If you have an iPhone running iOS 26, you may have noticed that it now reports the estimated time to finish charging to 80% on the lock screen. If you are not using a fast charger, though, it will not do that and say ‘Slow Charger’ instead.

This probably means you are using an underpowered power brick or older cable. To fast charge with a wire, get a new charging brick that is rated for 30 watts or more, and a USB-C cable …

Modern iPhones have much bigger batteries compared to models five years or older. This means if you have recently upgraded from an older iPhone, as well as switching from Lightning to USB-C, you may not have a modern fast charger.

For example, if you are using an older USB-A charger with a rectangular port, that will only charge an iPhone at a maximum of 7.5 watts, and likely just 5 watts. Charging times at this speed with iPhone 17 can take three hours or more.

With the correct accessories, iPhone fast charging speeds will hit a sustained rate between 20 watts – 30 watts. At this speed, you should be able to charge from zero to 50% in less than half an hour.

The exact brand of power adapter does not really matter. Any USB-C charger with Power Delivery will probably do the trick.

For the iPhone 17, Apple recommends its new Dynamic Charger, which may be the most efficient option in terms of speed and power consumption, but the difference is negligible. Cheaper USB-C fast chargers from brands like Anker or Belkin will also work just fine.

Wireless fast charging

You can also see the Slow Charger indicator if you are using Qi wireless charging. This may be because you are using a first-generation Qi charger that delivers less than 10 watts of power.

If you want to get fast wireless charging, look for official MagSafe accessories or the Qi2 standard branding. The latest iPhones support wireless charging speeds up to 25 watts.

For example, this Belkin MagSafe charger can charge your iPhone at speeds up to 25 watts, as well as a spot for AirPods. A cheaper option is this simple wireless charging pad that can charge an iPhone at 15 watt speed.

You don’t have to upgrade

Whether the iPhone is reporting Slow Charger status or not, there is no safety hazard or chance of damaging the phone when using it with a slower speed charger. The only factor here is convenience. If you only charge your phone overnight, it doesn’t matter if your nightstand charger takes three hours to get your phone to full. It will work just fine.

But if you want the fastest charging speeds, perhaps for your desk or kitchen charging station, the above options describe how can you achieve that, wired or wireless.

Source: 9to5mac