iPhone 17 Pro May Be Able to Wirelessly Charge AirPods, Apple Watch

[MacRumors]

Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models could include a reverse wireless charging feature making them capable of delivering power to other Apple devices, according to the Weibo-based leaker Fixed Focus Digital.

The Chinese leaker says that Apple has tested reverse wireless charging for the company's new high-end smartphones, but whether the feature is actually enabled when the devices launch next month remains to be seen.

This is the second time we've heard about the feature potentially coming to new iPhones this year. In February, Weibo leaker Instant Digital claimed that Apple had been testing 7.5W reverse wireless charging for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, saying it could be used to charge other Apple accessories like AirPods, Apple Watch, or potentially an upcoming MagSafe Battery Pack.

Long-running rumors of iPhone reverse wireless charging capabilities finally came to fruition in 2021 – albeit in a limited way – when Apple released the MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 and newer models. When attached to an ‌iPhone‌ that was charging via Lightning, the ‌iPhone‌ could deliver power to the MagSafe Battery Pack, which was the first instance of an ‌iPhone‌ being able to route power to an accessory device.

Apple discontinued the MagSafe Battery Pack in September 2023 with the launch of the iPhone 15 lineup, which dropped the Lightning cable in favor of USB-C. iPhone 15 and later models can reverse charge Apple Watch, AirPods, and other smaller devices that support Power Delivery at up to 4.5 watts via the USB-C port, but the wireless reverse charging feature for Apple devices has not been implemented since the discontinuation of the MagSafe Battery Pack.

In 2022, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted that a relaunched MagSafe Battery Pack would eventually transition to USB-C, but that has yet to happen. Likewise, In September 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said he expected USB-C versions of the MagSafe Battery Pack to return "eventually." But he qualified that by saying "Don't hold your breath."

All will be revealed when Apple releases its iPhone 17 lineup around mid-September, with an iPhone event rumored to be taking place on Tuesday, September 9. Would you welcome a reverse wireless charging feature? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro May Be Able to Wirelessly Charge AirPods, Apple Watch

 

[MacUserFella]

Honestly, reverse wireless charging would be the one thing that makes me forgive all the other questionable choices about this phone (Aluminum, camera bump, TechWoven)

 

[BelgianChoklit]

I think this was rumored ever since the iPhone 11 Pro

 

[t0rqx]

My cousin works as an engineer at Apple. They have been postponing this because of battery life and the heat the phone generates while charging.

 

[BelgianChoklit]

Wirelessly charging your AirPods case, I can believe that. But charging your Apple Watch? How? As far as I know the Apple Watch's back is curved and large part of that surface is used to charge. If you put the back of the Apple Watch on a flat surface, it will need to transfer all the power through that small contact surface? Not sure about this.

 

[Ael_MR]

Another pointless feature to mark a checkbox on the we are competing with Android's spec sheet. I don't know a single person who uses reverse charging except as a novelty.

 

[Stuipdboy1000]

Wirelessly charging your AirPods case, I can believe that. But charging your Apple Watch? How? As far as I know the Apple Watch's back is curved and large part of that surface is used to charge. If you put the back of the Apple Watch on a flat surface, it will need to transfer all the power through that small contact surface? Not sure about this.

I guess there may be a way to do it. Although it never shipped, AirPower was also a flat surface and would have been able to charge Apple Watches wirelessly.

 

[robvalentine]

Another pointless feature to mark a checkbox on the we are competing with Android's spec sheet. I don't know a single person who uses reverse charging except as a novelty.

And the Pixel 10 removes it.

 

[bradman83]

For all of the features Apple has added to preserve battery cycle endurance, like 80% charging caps and smart time of use charging, this seems like a backwards step that will just add more wear to the phone's battery, not less.

 

[odoy]

Im a regula iPhone buyer since ever. This are the kind of features where I think ok then I will wait 1-2y when it becomes a standard feature. I’m not playing this game

 

[JulianL]

Another pointless feature to mark a checkbox on the we are competing with Android's spec sheet. I don't know a single person who uses reverse charging except as a novelty.

You might not know anyone personally who wants this but I suspect I'm not the only one on this forum who genuinely has been hoping for this for a long time now - ever since I got my first Apple Watch with Series 5.

It's not a massive game changer but it would make things just that bit more convenient for me when travelling, which I do quite a lot. Instead of having to pack the Apple charging puck + cable I could simply put the Watch on top of my iPhone when it is charging. I travel with a very compact 2-port universal USB charger so it would also be a nice convenience to be able to charge two things at once off a single USB port, that then leaves the other port free for either my iPad or my earbuds without my also having to schedule in my Apple Watch charging somewhere in the cycle.

 

[Vangeli]

And the Pixel 10 removes it.

Because of the MagSafe magnets. If both devices have them then the magnets will repel and reverse wireless charging won’t work. When you think of reverse wireless charging, in the Android sense, it’s generally touted as two phones being able to wirelessly charge each other. That won’t work anymore with Qi2. Almost like Apple sneakily poisoned that well while offering a way forward for charging their own accessories in such a manner.

Every time this rumor returns, nobody brings this up. If Apple made it so the magnets in the iPhone could reverse their polarity if something like another iPhone or MagSafe AirPods were detected, sure. That also never comes up in rumors though. Will probably never work between phones due to the size of camera bumps regardless.

At least with the AirPods, MagSafe was removed from the AirPods 4 due to the case getting too small. The current Pros have a combo MagSafe/Watch charging coil so if they removed just MagSafe in the next gen Pros then they wouldn’t get repelled and could still magnetically attach to the iPhone while charging, if they added a Watch charger to the back of iPhone. So that’s a path forward for AirPods.

Being able to charge/update a Watch while on the go would also be very convenient, and more dual device chargers with a Watch charger instead of Qi AirPods charger would be a thing. Would it continue to be called the Watch charger though, or would Apple rename it and open it up as a “MagSafe Mini” of sorts? Would all next-gen MagSafe coils also include a Watch charger in them so it’s all just MagSafe?

This still wouldn’t allow two iPhones to wirelessly charge each other, regardless. Perhaps the feature may just be touted for accessories only.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I could see it being useful in a pinch, but there has never been a situation where I have absolutely needed to charge my watch or Airpods RIGHT THIS SECOND.

Charge my wife's pixel, I guess, or vice versa. Probably not.

 

[LlamaLarry]

If this is a cool hack to always keep the case/pod firmware up to date vs whatever magic causes it normally, I'm sold.

 

[PowerMacBook]

Having a iPhone 15 Pro and the Apple MacSafe Battery pack: they charge each other vice versa.

1. MacSafe Battery pack is being charged (or is charged) --> it will power the phone
2. iPhone 15 Pro is being charged: --> it will continue charging the MacSafe Battery pack simultaneously, where phone gets first, but battery pack gets a bit as well. When iPhone is fully charged, battery pack gets all.

* When the phone is not being charged, it does not charge the battery pack (obviously).

 

[clester2295]

This leak comes days after Google confirmed it was removing reverse wireless charging due to the inclusion of magnets in its new phone in order to support Qi2 charging (aka MagSafe) and that it was impossible to make the two compatible. So either the leak is blatantly false, or Apple is about to embarrass Google's engineers.

 

[jz0309]

Very doubtful rumor to me, for one it is extremely inefficient, and secondly, the watch’s back is curved, not flat, as is the charging puck. Curved watch on flat phone —> heat, lots of it, bad idea. You can’t even charge a phone on a MagSafe charger leave alone Qi…

 

[iPhoneFan5349]

Honestly, reverse wireless charging would be the one thing that makes me forgive all the other questionable choices about this phone (Aluminum, camera bump, TechWoven)

I thought we already had this. Damn, Android can do this since like 8 years go, Apple is so far behind.

 

[iPhoneFan5349]

I could see it being useful in a pinch, but there has never been a situation where I have absolutely needed to charge my watch or Airpods RIGHT THIS SECOND.

Charge my wife's pixel, I guess, or vice versa. Probably not.

I remember seeing this like 8 years ago. A guy I knew would put his Samsung phone to charge upside down, and then put the watch on top of the phone and they would both get charged at the same time, was really cool back then.

 

[iPhoneFan5349]

Im a regula iPhone buyer since ever. This are the kind of features where I think ok then I will wait 1-2y when it becomes a standard feature. I’m not playing this game

Android has had this since almost a decade ago.

 

[ifxf]

For all of the features Apple has added to preserve battery cycle endurance, like 80% charging caps and smart time of use charging, this seems like a backwards step that will just add more wear to the phone's battery, not less.

You are free not to use it but if your pods or watch is down to a couple percent it is great option to have.

 

[subjonas]

Judging from using my Magsafe battery, I think wireless charging is too inefficient for reverse wireless charging to be worth using in all but the rarest of situations for me, maybe never. But then even if it was efficient, I don't know how often I'd use it. The option would of course be nice to have, but if it requires adding components to the phone, then I'd prefer just using a cable to reverse charge (assuming that doesn't require adding components). I almost always have a cable nearby.

 

[justanotherdave]

Dumbest feature ever.

So I’m going to put my phone face down on the table rendering it useless for me to see things (like incoming notifications) so I can charge another device?

If Apple does this there’s only one way it would be useful: if you could leave your device face-up and your screen recognizes you have a device charging and then specifically modifies the screen so other content (like notifications) is displayed correctly. Then at least your phone isn’t rendered useless being face down.

 

[brammp]

I could see it being useful in a pinch, but there has never been a situation where I have absolutely needed to charge my watch or Airpods RIGHT THIS SECOND.

Charge my wife's pixel, I guess, or vice versa. Probably not.

Have you ever travelled and forgot your device-specific watch charger? Just one reason phone->watch charging would be handy. Or Airpods that didn't charge in the case (when they should've) and you need a good quick bump to use them for a call.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Yeah reverse wireless charging is dumb. You know what is less convenient than one device being out of commission when charging? Having two devices out of commission when charging!

Google showed enough smarts to remove it from the P10 line. They're the data company - they probably had the telemetry stats to show nobody used reverse wireless because it's dumb.