Why the iPhone 17 Pro Skipped Reverse Wireless Charging

Ahead of Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro launch, many expected the long-rumored reverse wireless charging feature to finally arrive. With the larger batteries and redesigned back glass featuring a centered Apple logo, it seemed like the perfect setup. But when the event wrapped up, the feature was nowhere to be found, and there’s a reason for that.

The MagSafe Challenge

The issue comes down to magnets. Apple’s MagSafe system relies on precise magnetic alignment to ensure efficient and safe charging. While this works perfectly with accessories like the MagSafe Battery Pack, it creates interference problems when trying to wirelessly charge another phone or even AirPods. Unless the other device can snap magnetically to the iPhone, the experience would be unreliable and limited.

A Lesson from Google

Google’s recent Pixel 10 series shows why this trade-off exists. With the adoption of Qi2 (a standard inspired by MagSafe), Google had to drop reverse wireless charging, even though it had supported the feature for years. The technology clash is clear: combining magnetic charging and reverse wireless charging isn’t straightforward.

The Bottom Line

As exciting as the idea sounds, reverse wireless charging likely won’t make its way to iPhones anytime soon. As long as MagSafe remains a central part of Apple’s ecosystem, this feature will stay on the sidelines.