Devices like Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series, S22 series, S21 series, Fold and Flip devices, alongside Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 line, offer reverse wireless charging. Apple lags behind and currently doesn’t feature reverse wireless charging in its iPhone.
However, the new iPhone 15 line is more than capable of charging other devices with its versatile USB-C port, albeit not wirelessly.
All you need is a cable with USB-C on one end, and you can use your iPhone 15 series device as a power bank for your AirPods, Apple Watch, or even another iPhone or Android phone.
If you have the second-gen AirPods Pro with the USB-C charging case, you can plug it directly into your iPhone 15’s USB-C port and get extra battery life when you need it. The same works with AirPods with the lightning port, though you’ll need a USB-C to lightning cable, which you’ll likely have lying around if you’ve bought Apple products in the past.
The same works with a USB-C Apple Watch charging puck. Just plug it into your iPhone 15 series device, place the watch on the puck, and it should start charging.
Another cool feature is that the iPhone 15 series can transfer power to other iPhones and even Android devices. If you have an iPhone 15 series device and your friend’s device is running low, with the suitable cable (depending on the charge recipient’s device’s port) plugged into your iPhone and their device, you can share your battery.
Similarly, if you’re looking to connect two iPhone 15 series devices, whichever phone has a lower battery will be the power recipient, while the iPhone with the higher battery percentage will be the giver.
The feature also works with Android devices, as long as they support USB Power Delivery.
It’s worth noting that the charging speed of the iPhone 15’s USB-C port is limited to 4.5W when charging another device. This is enough for small devices like the AirPods or the Apple Watch, but it is slow for another iPhone or Android phone. So don’t expect to get a full charge in a short time when using this feature.
Learn more about power-sharing with the iPhone 15 series here.
MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though we may earn a commission on purchases made via these links, helping fund the journalism provided free on our website.
Header image credit: Apple