An underrated part of MagSafe is that you can use a good quality pair of wired headphones and charge at the same time while actually using your phone. No need for a dongle.
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MagSafe is the worst thing Apple has made maybe ever
- Thread starter LongWayHome
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I am bit worried because I have been using Magsafe for a week now and the iPhone 12 gets very very warm (as it used to with the Belkin Boost). Simultaneously, I launch Amperes 4 to test the speed...And apart from a couple of very (weird) brief peaks at 16 W the charger never hits 15 W or so. Most of the time it stays at 11 W. Today was worse because I plugged it when the battery was at 18% and it took ages to reach 50%. At the beginning the charge was around 11 W and then it went down to 8 W and never went up again. I was not using the phone while charging and the low power mode was on (with the 20 W charger borrowed from the Home pod mini^^^).
So I know that charge speed is not what QI can provide but I do not understand why they sell a technology which is not mature at all and can potentially damage the battery because of the heat.
Are you going through the same experience ?
So I know that charge speed is not what QI can provide but I do not understand why they sell a technology which is not mature at all and can potentially damage the battery because of the heat.
Are you going through the same experience ?
Yes that was one of my original complaints with MagSafe is that it generates too much heat. I also found it charged very slow even with the 20w charger Apple sells. I'd just return it and use the cord or a different wireless charger. It will charge slower with another wireless charger but it won't generate nearly as much heat. Or you can use the cord and it will just charge faster than both.
Yes, I made a thread about this as well... the one I had (3 of them) all of them generated heat... both on the 12PM and 12... both of them were very warm as you may experience, which concerned me. I used Ravpower 30w, 61w, 90w and Apple iPP 2020 18w brickes... all generated the same heat. I spoke to Apple and returned all the magsafe. I went back to using the wireless QI charger that I been charging my Xs Max for months, which does the job.
I may try again with Magsafe 2gen... I don't trust the first batch that I had used based on my experience. I also mentioned in my thread that this maybe the same issues as with the "airpower" that why they never came out with it... I ordered the Magsafe Duo (before I returned all of the standalone magsafe), and I may be returning it as well.
I’m not for or against MagSafe to be honest, I just haven’t identified a need for it in my personal usage. From my knowledge of its key features, it doesn’t offer me anything that I haven’t already got. I charge my iPhone each night and rarely at any other time. As long as my iPhone is fully charged by 6am, that is all I need.
The wireless charger I currently use and have done since 2018 always starts charging the second I place the phone on top of it. Having a magnet wouldn’t be an advantage for me personally and the £58 cost for MagSafe does seem a little bit excessive for very little gain for me. Thumbs up to those enjoying it though
The wireless charger I currently use and have done since 2018 always starts charging the second I place the phone on top of it. Having a magnet wouldn’t be an advantage for me personally and the £58 cost for MagSafe does seem a little bit excessive for very little gain for me. Thumbs up to those enjoying it though
Just a quick note. I believe that the Ampere app works by "estimating" the charge rate rather than measuring it. I think for a real measurement of wattage, you'd need a USB-C tester device to be plugged in between the wall-wart and the Magsafe cable. As for your charging rate, could be many factors at play. Do you have "Optimized Charging" turned on?
The heat, is it just the MagSafe trying to so a fgast charge or just a normal charge. I am asking as my Anker wireless charging stand, my 12 ProMax does not get hot or even really warm.
Magsafe is always trying to do a fast charge but if the charging mechanism detects excessive temperature, it throttles to extremely slow charging. The best band-aid solution is to blow a fan through it and the phone, and you’ll get the consistent 15W delivery until the battery goes to trickle charge above 80%. With the fan, it should be as cold as wired slow charging but with benefit of fast 15W Magsafe charging
You may be right but in that case that’s a very dishonest move from Apple. “Yes it does charge at 15 W but you gotta put a fan next to it folks” 😜
Who will do that ?
The optimized charging was on and I didn’t use the phone when it was charging. So basically, as the phone gets warm due to any wireless charge, the 15W charge argument is a lie. At most it will charge at 11/12 and most of the time under 10 W.
Samsung knew about the heat, and that's why there is a fan on their chargers that adds bulk but keep the battery from being too hot due to fast wireless charging. IMHO, Apple wanted a very sleek design with the puck but a cost of premature battery health degradation when operating at 15W. I don't think I'll use the Magsafe during summer without the AC and USB fan since even at standard 5W Qi charging can still generate enough heat (due to Magsafe puck design) to damage the battery. A cooled AC room with USB fan blowing through it is the safest solution if I want to keep using Magsafe at 100+ degrees F summer weather.
Thanks the same thing happened to me when it suddenly stopped working and I tried everything else and initially thought the magsafe was faulty. After seeing your post I rebooted the phone and it now works again.
Seems like a lot of work, I think I'd just use a cable at that point. That said, there are a number of wireless chargers on the market with built in cooling fans.
Also, I'm noticing more and more Magsafe "stands" being available on AliExpress and Amazon... the stands let you put your OEM puck into an aluminum "holder." I'd venture to guess that such a design might work as a heat stink potentially (just a thought).
I wanted my puck to stay stationary, but was worried about command strips possibly damaging my wood nightstand if I taped the puck down. I considered getting a granite cutting board to serve as a drink coaster, and a place to stick the puck onto... that could also help w/ temperature. I ended up getting this little guy: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MXH71PV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It isn't very heavy, but has silicon on the base to keep the puck from sliding. If I pick up the phone and "tilt" a little while lifting, puck remains stationary. If I pull straight up...the whole assembly lifts with the phone. Not sure yet if I'll keep it or return it, but it DOES help for those who want the Magsafe puck to NOT stick to the phone. As for thermals, I simply don't have a reliable way of measuring any impacts.
heat is normal certainly if you are using a high watt power brick. maybe use a smaller watt if you have one but mine also gets very hot at the start but soon cools down very quickly.
I also found this option for using my MagSafe on my desk at work on Amazon from Spigen
Spigen Mag Fit Designed for MagSafe Charger Pad Case - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LP8PSX7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabt1_S96XFbN228ME5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
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Gonna stick with my old USB lightning cable and avoid wireless still... you know, the environment 
... no need for me to be handing out MagSafe money yet.
probably get the port fixed too... if it ever breaks over the next few years.
I’m still ok with plugging my phone in... that automatic cat litter box might need looking into though.
... no need for me to be handing out MagSafe money yet.probably get the port fixed too... if it ever breaks over the next few years.
I’m still ok with plugging my phone in... that automatic cat litter box might need looking into though.
Mine arrives today
Also have the MagSafe Duo on order
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It’s not the worst thing Apple have made, not by a longshot. They put relatively few ‘bad’ products out, I think they have a higher success rate than most tech companies. Personally, I think the Apple TV remote is probably the worse designed thing they have made in years, at least from what I’ve used anyway. It’s an absolute masterclass in poor ergonomics, very un-Apple.
But to me, Magsafe is mostly a gimmick at the moment. I prefer to use normal wireless charging or use a cable. MagSafe is a strange in-between, that makes no sense to me, at least not as a stand alone product. I was hoping it was going to be the best of both worlds, but actually for me it’s worst of both and makes charging really annoying and I stopped using it. I don’t want my wireless charger to stick to my phone when I pick it up, that’s one of the things I liked about wireless charging! The fact that it sticks to the back and charges while I hold and use my phone was great for about 10 seconds. But as I still had a cable hanging off it, I would rather just have a cable plugged in - which would charge faster and be much nicer to hold. The fact that people are making solutions to fix its shortcomings says it all to me.
The extra speed is of no real consequence, given that wireless charging is already slow, and I mainly use it to charge overnight. Still it’s nice to have, just not a reason on its own to use it.
The magnet helps align it to the charger sure, but I really never had the problem with normal wireless charging. This is a problem that’s being massively overplayed imo, but maybe it is for some people.
And the fact that I have to use two hands to remove it from the phone means it’s no more convenient than a cable.
Sorry for the rant, I know I’m not saying much new. I really hoped that there would be a killer use, but it’s not here yet. I thought it would be killer in car use, but I’m concerned it won’t be strong enough and not that many companies seem to be developing products. Brodit/Proclip still looks like a better proposition. Hopefully useful accessories will come, it has potential, but I agree entirely with the OP that magsafe was primarily created to generate a new proprietary revenue stream, rather than any real need. By hey, that’s business I guess.
Just give us USB C already Apple, and get over it (although I actually quite like lightning and would be happy to see it stay).
These are just my personal opinions. I know some fans are going to disagree and pick my post apart, and that’s fine. Change my mind if you can, it’s all good. I really hope a good product comes out so I can use my 12 Pro to its full potential, but right now its the most ‘meh’ thing to me Apple have released for a long time. But to those that are using and enjoying it, great
But to me, Magsafe is mostly a gimmick at the moment. I prefer to use normal wireless charging or use a cable. MagSafe is a strange in-between, that makes no sense to me, at least not as a stand alone product. I was hoping it was going to be the best of both worlds, but actually for me it’s worst of both and makes charging really annoying and I stopped using it. I don’t want my wireless charger to stick to my phone when I pick it up, that’s one of the things I liked about wireless charging! The fact that it sticks to the back and charges while I hold and use my phone was great for about 10 seconds. But as I still had a cable hanging off it, I would rather just have a cable plugged in - which would charge faster and be much nicer to hold. The fact that people are making solutions to fix its shortcomings says it all to me.
The extra speed is of no real consequence, given that wireless charging is already slow, and I mainly use it to charge overnight. Still it’s nice to have, just not a reason on its own to use it.
The magnet helps align it to the charger sure, but I really never had the problem with normal wireless charging. This is a problem that’s being massively overplayed imo, but maybe it is for some people.
And the fact that I have to use two hands to remove it from the phone means it’s no more convenient than a cable.
Sorry for the rant, I know I’m not saying much new. I really hoped that there would be a killer use, but it’s not here yet. I thought it would be killer in car use, but I’m concerned it won’t be strong enough and not that many companies seem to be developing products. Brodit/Proclip still looks like a better proposition. Hopefully useful accessories will come, it has potential, but I agree entirely with the OP that magsafe was primarily created to generate a new proprietary revenue stream, rather than any real need. By hey, that’s business I guess.
Just give us USB C already Apple, and get over it (although I actually quite like lightning and would be happy to see it stay).
These are just my personal opinions. I know some fans are going to disagree and pick my post apart, and that’s fine. Change my mind if you can, it’s all good. I really hope a good product comes out so I can use my 12 Pro to its full potential, but right now its the most ‘meh’ thing to me Apple have released for a long time. But to those that are using and enjoying it, great
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I could have just written this and saved myself a lot of time, tbh.
I'm really excited for the potential of MagSafe. I'm going to order a 3-1 MagSafe docking station next week for my 12 PM/AW/APP. I can't wait to try a MagSafe dash mount when they become available.
This was all inevitable honestly as the port-less iPhone has been in the works for some time now and Apple needed to create a solution.
This was all inevitable honestly as the port-less iPhone has been in the works for some time now and Apple needed to create a solution.
A solution to the problem that they are creating, and not a good one.