Apple Reportedly Developing MagSafe Battery Pack For iPhone 12 Family

According to a new report from Bloomberg, this new battery case won't add any additional protection to the iPhone 12/iPhone 12 Pro, and is simply meant to give you boosted runtimes. And given that the iPhone 12 introduced MagSafe to the equation for charging and attaching accessories, the new battery case will also leverage this technology.

It's reported that prototypes of the new battery pack have a white, rubberized exterior. One of the big questions that many likely have about this battery pack is how strong the magnetic connection will be. There have been a multitude of complaints about the MagSafe Wallet accessory falling off the iPhone 12 when inserting it or removing it from your pocket. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that there are no concerns with the MagSafe battery pack staying in place with the prototypes currently making the rounds.

However, engineers are reportedly dealing with software gremlins that are incorrectly reporting that the battery is overheating. In addition, there are also some handoff issues reported when the MagSafe battery pack is used with or without a case. Of course, all these issues will need to be worked out before Apple can release it to the public.

The Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone 11 family were released roughly a month after they launched, while we're five months after the iPhone 12 launch with no public announcement of the MagSafe battery pack. This delay would seem to confirm the issues that Gurman reports.

In other charging news, it's alleged that Apple is still trying to work on reverse wireless charging for the iPhone family. This would allow iPhones to recharge devices like the Apple Watch and AirPods Pro, which is functionality that flagship Samsung Galaxy devices have featured for a couple of generations.