Throughout the years, Apple's iPhones have been slow to adopt a number of features that were readily available on other devices. One by one, those features do tend to show up, though, and the the release of iPhone 17 Pro could see another long-awaited feature hit the Apple ecosystem for the first time: Reverse wireless charging.
It's never been clear why Apple hasn't included this feature before. But the fact that it's reportedly on its way — even if it winds up being exclusive to the Pro models —is great news. More to the point, such a move could embarrass the Google Pixel 10, which recently removed reverse wireless charging from the equation. And that's especially true when you hear what Google's reasoning for that change actually was.
Why did Pixel 10 skip reverse wireless charging?
Officially, Google's take on reverse wireless charging is called "Battery Share," but the principle is the same. It's been a common feature on Pixel phones since the release of Pixel 5 in 2020, and it lets you use your phone as a wireless charger in a pinch — albeit quite a slow one.
Speaking with DroidReader, Google confirmed that this feature had been deliberately removed from the entire Pixel 10 lineup because of Qi2 wireless charging support. The new wireless charging system relies on magnets, which take up space inside the phone. And according to Google, that meant there wasn't enough room to include the necessary Battery Share components.
It's a feature that has stung a lot of Pixel owners, even if it involves what I think is a fairly worthy trade-off. Without the magnets on the Pixel 10 series, users wouldn't be able to use magnetic accessories or chargers, whether that's Pixelsnap or MagSafe branded, nor would they get the benefits of the magnetic charging connection.
Battery Share itself is one of those things you either used all the time, or never really bothered with. I'm certainly in the latter category, so replacing it for Qi2 actually worked out better for me. But I can certainly understand the frustration long-time Battery Share users will have, now that this potentially important feature has been canned.
Phone 17 Pro could demolish Google's argument
If you take Google's reasoning at face value, then it makes sense that Apple hasn't offered reverse wireless charging until now. The feature only came onto the scene in late 2018, and MagSafe itself launched alongside iPhone 12 in 2020.
So by the time Apple could have implemented reverse wireless charging the way everyone else had, the magnetic ring was probably already in the way.
But if new rumors are to be believed, that isn't something Apple might have to worry about anymore. The iPhone 17 Pro is expected to add reverse wireless charging to its repertoire, and without compromising the MagSafe ring to make it happen.
How? I don't really know, and we're just going to have to wait for iPhone 17 Pro teardowns before we get any answers. But, assuming these rumors are all accurate it means Apple has figured out a way to give users both features without compromising anything else. Something that Google was apparently unable, or unwilling, to do.
It doesn't matter whether huge swarths of people actually use MagSafe and reverse wireless charging, the fact they have the option to use or not use either feature is a win. The more features we have, the better our phones are, after all.
Bottom line
Reverse charging speeds are typically not great, maxing out at 5W on the fastest-charging phones. But 5W is better than nothing, especially if you need to get your AirPods up and running to drown out the noise of someone watching TikTok videos without headphones. If you're without a charger or some kind of alternative power source, reverse wireless charging would come to your rescue.
I'm personally not upset that Google removed the feature in favor of Qi2. I've been clamoring for Google to add Qi2 to Pixel phones ever since it was first announced, and I can't say I've ever used Battery Share.
But I can totally understand why people are, because nobody likes to lose features they rely on regularly. But, if Apple can pull off offering reverse wireless charging and MagSafe at the same time, I'm pretty sure Google can figure it out too.
Let's just hope it doesn't take five years.
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