by Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max: Apple logo on iPhone 15 Pro will be reverse wireless font … (+)
Unlike many Android phones, iPhones don’t have full-service reverse wireless charging. Yet. But a new report, exclusive to 9to5Mac, suggests that Apple is still working on it, so it’s likely to arrive in a future iPhone. As it was planned for the iPhone 14 series but the deadline was missed, hopefully it can be resolved in time for this year’s iPhone 15 series – read on to learn why I think it’s likely.
What is reverse wireless charging?
Reverse wireless charging, in case you didn’t know, is a highly convenient feature, something with a dash of generosity at its heart. First brought into the mainstream by Huawei, it means you can charge a device from another device. For example, you can place wireless rechargeable headphones on the back of your phone and the headphones will charge.
Or, and this is where generosity comes in, help a friend whose phone is nearly empty by pitting it against yours to share some battery power with his.
the missed deadline
The lengthy report details how sources familiar with what’s going on said the feature “expected to debut the feature with the iPhone 14 Pro,” but it didn’t happen.
But it looks like Apple hasn’t given up, with these sources saying that “Apple continues to work on more advanced two-way wireless charging technology for the iPhone.”
More advanced, you say?
Yes, you see that there is already some wireless charging on the iPhone. The iPhone 12, FCC filings revealed, had built-in features for reverse wireless charging, but the feature was never activated.
Only it was, in one specific case: the MagSafe battery. If you have the battery, it will charge your iPhone wirelessly in the normal way (i.e. not in reverse). However, if you connect your iPhone to the Lightning cable and then connect the battery to the iPhone, the phone will charge the battery. This is reverse wireless charging, although Apple never referred to it as such and it was very limited. Full charging would mean you could place your AirPods Pro, for example, on the Apple logo on an upcoming iPhone and the buds will charge there. Or two compatible iPhones can be placed back to back (at 90 degrees to each other, probably) so that one can charge the other.
So why this year?
If the rumors are right that the intention was to include this feature in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, then it seems likely to me that missing this deadline will put Apple in a strong position to include it in the iPhone 15 Pro, for example .
The presence of limited reverse wireless charging on the MagSafe battery shows that the technology is getting close. Even so, something could stop him.
Which would be what?
Thermal concerns are always top of mind in issues like this, so Apple needs to make sure there’s no overheating concern, for example. And charging efficiency will likely play a part as well.
Even so, I’m confident that 2023 could be the year Apple introduces reverse wireless charging for the iPhone 15 Pro.
