Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A new rumor claims Apple is still working on bringing reverse charging to the iPhone.
- Apple may have initially planned to include the feature in the iPhone 14.
- iPhones have had some of the necessary hardware for reverse charging since the iPhone 12.
Apple is no stranger to co-opting ideas from Android, like Crash Detection for example. Another Android feature Apple has reportedly been interested in is reverse charging. A new rumor suggests Apple wanted to release the feature last year, but is still working on it.
According to 9To5Mac’s sources who are reportedly familiar with the matter, Apple wanted to debut reverse charging with the launch of the iPhone 14. The rumor suggests the feature would’ve been exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro, but the company ran into engineering delays that caused it to miss its deadline for mass production.
Reverse charging was first introduced to Android through the Huawei Mate 20 Pro in 2018. It has since expanded to a number of Android devices as the years went on.
Apple allegedly had plans to adopt the feature in 2019. This was discovered during a teardown of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which had a deactivated reverse charging feature. This rumor continued with the iPhone 12 after a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing revealed the iPhone 12 had wireless charging hardware, but reverse charging was inactive.
However, it supposedly wasn’t just the iPhone that hinted at Apple’s desire to implement the feature. The MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone 12 also hinted at it. According to 9To5Mac, the battery pack would’ve received power from the smartphone when the iPhone 12 was plugged in.
The report also notes that Apple could delay the feature again or just cancel it. It appears the tech giant has had a difficult time solving the challenges of heat management and charging speeds.
