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MagSafe Battery Packs Can Now Recharge Your iPhone Faster

A firmware update unlocks 7.5W charging on the go.

 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor

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If you rely on a MagSafe Battery Pack to help power your iPhone through the day, it's now capable of recharging the battery faster "on the go."

As 9To5Mac reports, Apple just released firmware version 2.7 for its battery pack, and with it increased the charging rate from 5W up to 7.5W when not connected to a power source. It means both iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 batteries should recharge faster using the battery pack once the firmware update is installed.

The $99 MagSafe Battery Pack actually has two charging rates available. If it's plugged in to a 20W or higher power source, it can recharge an iPhone at a rate of 15W. It's only when you want to recharge purely from the energy contained in the pack that the charging rate is reduced to 7.5W.

There's two ways to update your battery pack to firmware version 2.7. The first occurs automatically when you attach the pack to your iPhone, but this can take up to a week to complete. The second method is much faster, and requires plugging your battery pack into a Mac or iPad using a Lightning cable. Once connected and detected, the firmware update will take around five minutes to complete.

About Our Expert

Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

My Experience

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

My Areas of Expertise

  • PC components and system building
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Software development
  • Storage technology
  • Video games and gaming hardware

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