In 2019, the rumor mill suggested that the iPhone 11 handset would’ve supported reverse wireless charging, that would have made the device a potential wireless charging pad. the iFixit teardown revealed that some of the necessary component for this were present, but the work was unfinished.
This year, FCC filings indicate that this function could work now, allowing you to charge your AirPods via your iPhone 12 soon.
Normally, Qi charging components in an iPhone operate in one direction only. Per the filing, the iPhone 12 works with regular Qi chargers and also feature a new “charging function at 360 kHz” that makes the handset capable of recharging accessories. Once Apple switches this feature on, you could charge your AirPods by setting the case on the back of your iPhone 12.
While Apple never mentioned the possibility of this function at its recent “Hi, Speed” media event, there’ve been rumblings about reverse wireless charging on the iPhone 12. This was noted in the FCC filing for the iPhone 12:
In addition to being able to be charged by a desktop WPT charger (puck), 2020 iPhone models also support WPT charging function at 360 kHz to charge accessories. Currently the only accessory that can be charged by iPhones is an external potential apple accessory in future.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is rumored to be hanging on to the reverse charging feature for the rumored next-gen AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro 2 earbuds.
Gurman suggested that the reverse charging might work through MagSafe. The new accessory cases might utilize their own MagSafe connectors to pair up with your iPhone 12’s magnets.
The FCC filing also hints at using the wireless charging technology in a “portable use condition,” as indicated here:
Future designs and accessories may support true portable use condition, with the host-client pair able to be placed in a pocket or backpack. In those cases. A body-worn exposure assessment would be conducted.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer, @horowitz, and @markgurman