iPhone 11 Series Packs Reverse Wireless Charging Hardware, Is Disabled by Apple: Report

iPhone 11 trio is now official, but one particular feature that was talked about frequently in leaks is missing from the final product. That missing feature is support for reverse wireless charging, which would have allowed iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max users to wirelessly charge compatible devices such as the Apple Watch and AirPods by just placing them on the phone. But as per a new report, the iPhone 11 trio has the necessary hardware to support reverse wireless charging, but Apple has decided to keep it in a disabled state.

Tipster Sonny Dickson, citing reliable sources, mentioned in a tweet that the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro duo have the required hardware to facilitate reverse wireless charging, but it has been deactivated. “Reliable sources are saying iPhone 11 and 11 Pro do include the hardware for bilateral charging, but that it is software disabled," Dickson wrote. However, it is not known whether the decision to disable reverse wireless charging was implemented before or after the final production run commenced.

The arrival of reverse wireless charging was tipped by reputed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo back in April, and it was supported by a Bloomberg report as well. However, Kuo later reversed his stance and claimed that the iPhone 11 series won't offer reverse wireless charging after all.

He noted back then that reverse wireless charging on the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max was nixed because the “charging efficiency may not meet Apple's requirements”. While it can't be said with certainty, Apple may choose to enable the feature in the near future. But chances for that materialising are slim, since Kuo added that Apple ultimately decided to keep the advanced development on hold for reverse wireless charging, indicating that the feature might finally be ready for prime time when Apple unveils its 2020 iPhone lineup.