Wireless reverse charging is a long-awaited feature which we know Apple has been working on for a long time, and which it partly implemented back in 2020. However, it hasn’t been fully activated in any iPhone model, despite widespread adoption in Android smartphones.

Our own sources have indicated that Apple is working on a more advanced version, and a new report says that the feature is currently being tested in prototypes of the iPhone 17 Pro …

Wireless reverse charging

Wireless reverse charging is where a smartphone’s wireless charging coils can work in both directions, allowing the phone to charge a secondary device. While it could in principle allow one iPhone to charge another, the more practical application is to charge low-power devices like AirPods and the Apple Watch.

The feature is relatively common on Android phones. It’s offered by more than a dozen models from both Samsung and Xiaomi, as well as many Google Pixel models. Other brands which offer it on at least one phone include OnePlus, Nothing, and Sony.

It should be noted that the charging speeds supported are slow, so this is more of an emergency feature if your accessory is running low on power and you’re nowhere near a charger – such as when travelling.

The iPhone 12 got a partial implementation

The mystery of why it’s taking Apple so long deepens when we recall that the components needed for wireless reverse charging were actually found in an iPhone 12 teardown.

The circuitry was found to be partially active, as the phone could charge the MagSafe Battery Pack, but for unknown reasons Apple didn’t enable full MagSafe/Qi support, and it wasn’t possible to use it to charge AirPods.

Apple working on a more advanced version

• Our own sources indicated back in 2023 that Apple is working on a more advanced version of the feature, and was initially hoping to have this ready for the iPhone 14.
• Apple still has bigger ambitions for reverse wireless charging than we’ve seen so far according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to 9to5Mac […]
  
• One of the key aspects of bilateral charging is managing the charging speeds between the iPhone and the other device, including heat dissipation and charging efficiency. 

Apple is also developing a special user interface for reverse wireless charging, similar to what is currently used for MagSafe chargers and accessories. This would include on-screen animations that help teach users how to use the feature, as well as a sound effect to indicate that bilateral wireless charging had been initiated.

In testing for the iPhone 17 Pro

Two models later, we still don’t yet have it, but leaker Instant Digital today says its being tested for the iPhone 17 Pro.

• Apple has tested the 7.5W reverse charging function on the iPhone 17 Pro. I don’t know if it will be opened for use this time.
  

They were correct in previous leaks about the yellow iPhone 14 and the landscape front-facing camera on last year’s iPad Air.

Source: 9to5mac