Apple yesterday released a firmware update designed for the MagSafe Battery Pack, and it turns out the new firmware enables 7.5W charging while on the go, up from the previous 5W limit.
In an support document, Apple says that MagSafe Battery Pack owners can update their firmware to the new 2.7.b.0 release to get the faster 7.5W charging capabilities.
Updating the MagSafe Battery Pack can be done by attaching it to an iPhone and waiting (a process that can take up to a week), or using a Mac or an iPad to update within five minutes. Apple suggests users attach a Lightning cable to a MagSafe Battery Pack and then plug in the USB side to an iPad or Mac to initiate the update process.
You can check to see which firmware version your MagSafe Battery Pack is running by attaching it to an iPhone and then going to Settings > General > About > MagSafe Battery Pack. You will need version 2.7.b.0 to get the 7.5W charging.
When the MagSafe Battery Pack was released in July 2021, many users were disappointed to find that it would charge at a maximum of 5W while on the go as other MagSafe accessories can charge at 15W. When plugged in to a Lightning cable, the MagSafe Battery Pack can charge at the full 15W, but that is not possible when it is used without a power source.
As of now, those who install the firmware update can charge their compatible iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models at a faster 7.5W rate. It's still not as quick as the 15W MagSafe charging, but it is equivalent to the fastest available Qi charging speeds on the iPhone.
Top Rated Comments
I completely understand why this is done, because wireless charging creates heat, and heat is not good for the battery.
But my 12 Mini gets warm under even the slightest of loads, which makes the battery pack useless.
If my phone is cool, and barely being used, it can charge my phone from 20% up to somewhere around 85 to 90%.
If my phone is being used or warm, it *might* get up to 50% if I’m lucky.
More than likely I’ll slap it on the back of my phone at 20%, and it will basically hover between 10 and 30% until either the pack dies, or the phone dies and the case can’t put off enough power to boot the phone back up.
This would be fine, if it didn’t mean that the low battery pop-up didn’t show up every single time it dipped above or below 20% or 10%.
That pop-up gets annoying around the fourth or fifth time you see it in 20 minutes