iPhone 13 could finally get reverse wireless charging

iPhone thirteen could finally get contrary wireless charging

(Epitome credit: Tom's Guide)

Wireless charging has been a office of Apple's mobile armory since 2017, but it could get its first significant upgrade since then with the iPhone thirteen.

That's according to the latest video from EverythingApplePro, which cites well-connected tipster Max Weinbach with a rumor that the iPhone 13 models volition ship with a "slightly bigger" wireless charging ringlet. This, in plow, could be used to enable reverse wireless charging in the new telephone, although that claim should be treated with a degree of skepticism.

The best iPhones y'all can buy today
iPhone vs. Android: Which is better for you?
Plus: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold iii needs a killer upgrade — and the S Pen isn't it

The video notes that the well-nigh likely reason for the bigger whorl would exist to compensate for stronger MagSafe magnets, or to better deal with rut direction and higher wattages. Merely it also does tease another possibility, namely reverse wireless charging.

Opposite wireless charging is exactly what it sounds like, and is a feature that first went mainstream in Android with the Samsung Galaxy S10. When enabled, the back of your phone becomes a wireless charging pad, letting you sacrifice a chip of your telephone bombardment to charge some other compatible device. Typically, the devices you'd want to accuse would have far smaller batteries (think true wireless earbuds or smartwatches) then you wouldn't lose too much of your phone's precious juice in the process.

For Apple, it would certainly be an appealing feature, potentially offering an extra fashion of topping upward both AirPods and the Apple Watch — the latter of which has more strain than ever on its limited battery thank you to the introduction of sleep tracking in watchOS 7.

We know that Apple has been thinking along these lines. Indeed, a patent published last year revealed that the iPhone 12 might actually take reverse wireless charging built in already, just disabled for regular users. That'due south probably a smart motility, given the significant power drain such a feature requires and the weak battery power of the iPhone 12 family of handsets.

However, an upgraded battery is something we believe will exist coming with the iPhone thirteen — and that in turn makes it much more probable that this charging tech might exist introduced with the next generation of Apple tree devices.

That said, "might" should notwithstanding come underlined hither, every bit even Weinbach doesn't seem sure on this point. At the bespeak in the video where the wireless charging coils are discussed (two minutes in, if you want to check for yourself), the direct quote at the bottom of the screen reads: "could also be for opposite wireless charging but not confirmed there."

Information technology's also worth noting that another well-connected source, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, claimed that reverse wireless charging is "unlikely in the almost futurity" equally recently as Feb.

We'll probably know for certain in September when, if recent form is annihilation to go by, Tim Melt will officially unveil the iPhone 13. Unless it's the iPhone 12s for superstitious reasons.

More:iPhone 13 launch — which iPhones will get killed?

Freelance correspondent Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably discover him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more than likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.