put Nomad Goods, Native Union, and Twelve South in the reputable category, even tho Apple doesn’t sell their stuff.

 

[FlyingDutch]

Exactly! Mophie too, and I think Satechi?

I also put Nomad Goods, Native Union, and Twelve South in the reputable category, even tho Apple doesn’t sell their stuff.

Yep. My point is people here is blaming Belkin for bad quality but Apple thinks they are a reliable partner.
i think I will buy Belkin in the future anyway.