Apple showcased its brand new iPhone 12 series’ capabilities during the Apple Event live stream earlier this month. However, thanks to recent findings by several sources, it appears that the company’s latest smartphone may feature a dormant feature that has yet to be introduced: reverse wireless charging.
The discovery of the aforementioned feature was first found by VentureBeat writer Jeremy Horwitz in an FCC filing. “In addition to being able to be charged by a desktop WPT charger (puck), 2020 iPhone models also support WPT charging function at 360 kHz to charge accessories [including] an external potential Apple accessory in future,” wrote Apple in the filing.
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
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who included a copy of the FCC document in his tweet, believes that this could be a hidden reverse wireless charging capability on the new iPhone which relies on the company’s MagSafe system. The writer speculates that it could also be used to charge next generation AirPods or other first party devices that are MagSafe compatible.
Even though the reverse wireless charging capability is seemingly present on the iPhone 12 models, it is unclear to why Apple did not reveal the feature during the announcement. It is quite likely that the company is saving the reveal for when the compatible devices or accessories are made available in the near future. There’s also the possibility that the iPhone maker is not planning to debut it at all, but we shall see in the coming months.
(Source: Jeremy Horwitz / Mark Gurman / Engadget)
