IPhone 12 hides a secret feature in reverse charging

 

A file from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hinted at a feature in the new Apple iPhone 12, a feature that might someday allow the phone to charge other accessories wirelessly.

Apple's iPhone 12 series may be hiding an important feature that was rumored to debut with the iPhone 11 last year. This function is known as reverse wireless charging or dual wireless charging, and this function enables smartphones to use an inductive charging coil to charge smaller accessories, or even other phones.

Evidence that Apple's new iPhone range may support the feature appeared in a recent regulatory file detailing the company's 2020 phone specifications. The document - discovered by (Jeremy Horowitz) from VentureBeat's tech site - apparently refers to the new MagSafe protocol that debuted with IPhone 12 phones earlier this month.

If this FCC filing is any indication, the iPhone 12 may have a hidden reverse charging feature. Perhaps MagSafe on the new AirPods? https://t.co/QhFQtOgoRB https://t.co/OAKzzb5U3B pic.twitter.com/pqAVcjLCyN

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) October 28, 2020

"In addition to being able to charge with the WPT desktop charger, the 2020 iPhone models also support a 360-kilohertz WPT charging function for charging accessories, including a potential future Apple external accessory," Horowitz said.

Even though it is only speculation, the feature described could allow charging of included MagSafe accessories, including unannounced devices such as: the next-generation AirPods. Just yesterday, Bloomberg News reported that Apple will introduce new AirPods models, including: the second generation AirPods Pro, in early 2021.

There were previously rumors that Apple would introduce reverse charging with iPhones in early 2019. At the time, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities had speculated that year's iPhone - which was the iPhone 11 - would feature "dual wireless charging". “.

Today's discovery indicates that Apple has continued to work with charging and functionality built into its MagSafe protocol. In theory, reverse wireless charging could be activated through a software update, but it remains unclear if and when Apple intends to do so.