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Apple quietly added Qi2 charging to the iPhone 12

Apple quietly added Qi2 charging to the iPhone 12

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The compatibility arrived with no fanfare as part of iOS 17.4.

By Quentyn Kennemer, a writer who helps The Verge's readers save money by surfacing the best tech deals and presenting the latest product recommendations from our experts. He has covered tech and gaming for all of his 15-plus-year career for publications like Forbes, Business Insider, and more.

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An iPhone propped up horizontally by the kickstand of a Belkin MagSafe charger on a table with a prop skeleton sitting in a chair and looking at the phone.
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Apple never mentioned it, but the iPhone 12 received Qi2 wireless charging support when it got updated to iOS 17.4 last month. That means you can make full use of the Qi2-certified chargers that have entered the market, which have adopted the magnetic attachment and 15W speeds of Apple’s MagSafe tech.

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Macworld originally reported the update late last week. It published findings from its own tests alongside confirmation from Belkin that its Qi2 chargers supported 15W charging on updated iPhone 12 devices. Anker has since confirmed to The Verge similar compatibility for its products, while Apple has yet to respond to a request for comment.

The iPhone 12 was Apple’s first phone with MagSafe and has supported 15W magnetic MagSafe charging since its 2020 debut. The iPhone 13 and 14 got Qi2 support as part of iOS 17.2, and the iPhone 15 had it out of the box. The update means that all MagSafe iPhones are now Qi2-certified. Previously, iPhones were limited to 7.5W wireless charging unless using expensive certified MagSafe chargers.

What is Qi2?

Qi2 (properly Qi v2.0 MPP, for Magnetic Power Profile) is a new magnetic wireless charging standard that can charge compatible devices at up to 15W. Like Apple’s MagSafe, it uses rings of magnets in both device and charger to ensure proper alignment of the charging coils, and it’s based on the Qi wireless charging standard that’s used by nearly every device that offers wireless charging. In fact, Apple contributed the magnetic power profile technology to the new standard.

Unlike MagSafe, Qi2 isn’t proprietary. It’s administered by the Wireless Power Consortium, and although devices need to be Qi2-certified, they don’t require special Apple hardware or MFi certification, which means they’re less expensive to produce. As of iOS 17.2, the iPhone 13, 14, and 15 are Qi2-certified and can charge just as fast from a Qi2 charger as they can from a MagSafe-certified charger; on all other wireless chargers, iPhones are limited to 7.5W maximum.

Because Qi2 is an open standard, it can be integrated into Android phones and other devices, though it hasn’t been yet. And due to backward compatibility quirks, Android phones that can hit 10W or more on a standard Qi charger (or a “MagSafe-compatible” Qi charger with magnets) are limited to just 5W on Qi2. In the near future, households with Android and iPhones should be able to share the same magnetic chargers and accessories and get the same charge rates. For now, though, Qi2 is best suited for iPhones.

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