iPhone wireless charging for AirPods and Apple Watch ‘Unlikely in near future’
Bloomberg has said that Apple has been internally discussing ‘a goal of letting many of its mobile devices like Apple Watches, AirPods, and iPhones charge each other’, however, they have said that seeing this released in the near future is ‘unlikely’. Earlier in the week, MacRumours revealed evidence within the iOS 14.5 beta code hinting as a MagSafe battery case or accessory. The code string read ‘To improve charging efficiency and maximise available battery life, the battery pack will keep your phone charged at around 90%’, revealing that either a case or battery pack is being developed with Apples MagSafe accessories.
There is evidence that Apple has been working a while on its devices charging other devices, with an example being a patent showing a future MacBook with wireless charging the palm rests for the iPhone. Although the feature is not officially released, the technology for it to work is, inside the current iPhone 12 models. All models of iPhone 12 are equipped with technology that allows reverse charging, and could reverse charge a device from the back of the phone.
Apple could release and unlock the feature in a future iOS update, however there no evidence or indication that there is a plan to do this in the future. They could possibly be waiting to unlock the feature once the new MagSafe battery accessories are ready to be shipped and announced.