MagSafe Battery Pack is Apple's first product to use iPhone reverse charging

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited August 2021
Apple's new MagSafe Battery Pack appears to support reverse charging from iPhone, allowing both devices to be charged if an iPhone is plugged into a power source.

Credit: Apple
Credit: Apple


The $99 MagSafe battery pack, launched Tuesday, can charge an iPhone device via MagSafe if it's plugged into a 20W or higher power adapter. It'll deliver up to 15W of charge.

However, it also appears that an iPhone is able to charge the battery pack itself via the same MagSafe connection, according to a recently published support document.

"You can also charge both if you attach your MagSafe Battery Pack to your iPhone, then plug your iPhone into a power source. You might want to charge this way if you need to connect your iPhone to another device while charging, like if you're using wired CarPlay or transferring photos to a Mac," the document reads.

Apple does note that, whether the iPhone is charging the MagSafe pack or vice versa, the handset may need to reach 80% battery or higher for the battery pack to begin charging.

This does appear to be the first instance of reverse charging being used on the iPhone 12 lineup. Although a Federal Communications Commission filing hinted that the 2020 iPhones could potentially charge accessories, the actual feature remained dormant until now.

The MagSafe Battery Pack is currently available to order from Apple's website with an estimated delivery date a couple of weeks out.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 5
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,645member
    Nothing like defeating the MagSafe (and using lightning) to use a battery pack all the time.   I guess if you need the longer runtime, you do what you gotta do.  
  • Reply 2 of 5
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    I wish these things had MagSafe on both sides. So you could stack accessories, if needed/wanted…but also so you could wirelessly charge them while still attached to the iPhone. 
    twokatmewBeatswatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 5
    pulseimagespulseimages Posts: 603member
    How long will the MagSafe battery pack last once attached? 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 5
    twokatmewtwokatmew Posts: 48unconfirmed, member
    Japhey said:
    I wish these things had MagSafe on both sides. So you could stack accessories, if needed/wanted…but also so you could wirelessly charge them while still attached to the iPhone. 
    It’s a nice idea, but this would add way too much thickness to the phone. I use a Moft MagSafe wallet, and it can be used with Apple’s MagSafe charger. The Moft works as a stand, too. I tried it a few times, but it’s just too thick. Not a useful feature IMNSHO. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 5
    DangDaveDangDave Posts: 98member
    Here is a different perspective on buying and using Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack:

    For your every day charger do you want to buy and use the $39 MagSafe Charger or the $99 MagSafe Battery Pack for $60 more, or neither?

    PRO 
    • If your power goes out you have the backup battery fully charged
    • If you want to take it with you just disconnect it and take it with you as with any other backup charger
    • It has reverse charging capabilities and CarPlay connectivity (Complicated but could be useful)
    However, the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack is not the best battery pack out there, and when used in the wild (not connected to power) it will only charge at 5W like many other portable chargers. 
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