Question about MagSafe battery pack?

[iHorseHead]

Hello,
I finally purchased a MagSafe Battery Pack and I do have a couple of questions. I'm not sure if I got a defective product or it's normal.

1. I thought I can add it to FindMy but I can't. It tells me that it's not supported?
2. It doesn't charge while I'm using my iPhone. Even while I'm watching YouTube. It shows that it's charging and the battery of the MagSafe Battery Pack keeps dropping and so does my iPhones. I was shocked when my battery went from 25% to 5% while the battery pack was connected.
3. It's extremely slow. Even my $10 portable charger charges my iPhone way faster. The only thing that seems to be better about the MagSafe battery pack is that I don't need to have any cables with me.

So how do I use it? I can't use my iPhone while it's charging? Makes it kind of useless then, doesn't it?

 

[Surfsalot]

Backed the wrong horse 😀

 

[iHorseHead]

Update: I watched a YouTube video and it explained that it's not really for charging but prolonging your iPhones battery life.

 

[F23]

not meant for heavy use while attached, since it creates a lot of heat especially with the phone in use so it will stop charging until the phone is cooler.

best way to use it is to attach it when your phone is not in use & let it charge that way. it recharges 40-60% depending on your model

 

[AlexMaximus]

I got one about 5 month ago. I see it as a emergency backup on the move and for prolonged hike / road trips or backup for vacations where you have no power at all. It took me years to purchase one because I was sceptical. I have used cheap China knock offs for a long time and they have been so-so kinda ok. I got one on Amazon for 85 bucks. But so far I am actually happy with it. Its small and great for small pockets or daypacks with reduced storage.
Its a real nice-to-have item with great haptics. My 14 Pro really likes power, so its a great addition to complement the Ecosystem, - if you already have everything else...

 

[kofman13]

iPhone 13 pro here. Im also thinking about getting MagSafe battery. is it good just to have it on all day during a work day of on and off usage, social media, checking email, texting. Not like insane usage. Just as a way to prolong life if im going to be away from a charger for like 10-14 hours

 

[sunapple]

I charge "in pocket" only, not while using the phone really. I also noticed this doesn't really work, probably due to heat. With no cables to carry, it is a very convenient and small backup battery to me on holidays, city trips, etc.

I will also add that I'm using a 13 Mini which has a small battery, so the pack is relatively a decent size for me.

 

[russell_314]

I charge "in pocket" only, not while using the phone really. I also noticed this doesn't really work, probably due to heat.

No, it doesn't work because of the way Apple designed it. If you just want a MagSafe battery to charge your phone in your pocket get one off of Amazon. Apple really complicated the design making it an extension of the built in battery rather than something to charge the battery. I think mechanically, it's probably the same, but through some sort of software trickery treats it like this

 

[russell_314]

Hello,
I finally purchased a MagSafe Battery Pack and I do have a couple of questions. I'm not sure if I got a defective product or it's normal.

1. I thought I can add it to FindMy but I can't. It tells me that it's not supported?
2. It doesn't charge while I'm using my iPhone. Even while I'm watching YouTube. It shows that it's charging and the battery of the MagSafe Battery Pack keeps dropping and so does my iPhones. I was shocked when my battery went from 25% to 5% while the battery pack was connected.
3. It's extremely slow. Even my $10 portable charger charges my iPhone way faster. The only thing that seems to be better about the MagSafe battery pack is that I don't need to have any cables with me.

So how do I use it? I can't use my iPhone while it's charging? Makes it kind of useless then, doesn't it?

This is normal. It doesn't charge the battery like a regular external battery. If you just want something to pop on and charge, buy a cheap one off of Amazon.

Is it useless? No because your phone won't die until the MagSafe battery has been depleted. It's trying to be more efficient working with its small size.

 

[sunapple]

No, it doesn't work because of the way Apple designed it. If you just want a MagSafe battery to charge your phone in your pocket get one off of Amazon. Apple really complicated the design making it an extension of the built in battery rather than something to charge the battery. I think mechanically, it's probably the same, but through some sort of software trickery treats it like this

Erm, you are saying simply charging a phone is not possible? That is incorrect. I have used it many times for that purpose. Charge from 30% to 80% is quick and hassle-free.

 

[russell_314]

Erm, you are saying simply charging a phone is not possible? That is incorrect. I have used it many times for that purpose. Charge from 30% to 80% is quick and hassle-free.

It will charge the phone but it doesn't do it like a regular external battery. I've had one and my iPhone battery would stay at 50% charge because the software thinks it's good there. It's doing something to maximize the usage time. It's not bad, but just different. I don't use one anymore because I have the 14 Pro Max, and that battery lasts much longer than I need. Maybe if I change to the regular iPhone, I would get one

 

[iHorseHead]

Erm, you are saying simply charging a phone is not possible? That is incorrect. I have used it many times for that purpose. Charge from 30% to 80% is quick and hassle-free.

Sometimes it doesn't charge though. That's what I was wondering. It's more of a backup battery. I've even ran out of the battery on my MagSafe from 100% to 0% while using my phone.

 

[russell_314]

Sometimes it doesn't charge though. That's what I was wondering. It's more of a backup battery. I've even ran out of the battery on my MagSafe from 100% to 0% while using my phone.

I don’t think it’s normal that the phone will completely die while the MagSafe battery still has some charge. If that’s what you meant by going down to 0%. In that case, I would say there’s something going wrong.

 

[iHorseHead]

I don’t think it’s normal that the phone will completely die while the MagSafe battery still has some charge. If that’s what you meant by going down to 0%. In that case, I would say there’s something going wrong.

Unfortunately it died for me, but maybe it was because I was trying to watch Netflix while the battery was 25% and the MagSafe Battery Pack was connected and I had to wait for awhile. What I've discovered is that I have to leave my phone (iPhone mini 12) alone while the MagSafe is connected. I feel like my $10 external battery pack works way better.

 

[AlexMaximus]

I am an Electrical Engineer, here is my take on this: From a Physics point of view, wireless charging is total nonsense.
A large part of the charge is wasted because of the induction through various materials, developing excess heat in the process. Because of this, the amount of power is very limited. This is also the reason why Apple designed it that way. The power draw of the iPhone is way higher during usage than the induction charge of that MagSafe battery.
Apple actually protects your iPhone and the external battery with that mode to avoid exactly that abuse you explained. With other third party suppliers it is of course possible, but it comes at a hefty price tag in terms of even more excess heat and a diminished live cycle of your iPhone battery and your third party battery pack as well over time.
You shall NOT use AND charge your device at the same time. You shall absolutely NOT heat up your battery pack (internal & external) to maintain at least some degree of longevity. Heat and high charging power destroys your battery longevity. That's also the reason why Apple dragged its feet on high power, wired chargers in the past.

 

[211]

To answer the original question, no Find My doesn’t support the battery.

From my experience, you only use the battery to charge iPhone when you’re not using it. If you’re using iPhone with the battery attached, it doesn’t increase the battery charge of the iPhone- or maybe it maintains the battery percentage.

One of the biggest problems of Qi charging is heat. As soon as it gets too hot, the battery will stop charging. So the best thing to do is not use iPhone and let is charge in a cool, aerated place (not in a pocket). It will then charge, but then you’ll come across the other big problem with Qi charging and that is it takes a much longer time to charge.

There maybe improvements ahead with Qi2 and further, so I hope Apple continues to refine the battery.

 

[Jordan4613]

When I had it, it was more of an extension of the battery. The battery pack would charge my iPhone up to 80% and kept it around that level while depleting the pack during usage. If you plug the pack in to a fast charger, I believe iPhone charges first then the MagSafe pack at an acceptable level. I eventually gave up on it and bought an Anker one off amazon.