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MagSafe charger via iPad/MacBook USB-C

Kingofclouds

Kingofclouds

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 31, 2011
105
125
I have an iPhone 12 with the MagSafe charger. Using any USB brick it charges fine. When I plug the MagSafe into the USB port of my iPad Pro or MacBook the charger doesn’t charge. Is this expected behaviour? Surely not being able to charge off another device when on the go is an oversight?!
 
I think MagSafe requires 9V and USB ports on computers typically only provide 5V.
 
gtg465x said:
I think MagSafe requires 9V and USB ports on computers typically only provide 5V.
Click to expand...
Not quite true, for maximum charging power (15W to the phone from a 20W supply) it needs USB PD 9V 2.22A output capable supply but it'll work on 5V fine. Before getting a USB-C power supply I used a 2.4A USB-A power supply (an Anker multi port one FWIW) and a USB-A to USB-C converter and my MagSafe charger worked fine and if Watts Lite is to be believed it managed around 10W too which was more than expected.
 
AlecEdworthy said:
Not quite true, for maximum charging power (15W to the phone from a 20W supply) it needs USB PD 9V 2.22A output capable supply but it'll work on 5V fine. Before getting a USB-C power supply I used a 2.4A USB-A power supply (an Anker multi port one FWIW) and a USB-A to USB-C converter and my MagSafe charger worked fine and if Watts Lite is to be believed it managed around 10W too which was more than expected.
Click to expand...
Even if it works on 5V, MacBooks may not be able to provide enough current, and I'm sure iPads won't. They won't be able to provide 2.4A like your charging brick does.
 
gtg465x said:
Well, we have confirmation from Apple now. MagSafe needs a minimum of 12W (5V/2.4A) to function, and MacBooks can only provide 10W on their USB ports, so it’s not going to work with MacBooks.

How to use your MagSafe Charger with iPhone - Apple Support

iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, or iPhone 12 models can charge with MagSafe Charger.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
You appear to be correct, but the Apple support document explicitly says it can be plugged into a Mac USB-C port.

Some people will not understand that they don’t mean a MacBook Pro when they read that, and in fact a Forbes review (incorrectly?) specifically says it CAN be plugged into a MacBook Pro.

The average person will certainly expect it to work with any USB-C port, so this seems like something Apple should have made more explicit.
 
Toratek said:
You appear to be correct, but the Apple support document explicitly says it can be plugged into a Mac USB-C port.

Some people will not understand that they don’t mean a MacBook Pro when they read that, and in fact a Forbes review (incorrectly?) specifically says it CAN be plugged into a MacBook Pro.

The average person will certainly expect it to work with any USB-C port, so this seems like something Apple should have made more explicit.
Click to expand...

Whoa, I didn’t see that part. Now I’m unsure, because upon further digging, I’m finding conflicting information about how many watts the USB-C ports on Apple computers can provide. Apple needs to be more transparent about it and just list it on the spec pages for each computer.

Edit: According to this page, USB-C ports that support USB 3.1 Gen 2 should be able to provide 15W, so that includes most Macs since 2016, except the MacBook (non-Air non-Pro). https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201163

There may still be a bit more to it though. I saw something that said the ports can only provide 7.5W if something is plugged in to each of two adjacent ports. Also, I wonder if the ports can only provide 15W when the computer is plugged in to a power source and charging, or if they can do it on battery as well.
 
Last edited:
gtg465x said:
Whoa, I didn’t see that part. Now I’m unsure, because upon further digging, I’m finding conflicting information about how many watts the USB-C ports on Apple computers can provide. Apple needs to be more transparent about it and just list it on the spec pages for each computer.

Edit: According to this page, USB-C ports that support USB 3.1 Gen 2 should be able to provide 15W, so that includes most Macs since 2016, except the MacBook (non-Air non-Pro). https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201163

There may still be a bit more to it though. I saw something that said the ports can only provide 7.5W if something is plugged in to each of two adjacent ports. Also, I wonder if the ports can only provide 15W when the computer is plugged in to a power source and charging, or if they can do it on battery as well.
Click to expand...

I don’t have the equipment to measure the output in various plug-in configurations, but what I can do is see how long it takes for it to charge from the 20W Apple charger vs my 2018 MBP. What I can tell you is the “MagSafe” charging circle activates on the display with either solution, so it obviously “works” on the MBP. How fast is another matter.

What I can tell you is, the phone develops charge while hooked up, with full screen brightness and under a work load. I can’t say the same about the Mophie pad I’ve been using since the iPhone X, that one doesn’t deliver enough to prevent a bit of discharge in use, but it’s fine for an overnight charge or sitting on a desk.

So, I don’t know if it’s putting out full power hooked to a MBP, compared to the 20W charger, but it is definitely putting out “enough”.

Will follow up in a couple days.
 
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Thanks for all the replies and contributions 👍🏻

So it seems that it will only work with MBP/Air from 2018 onwards.

To confirm I was trying to charge via iPad Pro and 12” MacBook (which are USB not TB) but also via an LG Ultrafine integrated hub. Needless to say not having a mobile charging solution for iPhone is an issue for me and I suspect others too.
 
Kingofclouds said:
Thanks for all the replies and contributions 👍🏻

So it seems that it will only work with MBP/Air from 2018 onwards.

To confirm I was trying to charge via iPad Pro and 12” MacBook (which are USB not TB) but also via an LG Ultrafine integrated hub. Needless to say not having a mobile charging solution for iPhone is an issue for me and I suspect others too.
Click to expand...
Correct, a 12" Macbook won't provide enough power to the USBC port. I'd imagine the same being true for the LG monitor's integrated hub unless it's spec'd as USBC-PD (Power Delivery).

I'm confused at your final statement though... What was your mobile charging solution for your previous phone and why don't you use it for your new phone? The same Lightning cable / power source you used previously will work fine.
 
i've charged my 12P a few times, relatively quickly, with magsafe connected to my 13inch 2018 MBP. i can time it next time but it certainly works well. that was through a 3rd party clear TPU case too
 
deeddawg said:
Correct, a 12" Macbook won't provide enough power to the USBC port. I'd imagine the same being true for the LG monitor's integrated hub unless it's spec'd as USBC-PD (Power Delivery).

I'm confused at your final statement though... What was your mobile charging solution for your previous phone and why don't you use it for your new phone? The same Lightning cable / power source you used previously will work fine.
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I just meant that it’s not an option to rely on the MagSafe only and if I’m packing a lightening cable there’s not much point having both. Pretty much how I feel generally about MagSafe having used it for a couple of weeks.
 
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