After Apple was unable to release its AirPower wireless charging station for several devices, everyone was waiting for the Cupertino company to find a way out of this situation. When, it would seem, what could be easier than just creating wireless charging using QI technology . But, apparently, a lot of things went wrong in the process, and Apple changed the vector a bit. Instead of a station for several devices, along with the iPhone 12, MagSafe individual wireless charging was introduced , which is attached to it on a magnet and charges the smartphone according to the same familiar QI standard.
That is, even if your device does not have magnets for a precise fit, but supports QI charging, this will not prevent you from using MagSafe to recharge the battery. As with most such smart things, MagSafe chargers , including the MagSafe Duo and power bank, have their own software that is updated periodically. We figure out how to update the software for these devices and why you need to do it.
iPhones that support MagSafe
MagSafe charging is supported by default on all iPhones with flat side faces:
- iPhone 12.
- iPhone 12 mini.
- iPhone 12 Pro.
- iPhone 12 Pro Max.
- iPhone 13.
- iPhone 13 mini.
- iPhone 13 Pro.
- iPhone 13 Pro Max .
- iPhone 14.
- iPhone 14 Plus.
- iPhone 14 Pro.
- iPhone 14 Pro Max.
It provides all these devices with up to 15W wireless charging . As mentioned above, no one forbids using it with older iPhones or any other devices that support QI. But in this case, the charging speed is guaranteed to be reduced.
But why, in fact, in an ordinary charger, do you need software that also needs to be updated periodically? Everything is quite simple here. Since all models of MagSafe chargers appeared almost at the same time, only the external battery came out a little later, they can be used for several years. Accordingly, they do not support new iPhone models. If the buyer decides to upgrade from iPhone 12 to iPhone 14 , then charging without a software update may not be recognized by the smartphone or vice versa, and its speed will be reduced, which will negatively affect the charging time.
It is for such cases that Apple updates its chargers. This is easy enough to follow. MagSafe was announced in the fall of 2020 and received just the third update in two years. For each generation of outgoing devices. Therefore, it is safe to say that the latest update, which was released about a week ago, is due to optimization for the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max and AirPods 2, which also support MagSafe. And note that Apple waited for the iPhone 14 Plus to go on sale and then rolled out the update.
How to update MagSafe
But how can you tell if your charger is up to date with the latest firmware? To do this, you need to use the settings:
- Charge your iPhone with MagSafe .
- Go to settings.
- Select the “Basic” section.
- Tap “About this device”.
- Scroll to the very bottom to the block in which the Wi-Fi address is presented.
- After the “Operator Lock” item, there will be a clickable field for Apple MagSafe Charger.
- The software version must be at least 255.0.0.0.
If the software version differs from the above, then the update has not yet passed. You cannot manually update the firmware of any MagSafe device . But you can speed up this process in a fairly simple way:
- Connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network .
- Leave it charging with MagSafe overnight.
During this time, the smartphone should automatically download and install the new software version. In this situation, be sure to connect iPhone to Wi-Fi . Otherwise, the update may fail. Try to update the MagSafe firmware whenever possible, because there is a chance that Apple will optimize some other processes in it, in addition to adding support for new devices.
As, for example, happened with an external battery MagSafe . Initially, this device came out with support for charging at a maximum power of 5 W, which for 2021, when it was introduced, was simply ridiculous. Realizing what situation they were in, Cupertino updated the firmware, and support for 7.5 W charging appeared. This, of course, is also not a panacea, but in any case, it is somewhat faster than it was before. Moreover, if you connect it to the power supply using Lightning, then the external battery will completely replace the usual MagSafe charger and will be able to charge your iPhone at a maximum power of 15 watts.
Unfortunately, as well as with conventional charging, manual updating is not provided here. Therefore, we will have to hope for automation in the same way. Connect the battery to a power outlet, iPhone to Wi-Fi and leave this whole structure overnight.
