iPhone 12 gets 15W wireless charging support with iOS 17.4 update

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Apple launched the iOS 17.4 update almost a month ago, with a couple of new emojis, a minor update to the Home screen, and some potential security issue fixes. Now, it seems the update has brought a feature from the latest iPhones to the iPhone 12. 

While Apple doesn’t officially confirm it, Macworld reports that the iPhone 12 can now achieve full 15W wireless charging speeds without using non-MagSafe Qi2 magnetic chargers.

It is a feature that was previously exclusive to the newer iPhone models. 

The absence of an official confirmation could be confusing for the iPhone 12 users

Interestingly enough Apple doesn’t mention this change in iPhone 12’s compatibility with Qi2 chargers in the iOS 17.4 release notes.

Apple introduced MagSafe wireless charging with the 2022 iPhone (12) models, with a slower 7.5W wireless charging support. 

According to Macworld’s test, the 2020 iPhone (12) model after the iOS 17.4 update matches the speed of Apple-certified MagSafe chargers when attached to a non-MagSafe Qi2 charger – it even shows the iconic 15W charging animation. 

The Qi2 wireless charging support officially came to the iPhone 15 series first, then it was expanded to the iPhone 13 and 14 series with the iOS 17.2 update. 

However, the increased wireless charging speed is only applicable to the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. The 12 Mini and the iPhone 13 Mini didn’t caps at 12W.

Either way, this is a piece of good news for the iPhone 12 users. 

However, the omission of an official confirmation makes things confusing, alongside the conflicting information from third-party accessory manufacturers. 

A trusted Apple partner, Belkin, strongly states the iPhone 12 is Qi2 compatible, while Anker sends mixed statements.

Have any thoughts on this? Drop us a line below in the comments, or carry the discussion to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Leak reveals Apple iPhone 16 Pro Space Black and Rose colorways
• WWDC 2024 confirmed for June 10: iOS 18, visionOS 2, and more
• Apple releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 with USB hub bug fix
• DOJ files antitrust lawsuit against Apple over iPhone monopoly