How To Turn On Reverse Charging On iPhone 12

iPhone 12 and Reverse Charging: The Current Reality

Unfortunately, reverse charging on the iPhone 12 is limited to MagSafe Battery charging. The MagSafe Battery Pack is the only device you can charge with an iPhone 12 via reverse charging. iPhone 12 wireless power-sharing is not available for other devices. It also doesn’t support wired reverse charging.

Why Reverse Charging Is Limited on iPhone 12

We can only speculate why the iPhone has reverse charging restrictions while other phones, like Samsung, Google Pixel, and Huawei phones do support wireless charging. Perhaps it’s due to battery performance on the iPhone 12 or some other reason, but the fact is that Apple did not see it fit to offer reverse charging on the iPhone 12.

Perhaps it’s one of those future iPhone features we could look forward to, but as of now, there is no indication from Apple that wireless reverse charging will be available anytime soon.

Using MagSafe Battery Pack for Reverse Charging

Using the MagSafe Battery Pack with reverse charging on an iPhone is pretty simple. Simply plug your iPhone into a power source using a cable. Then, attach the MagSafe Battery Pack to the iPhone. Even though only your iPhone is plugged in, MagSafe power-sharing will ensure that your MagSafe Battery Pack will charge as well, as long as it’s attached to your iPhone! However, your iPhone must first charge to 80% before your MagSafe Battery Pack can start charging.

Why not just plug the MagSafe Battery Pack itself into the power source? Good question! Perhaps your iPhone needs to connect to CarPlay or to transfer files to a laptop. In that case, this reverse charging feature is very useful.

Alternatives to Reverse Charging on iPhone 12

Unfortunately, since the iPhone 12 doesn’t support reverse charging for your watch, AirPods, and other devices, you’ll need to search for alternative charging solutions when on the go. You might want to carry a power bank for Apple devices, and perhaps even a Qi wireless charging bank, that can charge your devices on the go.

iPhone Models That Support Reverse Charging

How To Turn On Reverse Charging On iPhone 12 3 — iPhone Models That Support Reverse Charging

iPhone reverse charging models include the iPhone 15 and 16. However, they only support wired reverse charging – in other words, you can plug in your AirPods case to your phone to charge your AirPods, for example, using a cable. These iPhones output 4.5 watts of power. However, Apple wireless power-sharing is not available on any iPhone model at the moment.

The future of iPhone reverse charging is unclear. While wired reverse charging can be expected to be continued in future models, there is no indication as to whether Apple will offer wireless charging anytime soon.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the iPhone 12 does not support reverse charging – except for the MagSafe Battery Pack. We hope you enjoyed our MagSafe Battery charging guide and the iPhone power-sharing alternatives we discussed. If having a phone with power-sharing is a must, I suggest that you look into Samsung or Google Pixel phones instead.