Despite launching accessories that can be wirelessly charged, Apple has yet to enable or deliver reverse wireless charging on its iPhone. While MagSafe was introduced with the iPhone 12 series, reports also pointed out how the iPhone 12 was also capable of reverse wireless charging, but the feature was never enabled. As per various reports, Apple had hit several hurdles and missed deadlines when readying the feature, but according to a new report, it’s all back on track, and currently under development. Apple is even working with new firmware that supports the reverse wireless feature, but there’s no telling when it will arrive on an iPhone.
According to 9to5Mac, Apple is currently working on delivering the reverse wireless charging feature for future iPhone models. The publication claims that Apple wanted to deliver the feature in its iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models, but missed the deadline for the same due to various engineering hurdles. However, everything’s back on track now and Apple’s engineers are reportedly working to deliver the hardware feature and also preparing the necessary software optimisations for the same.
Despite all the progress, bilateral charging for iPhone is still in development, as per the report. The company has also said to have developed a unique “wireless power out” firmware for the same that is currently being tested internally. The firmware is mainly in charge of managing wireless charging speeds whilst keeping track of heat dissipation and also monitoring charging efficiency, the report states.
The source also points out how Apple has already prepared a user interface for the reverse wireless charging feature. This reportedly appears similar to what’s currently visible when a MagSafe charger or accessory is plugged to a supported iPhone. The bilateral charging system is also said to have its own sound and animations when enabled.
However, despite ongoing development, 9to5Mac also concludes that there’s no confirmation about when the feature will arrive on iPhone. There’s also a chance that Apple could delay this once again and move it to the backburner, or it could just be scrapped altogether and this is mainly down to concerns related to heat management and charging efficiency.
According to an older report, a patent filing at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) could explain why Apple is struggling with the same. As per the patent filing, Apple’s twist to reverse wireless charging is to mainly do with an Android smartphone’s inability to hold an accessory in place while wireless charging it. The patent explains how Apple is working on a circular bimodal alignment component that will reportedly let the magnets (inside an iPhone) that snap and hold on to a MagSafe charger, also hold an accessory in place for optimum wireless charging.
More recently, the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) at the recent CES2023 announced the next generation of its wireless charging technology called Qi2. The new Qi2 standard is reportedly based on Apple’s MagSafe technology and is built around a new Magnetic Power Profile that’s designed to offer more efficient and quicker wireless charging.