MagSafe Battery Pack unlocks limited version of rumored feature for 5G iPhone 12 series

Earlier today we told you that Apple had officially launched the rumored MagSafe Battery Pack for $99 from the online Apple Store. According to MacRumors, it appears that with the release of this accessory, users can unlock limited reverse wireless charging for the iPhone 12 series. Originally rumored to be included in the iPhone 11 line, reverse wireless charging allows the battery in a smartphone to share its power with other devices that support charging including other phones, ear buds, and more.

However, there are a couple of caveats. Unlike other handsets that feature reverse wireless charging, which debuted with the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and was launched as Wireless PowerShare on the Samsung Galaxy S10, Apple's implementation of it is a bit different since the host iPhone must be plugged in for reverse wireless charging to work. Furthermore, the only device that can be used with the iPhone 12 series' reverse wireless charging is the MagSafe Battery Pack.

As Apple notes on its support page for the new accessory, "If both your iPhone and MagSafe Battery Pack need to be charged, you can charge them at the same time. Attach your MagSafe Battery Pack to your iPhone and then plug the MagSafe Battery Pack into a power adapter. Using a 20W or higher power adapter, the MagSafe Battery Pack can charge your iPhone with up to 15W of charging power."

To reiterate, right now the iPhone 12 line can reverse wireless charge only the MagSafe Battery Pack and only when the host phone is plugged in using a Lightning cord. But this does suggest that eventually this charging method could be used to charge the AirPods or AirPods Pro. Right now though, this is the first step of a journey that still has some distance to go.

Apple says that "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." In that statement, the company admits how limited this process is at the moment.