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Bloomberg: Apple Working on MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12

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Apple is working on a magnetic battery pack attachment for iPhone 12, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

magsafe-charging-brick-feature.jpg
Apple has been developing the attachment for at least a year and it has been scheduled to launch in the months following the release of the iPhone 12 line, according to people with knowledge of the product. The iPhone 12 models were introduced in October.

The battery pack would attach to the back of an iPhone 12 using the MagSafe system, which all the new phones use for charging and pairing other accessories like cases and wallets. Some prototypes of the battery pack have a white rubber exterior, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the product isn’t yet public. The new accessory would differ from Apple battery add-ons for previous iPhones in that it only provides additional battery life and doesn’t serve as a full protective case.
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Some MagSafe users have criticized the strength of the magnets used by Apple in the iPhone 12 for their perceived weakness and inability to keep MagSafe accessories like Apple's leather Wallet firmly attached, but Apple has reportedly tested to make sure the battery pack's magnetic attachment system is strong enough for the charging unit to stay in place.

However, the accessory's development has reportedly been hindered by software issues, such as the attached iPhone indicating in error that the battery pack is overheating. Apple has also been working to fix problems that arise when the user switches between using the device when a case is on the iPhone and when the case is removed.

In light of these developmental hurdles, the battery pack could ultimately be delayed or scrapped, according to Gurman's sources.

Potential evidence of a future MagSafe battery accessory was recently discovered by MacRumors in a non-specific reference to a battery pack in the latest iOS 14.5 beta. "To improve charging efficiency and maximize available battery life, the battery pack will keep your phone charged at around 90%," read the text.


According to Gurman, Apple has also weighed up the possibility of other MagSafe accessories internally, including the potential for an in-car attachment, although that product reportedly hasn't made it to formal development.

Apple remains guarded about announcing charging accessories after the AirPower vaporware debacle. Apple publicly announced the device in 2017, but the product never materialized because of problems in development. Apple ultimately cancelled AirPower in March 2019 and apologized that it was unable to deliver a version of the product that achieved its "high standards."

Article Link: Bloomberg: Apple Working on MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/02/19/apple-working-on-magsafe-battery-iphone-12/
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Let's just hope it's availlable for the Mini. I've used the Pro's for so long and can't remember the last time I ran out of a charge during a normal day. With the mini I constantly need to recharge later in the day, sometimes early. Overall the smaller form factor is absolutely amazing, and so still worth it, but the battery issue because of the obvious smaller size, it's the only issue I constantly run into. It's not too bad since I work from home, so can easily charge but if I were on the go a lot would be more of an issue, and thus a native battery option would be great since I don't mind the phone being thicker, I just don't want it taller/wider since I always do it one handed (even with the pros except those I had to always use reachability.
 
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<battery falls off as you put phone in and out of your pocket>
Ah, the Smart Charging thinks it should be disconnected right now.
 
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TechRemarker said:
Let's just hope it's availlable for the Mini. I've used the Pro's for so long and can't remember the last time I ran out of a charge during a normal day. With the mini I constantly need to recharge later in the day, sometimes early. Overall the smaller form factor is absolutely amazing, and so still worth it, but the battery issue because of the obvious smaller size, it's the only issue I constantly run into. It's not too bad since I work from home, so can easily charge but if I were on the go a lot would be more of an issue, and thus a native battery option would be great since I don't mind the phone being thicker, I just don't want it taller/wider since I always do it one handed (even with the pros except those I had to always use reachability.
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You best me to the mini punch. Hopefully, Apple won’t ignore us.
 
PBG4 Dude said:
Neat idea, but with 20-25% energy loss during the induction process, would a wired connection honestly be a bad thing?
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Not to mention that energy loss is converted readily to heat which is bad as both the charger battery and the phone battery will be heating each other up. At least it'll be good for winter days.
 
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magbarn said:
Not to mention that energy loss is converted readily to heat which is bad as both the charger battery and the phone battery will be heating each other up. At least it'll be good for winter days.
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Maybe turn the ad on its head. A hand warmer that also charges your phone during use! 💡
 
you can already find these sorts of magnetic battery packs on AliExpress - though I'm fairly certain they don't have MagSafe and so only charge at like 7.5w. You can get a 5,000 mAh for around $15 and 10,000 mAh for around $22.

Anker is supposed to have something similar coming out some time in February as well - so I guess in the next 10 days?
 
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I dont want or need a hump on my big phone. A case that is the normal size of a case with more battery power would work fine.
 
I like this as a portable solution instead of having to lug a battery pack/cable, or leave it sitting wireless charging. I'd use it for a temporary boost and remove it when sufficiently charged, not leave it on as a permanent hump.

As long as the pricing isn't stupid like all the other MagSafe accessories, I'd pick one of these up.
 
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peneaux said:
Want innovation? Give us a USB-C instead of lightning port for our iPhones.
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Agreed.

Instead of inventing new ways to charge a phone (magnets, special cases, inductive charging)... just let us use a simple common USB-C cable.

Ya know... the cable that Macs, iPads, and increasingly many other devices now use.

Lightning was cool in 2012 when the only other port available on devices was crappy MicroUSB.

But I'm kinda over it now.
 
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Why not just put a 5,000Mah in the phone like other flagships and stop making the phone thinner with smaller batteries. They made the 11 Pro Max with the perfect amount of battery life then make the flagship the 12 Pro Max with a smaller battery with less battery life so they can pedal these gimmicky MagSafe battery attachments.
 
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contacos said:
probably delayed until this years iPhone with a stronger magnet. However, I am still stunned about the lack of 3rd party mag safe accessories in the meantime.
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Well, who wants to launch a bunch of accessories and have consumers complain about how their iPhones 12 fall off of them or the accessories fall of the iPhones?
 
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