iPhone 15 may be able to charge your AirPods wirelessly — here's how

(Image credit: Apple)

Despite engineering delays, Apple is continuing its work on reverse wireless charging in the iPhone. According to a report by 9to5Mac, their sources indicate that Apple hoped this feature would debut on the iPhone 14 Pro, but obviously they failed to meet that deadline.

However, according to the article, Apple is not giving up and will press on trying to achieve reverse wireless charging. It remains uncertain if they will have it ready in time for the iPhone 15's unveiling this fall.

iPhone reverse wireless charging has been a long time coming

Bilateral charging, commonly known as reverse wireless charging, would allow users to turn their phones into portable wireless chargers. iPhones already possess some of the technology needed to allow this process, and the tech has been in the iPhone since the iPhone 12. FCC filings verified that the tech exists within the phone but has been kept inactive.

As many of you know, you can reverse charge your MagSafe Battery pack if you plug your Lightning cable into your iPhone, which will send power to the battery pack. Although Apple doesn't refer to this as reverse sharing, the principal is the same, but wirelessly.

If Apple were to master this technology, it would allow users to recharge AirPods or possibly even an Apple Watch by just placing them on the back of their iPhone. Android users have enjoyed this feature for years now and it's incredibly handy for small devices like wireless headphones that have relatively tiny batteries.

AirPods Pro 2 vs. Beats Fit Pro — (Image credit: Alex Bracetti/Future)

When will we see bilateral charging?

Given that the goal was to have it ready for the debut of the iPhone 14, it seems reasonable to believe Apple may have it ready in time for the iPhone 15 this fall. We wouldn't be surprised if this was one of the features limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

However, we also saw Apple struggle for years and finally give up entirely on its AirPower wireless charging pad, so maybe this year is being a little too positive. Maybe it will be reserved for the fabled iPhone 16 Ultra in 2024 to help justify the projected price hike for that new high-end iPhone.

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.