How to use an Android phone to wirelessly charge an iPhone

Reverse wireless charging has been in Android phones since 2018 but is yet to properly make it to Apple products

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Android phones and iPhones have both featured wireless charging for some time, but few people know that an Android phone can charge an iPhone.

The first wirelessly charging phone was the Nokia Lumia 920 which came out in 2012, utilizing Qi wireless charging which came out four years earlier.

But it was the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which came out in 2018, that had the ability to charge other wireless devices.

Now almost every major Android phone manufacturer – including Samsung, Google, Sony, Huawei – has reverse wireless charging. When you or your friend’s phone has run out of battery and there is not a cable around, this can be a lifesaving feature.

In a pinch, iPhone users can ask an Android user to spare some battery – albeit at a slower rate than if you were using a cable and a battery pack.

To turn on reverse charging on an Android phone, users will need to navigate to their phone’s settings app, and then go into the battery menu.

Then there should be a setting called ‘reverse wireless charging’ that can be toggled on, and after that simply place another smartphone or pair of compatible wireless headphones onto the back of the Android phone.

Unfortunately, this feature is only available on Android phones. While iPhones do support wireless charging – and external battery packs including those made by Apple can charge using it – power cannot go out the other way.

It is possible that the iPhone 14 will offer reverse wireless charging, but similar rumours spread about the iPhone 13.