One feature that has been available for a number of years on Android has long been expected to come to iPhone too: reverse wireless charging. A leaker yesterday suggested that it’s coming to the two iPhone 17 Pro models. If true, this would be good news for three reasons, but there is reason to suggest that may not be possible – due to MagSafe … What is reverse wireless charging? Very simply, this means the ability to wirelessly charge an accessory like AirPods or an Apple Watch by placing it on the back of an iPhone. For the accessory, wireless charging works exactly as it would on a charging pad, but the power is being derived from the iPhone. Samsung smartphones have offered this feature for several years now, branded as PowerShare. Google subsequently added it to some Pixel phones, with the branding Battery Share. Three reasons to want it The first and most obvious reason is if your accessory is running low on power but your phone still has a solid charge. The ability to recharge your AirPods or Apple Watch wherever you are and without the need for a power outlet, charging brick or cable could be a really handy option. A second scenario is a weekend away, where instead of having to carry multiple cables or charging pads for different devices, you could just take one for your iPhone and while that is charging from a power outlet, you could charge a second device simply by placing it on top of your iPhone. Third, and related to this, is the ability to easily and conveniently charge more than one device on a plane or train. Just plug in the iPhone to power at your seat with a single cable, and charge other devices on top of it. MagSafe may be a showstopper Given these benefits, it seems somewhat surprising that Apple hasn’t yet adopted this technology. However, there may be a reason for this. As Portuguese site DroidReader noted, Google has dropped the feature from the Pixel 10. The company said the reason for this is that it’s not compatible with QI2 wireless charging. A Pixel 10 series features Qi2 magnetic wireless charging to provide more efficient and reliable wireless charging (…) The set of magnets creates a strong connection with the charger but has a physical limitation for wireless reverse charging. The problem is that Qi2 is Qi1 plus magnetic attachment … aka MagSafe. In a bid to make this the industry standard for wireless chargers, Apple effectively open-sourced the technology by allowing other Wireless Power Consortium members to use it. While the company may have held something back for itself, the fact that reverse wireless charging appears to be incompatible with Qi2 could suggest the same is true for MagSafe. So while it would be great to see the iPhone 17 Pro support reverse wireless charging, don’t hold your breath. Highlighted accessories Photo by Dennis Brendel on Unsplash