iPhone 12 by Apple doubled the wireless charging power to 15 watts, but there was a catch: only Apple-branded MagSafe chargers worked at full capacity. Now users are getting a surprise update. The latest iOS 17.4 release now allows third party Qi2 chargers charging at a maximum nominal power of 15 watts, MacWorld informed.
apple presented Qi2 supports 15W wireless charging for iPhone 13 and 14 and iPhone 15 with iOS 17.2 supported the standard from the start. In fact, it is based on Apple’s MagSafe technology, of which Apple is a “board member” and chairman of the board of directors of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).
When the iPhone 12 was released in October 2020, Qi2 was not available and WPC’s original Qi standard was limited to 7.5 watts. Because the iPhone 12 uses MagSafe, it was able to support Qi2 and a higher maximum charging capacity.
Apple has not yet made an official statement about this change. However, Macworld It tested the iPhone 12 with Qi2 devices and found them to match the charging speeds of official MagSafe chargers.
Charger maker Belkin also said its Qi2 chargers are “fully certified to provide up to 15 watts of fast wireless charging to Qi2-enabled devices,” and referred other questions to Apple. With the change, all MagSafe iPhones now support Qi2 charging.
Apple’s move to support Qi2 with its iPhone line came as a bit of a surprise, given its preference for in-house proprietary solutions. Perhaps this was done to fend off regulators like in the EU forced moving to USB-C charging to avoid wasteful multiple standards.
