What is Apple MagSafe, and which iPhones support it?

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MagSafe has been a staple part of the iPhone experience since the release of iPhone 12, offering the kind of wireless charging experience that most Android phone owners can only dream of. As the name suggests, it’s a magnetic system designed to offer a safe and secure way to wirelessly charge. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

The magnetic ring inside the iPhone is what makes MagSafe work, and it doesn’t discriminate. So while Apple may have designed MagSafe to work with magnetic chargers, you can clip just about anything onto the back of your phone — so long as the magnets all line up. It opens up a whole new range of uses that you might not even have realized were possible.

What is MagSafe?

(Image credit: Apple)

MagSafe is Apple’s proprietary wireless charging platform, based on the same Qi standard that powers wireless charging on other phones. However, while Qi chargers require devices to be precisely placed on the wireless charging mat, MagSafe chargers snap onto the back of compatible iPhones using a pair of magnetic rings — one in the charger, and another inside the phone in question.

MagSafe magnets also allow the iPhone to connect to a bunch of different accessories that would otherwise rely on special cases or adhesives. We’re talking things like phone grips, wallets, battery packs, and even stands and tripods. No sticking them down or dealing with fiddly holding mechanisms. Just snap them together with magnetism.

The original version of MagSafe was able to charge at up to 15W, which is double that of the original Qi1 standard. Apple has since upgraded the tech to offer up to 25W wireless charging speeds on the latest iPhones, which is on a par with the new MagSafe-inspired Qi2 wireless charging protocol.