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According to a new report citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, Apple is continuing to work on a wireless charging feature that would allow the iPhone to charge other devices such as the AirPods.
Apple is reportedly working on "advanced bidirectional wireless charging" for a future iPhone. The company originally wanted to include this feature in the iPhone 14 Pro models, but couldn't finish it in time. Now claimed 9to5Mac reports that Apple is developing "Wireless Power Out" firmware that will form the basis for bidirectional wireless charging. What this means exactly is unclear, but it appears to be a "key aspect of ongoing testing and development" of bidirectional wireless charging. To implement an option that allows the iPhone to also charge other devices, Apple will need to optimize aspects such as charging speed, heat dissipation, and charging efficiency. Apple is developing a "special interface" for bidirectional wireless charging, similar to the interface for MagSafe accessories.
The MagSafe Battery Pack was Apple’s first step
There have been rumors about reverse wireless charging (or bilateral wireless charging, as it's sometimes called) over the past few years. Rumors suggested that wireless charging in both directions was going to be possible even before the iPhone 11 was launched, but that didn't happen. There were later rumors that Apple dropped the feature at the time because the charging efficiency didn't meet Apple's requirements. With the iPhone 12, an FCC document hinted at the possibility of reverse wireless charging, which could be hidden in the hardware. With the launch of the MagSafe Battery Pack in 2021, Apple has sort of demonstrated how reverse wireless charging could work. When the MagSafe Battery Pack is magnetically attached to an iPhone, it can be charged using passthrough technology when the iPhone is connected with a Lightning cable.
Apple wants to equip the iPhone with reverse wireless charging
AirPods and other devices could be charged in the same way by plugging them into the back of the iPhone and charging along with the iPhone. Apple's rival Samsung has been offering a reverse wireless charging option for a few years now, where a Samsung smartphone can charge any Qi-based device, including another smartphone. 9to5Mac claims that reverse wireless charging could be delayed again or dropped altogether, so there's no concrete information on when we'll see such a feature. We've already heard a lot of rumors about the iPhone 15. So far, reliable sources like Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman have not mentioned wireless charging, so we might not see it this year. (Photo by Unsplash / Kamil S)
