PSA: An iPhone 15 Can Charge Another iPhone

[MacRumors]

Apple's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models use a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port for charging and data transfer purposes, and the new port allows the iPhones to charge a wide range of USB-C devices, including another iPhone.

As demonstrated by Marques Brownlee, plugging a Lightning based iPhone into a USB-C iPhone 15 with a USB-C to Lightning cable lets the iPhone 15 provide power to the older iPhone.

When you plug a Lightning iPhone into an iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 will always provide power to the Lightning iPhone, even if the iPhone 15's battery is lower.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1704118860645818516

If you plug an iPhone 15 into another iPhone 15, the two devices communicate with one another, determine which iPhone has the lower battery, and transfer power that way. So if you have a low battery and a friend with an iPhone 15 has a full battery, you can plug your iPhone into your friend's iPhone and get yours to charge.

With a USB-C Android phone, if the Android device has USB Power Delivery support and you connect to an iPhone with a lower battery level, the Android device will be able to provide battery power. If the Android phone does not have USB PD, the result is inconsistent and there's no way to predict which phone will be the charger and which will get the charge.

The iPhone 15's USB-C port can be used to charge an Apple Watch or the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C Charging Case using a USB-C to USB-C cord, and it should also be able to work with most other USB-C devices in some capacity.

Unfortunately, when charging another device with an iPhone 15, the charge is limited to 4.5W. That's appropriate for small devices like the Apple Watch, but it's not going to provide much power for an iPhone, so expect slow charging speeds when using iPhone to iPhone charging functionality.

Article Link: PSA: An iPhone 15 Can Charge Another iPhone

 

[nvmls]

But will it stop at 80%?

 

[Taldric2022]

That's a great new feature provided by the change to USB-C.

 

[bag99001]

Certainly useful for AirPods.

 

[macduke]

I still want to know if the iPhone 15 can charge itself via MagSafe.

 

[sw1tcher]

You need a USB-C cable to do this?

Meanwhile...

 

[madmin]

will they make little baby iPhones doing this ?

 

[alexandr]

In the wireless world of wireless charging this is just embarrassing.

 

[hch720]

Truly revolutionary

 

[alexandr]

will they make little baby iPhones doing this ?

Yes — that is the only way to get a mini model this year

 

[contacos]

You need a USB-C cable to do this?

Meanwhile...

Didn’t a teardown reveal that the iPhone 12 actually had this, but it was never enabled by Apple?

 

[Fat_Guy]

It can charge just by placing the airPods or
watch on the glass back if they wanted. From the iPhone 12 onward.

 

[iOS Geek]

I see absolutely zero benefit to this (in my use cases, anyway). Never once have I been in a situation where this would be "useful".

So many "perks" that USB-C was supposed to bring to iPhone and so far I'm finding exactly zero of them that would actually be useful to me. This has only brought inconvenience instead as I now need yet another cable to use CarPlay A cable that won't be useful for anything else except for that, unlike all the cables I currently have. All I'm seeing from this forced USB-C change so far...are useless gimmicks.

 

[antiprotest]

It can, but does it want to?

It's not like it has too much power to spare.

 

[antiprotest]

I see absolutely zero benefit to this (in my use cases, anyway). So many "perks" that USB-C was supposed to bring to iPhone and so far I'm finding exactly zero of them that would actually be useful to me.

Plus now when your friend's phone is out of battery and he glances at the phone in your hand, you'd have to lie and say, "Sorry, it's an iPhone 14 Pro".

 

[cjgrif]

Didn’t a teardown reveal that the iPhone 12 actually had this, but it was never enabled by Apple?

I think that was for the two way charging used in the Magsafe battery pack. Obviously the battery pack charges the phone, but if you plug in the phone, the phone will charge the battery pack.

 

[jz0309]

It can, but does it want to?

It's not like it has too much power to spare.

Yep, just because you “can” doesn’t mean you “should” …

 

[Le0M]

And what about iPhone 15 (usb c) to AirPods (lightning)?

 

[DFZD]

But the regular iPhone 15 would charge only at a slower speed, right?

 

[iOS Geek]

Yep, just because you “can” doesn’t mean you “should” …

Yeah I don't see any kind of benefit here. Sure, you can charge up another device...and in the process drain the battery in the other. Big "win" there

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

Never checked can a iPad Pro charge a phone

 

[AF_APPLETALK]

will they make little baby iPhones doing this ?

iPhone mini has been discontinued 😆

 

[ignatius345]

Unfortunately, when charging another device with an iPhone 15, the charge is limited to 4.5W. That's appropriate for small devices like the Apple Watch,

And AirPods, if this will work with a USB-C → Lightning cable.

This would be inefficient, but if you could charge an AirPods case by popping it on the back MagSafe area, that would be very slick.

 

[Luap]

It can, but does it want to?

It's not like it has too much power to spare.

Clearly Apple is gearing up for the iPhone 16, with built in Radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Charge your Tesla from your iPhone! 😄

 

[daemondust]

USB PD DRP (power delivery, dual-role power) is difficult to get right. I wish it would just ask what to do when two DRP ports are plugged into each other. Otherwise, you can end up in weird situations where your phone tries to charge your power bank, instead of the intended power bank charging your phone.