Apple Working on MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 19 Feb 2021

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman confirms in his latest report that Apple is working on a magnetic battery pack for the iPhone 12 series. The evidence of the company first working on the magnetic battery pack emerged in the latest iOS 14.5 beta 2 after some code digging.

Gurman says that Apple has been working on the magnetic battery pack for the iPhone 12 series for almost a year now and plans to launch it “in the months” following the iPhone 12 release. The battery pack will attach to the back of the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro using the MagSafe system just like other MagSafe accessories.

As per sources, some of the battery pack prototypes that Apple is testing have a white rubber exterior, though there are other variants in testing as well. Unlike the previous Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 11 and iPhone XS series, the magnetic battery case will not provide any kind of protection to the iPhone 12 from dings and drops.

Despite criticism from many that the MagSafe magnets are not strong enough for a secure connection, Apple’s internal testing has found the system to be strong enough for the battery pack. However, the development has been affected by various software issues like the iPhone claiming the battery pack is overheating. Apple is also working on figuring out scenarios where a customer might use the case on an iPhone with or without a case.

While Apple has been developing the magnetic battery pack for a year, there is a possibility the company will scrap the accessory entirely due to the development issues.

After the AirPower fiasco in 2017, a charger that Apple publicly announced before pulling the plug on it two years later, the company’s engineering team is very careful about charging accessories.

Apple also contemplated a MagSafe-based in-car iPhone mount but never got around to working on it. The company also contemplated allowing iPhones, Apple Watch, and AirPods to charge each other but has decided against it for now. The report also states that Apple will bring MagSafe to more of its devices over the next year including the redesigned MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

[Via Bloomberg]