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MagSafe is a proprietary,
magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
ically attached
wireless power transfer Wireless power transfer (WPT; also wireless energy transmission or WET) is the transmission of electrical energy without wires as a physical link. In a wireless power transmission system, an electric power source, electrically powered transmitte ...
and accessory-attachment standard developed by
Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...
for its
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
and
AirPods AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. AirPods are Apple's entry-level wireless headpho ...
product lines. It was announced on October 13, 2020, in conjunction with the
iPhone 12 The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini (stylized and marketed as iPhone 12 mini) are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the fourteenth-generation iPhones, succeeding the iPhone 11. They were unveiled at a virtually held Ap ...
and 12 Pro series. The first version provides up to 15 W of power and is compatible with the open Qi standard for up to 7.5 W of power. The second version, announced in 2024 in conjunction with the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, provides up to 25 W of power and is compatible with the Qi2 standard for up to 15 W of power. The connector also enables connecting non-charger accessories such as card holders and cases with communication through an integrated NFC loop. The charger uses a circle of
rare-earth magnet A rare-earth magnet is a strong permanent magnet made from alloys of rare-earth elements. Developed in the 1970s and 1980s, rare-earth magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnets made, producing significantly stronger magnetic fields tha ...
s. Apple released two chargers using the MagSafe standard in 2020: the MagSafe Charger, which is a single charging pad for iPhone, and the MagSafe Duo Charger, which is a charging mat with both MagSafe and an
Apple Watch The Apple Watch is a brand of smartwatch products developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple. It incorporates activity tracker, fitness tracking, Health (Apple), health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates wit ...
charger. Apple has also licensed the MagSafe standard to third parties to develop chargers and cases. In 2021, Apple released the MagSafe Battery Pack and added MagSafe charging to
AirPods AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. AirPods are Apple's entry-level wireless headpho ...
and AirPods Pro.


History

The MagSafe name was first used by Apple for the conductive power connectors of its MacBook lineup, beginning with the 2006
MacBook Pro The MacBook Pro is a line of Mac laptop computers developed and manufactured by Apple. Introduced in 2006, it is the high-end sibling of the MacBook family, sitting above the ultra-portable MacBook Air and previously the low-end MacBook li ...
. It began to be phased out upon the release of the 2015 MacBook, which used
USB Power Delivery The initial versions of the USB standard specified connectors that were easy to use and that would have high life spans; revisions of the standard added smaller connectors useful for compact portable devices. Higher-speed development of the USB ...
and the
USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...
connector for charging. MagSafe was discontinued across MacBooks in 2019 but reintroduced with 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models released in October 2021. In 2017, Apple announced AirPower, a wireless charging mat capable of charging an iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch (which uses a proprietary wireless charging system) simultaneously and the devices could be placed anywhere on the mat. However, it was canceled in early 2019 due to overheating issues due to the many overlapping coils. Apple announced MagSafe along with the
iPhone 12 The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini (stylized and marketed as iPhone 12 mini) are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the fourteenth-generation iPhones, succeeding the iPhone 11. They were unveiled at a virtually held Ap ...
series on October 13, 2020, during the “Hi, Speed” Apple Special Event as a universal ecosystem of wireless charging and accessories. Apple's chargers based on MagSafe are their first to use the Qi standard, following the development of AirPower. The MagSafe receptacle on iPhones, internally called MagSafe Attach, uses magnets to align automatically and attach to a Qi charger, ensuring reliable charging. On October 18, 2021, Apple released the 3rd generation
AirPods AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. AirPods are Apple's entry-level wireless headpho ...
and an updated SKU of AirPods Pro with a bundled MagSafe charging case. In 2023, the
Wireless Power Consortium The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is a Multinational corporation, multinational technology consortium formed on December 17, 2008. WPC is a virtual corporation with administrative offices in Washington, DC. Its mission is to create and promote ...
announced the Qi2 standard that is based on MagSafe. On September 9, 2024, Apple announced a Qi2-certified 25 W MagSafe Charger, available with 1 m and 2 m cable lengths.


Chargers and accessories


MagSafe Charger

The MagSafe Charger is a single charging pad that contains recyclable
rare-earth magnet A rare-earth magnet is a strong permanent magnet made from alloys of rare-earth elements. Developed in the 1970s and 1980s, rare-earth magnets are the strongest type of permanent magnets made, producing significantly stronger magnetic fields tha ...
s surrounding a Qi wireless charging coil with a 1 m cable terminating in a USB‑C plug. The first version of the MagSafe Charger, released in 2020, delivers up to 15 W of power to iPhones 12, 12 Pro, and newer, with the exception of iPhone 12 Mini and 13 Mini, which support 12 W. ''The Wall Street Journal'' found the MagSafe Charger charged at half the speed of a 20 W wired charger. Being a Qi charger, the MagSafe Charger can charge all Qi-certified devices, including older iPhone models and AirPods, though testing by ''
MacRumors ''MacRumors'' is an American website that reports and aggregates Apple Inc.- and Mac (computer), Mac-related news, rumors, and information. The website is updated on a daily basis with new articles. It also provides a selection of other content ...
'' found that MagSafe charged iPhones older than the 12 series at around half the speed of third-party 7.5 W Qi chargers. Devices without MagSafe or Qi2's Magnetic Power Profile (MPP) need to be manually aligned as they do not have the built-in array of magnets that interlock with MagSafe. Apple recommends a 20 W power adapter. Users have reported MagSafe Chargers leaving circular imprints on leather cases. On September 9, 2024, Apple discontinued the original MagSafe Charger and replaced it with a second-generation model that provides up to 25 W of power with the iPhone 16/ 16 Pro and is compatible with the Qi2 standard for up to 15 W of power. Apple recommends a 30 W power adapter.


MagSafe Duo Charger

The MagSafe Duo Charger is a foldable charging mat with a MagSafe charger on one side and an
Apple Watch The Apple Watch is a brand of smartwatch products developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple. It incorporates activity tracker, fitness tracking, Health (Apple), health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates wit ...
charger on the other. The Apple Watch charger disc can be laid flat for face-up charging or can be vertical for nightstand use. The MagSafe Duo charger can be folded when not in use. The charger came with a Lightning–to–USB-C cable, and Apple recommends their newer 30 W USB-C power adapter (released in 2018), and notes their older 29 W adapter is incompatible and can only charge one device at a time. Durability testing performed by '' Apple Insider'' found that the hinge could fail with frequent folding, noting it "started to break down at 180 folds and ultimately failed at 212." The larger camera array on the
iPhone 13 Pro The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They were the flagship smartphones in the fifteenth generation of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max respectively. The ...
elevates the top end from the charger with a case, though charging is unaffected. The MagSafe Duo does not support fast charging on Apple Watches released since 2021 ( Series 7 and later, Ultra). The MagSafe Duo was discontinued in September 2023.


MagSafe Battery Pack

In July 2021, Apple released the MagSafe Battery Pack. It contains a 11.13 W⋅h, 1,460 mA⋅h battery that on its own can charge an iPhone at up to 7.5 W. While the pack is being charged via
Lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
it can charge an iPhone at up to 15 W. The pack itself can be charged either directly through its Lightning port or wirelessly from an iPhone that is being charged via Lightning. The MagSafe Battery Pack was discontinued in September 2023 after the
iPhone 15 The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple. They are the seventeenth generation of iPhones, succeeding the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. The devices were announced on September 12, 2023, during the App ...
series was released, which charges via USB‑C (for wired charging, in addition to Qi2 and MagSafe) rather than Lightning.


Cases, wallets and sleeves

Apple released a line of MagSafe cases and other accessories, such as leather sleeves and wallets that can attach magnetically to iPhones and cases with MagSafe. Apple states MagSafe charging works through their cases. Apple states that their leather wallets are shielded to protect credit cards from the rare-earth magnets used in these accessories, although warns that credit cards should not be placed between an iPhone and a MagSafe charger. In 2021, Apple released an updated MagSafe wallet with an NFC chip that supports
Find My Find My is an asset tracking service made by Apple Inc. that enables users to track the location of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS devices, AirPods, AirTags, and a number of supported third-party accessories through a connected iC ...
location tracking when the wallet is disconnected from an iPhone, but is not supported by Apple's clear cases for iPhone 12 models. In 2023, Apple replaced the leather MagSafe wallet with a FineWoven version.


Third-party chargers and accessories

Apple refers to officially licensed third-party MagSafe products as "Made for MagSafe". Apple worked with Belkin to design chargers using MagSafe. At launch, Belkin was the only accessory maker to which Apple had licensed the MagSafe charging standard; while other third-party accessory makers advertise magnetic charging products as "MagSafe compatible," they use older Qi standards that deliver a maximum charging speed of 7.5 W, compared to first-generation MagSafe's 15 W, and lack integrated NFC. In 2022, accessory maker Mophie worked with Apple to release a 3-in-1 Made for MagSafe travel charger;
Nomad Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
also released a charging base. OtterBox manufactures officially licensed cases and a 2-in-1 charger.


Devices supporting MagSafe

The following devices support MagSafe: *iPhones released in October 2020 and later (
iPhone 12 The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini (stylized and marketed as iPhone 12 mini) are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the fourteenth-generation iPhones, succeeding the iPhone 11. They were unveiled at a virtually held Ap ...
/ 12 Pro and newer) except the iPhone SE (3rd generation) and iPhone 16e **The iPhone 16/ 16 Pro support 25 W charging with the second-generation MagSafe Charger. The iPhone 12/12 Pro and newer (except the 3rd generation iPhone SE and iPhone 16e) support Qi2 with iOS 17.4. *MagSafe Charging Case for
AirPods AirPods are wireless Bluetooth earbuds designed by Apple. They were first announced on September 7, 2016, alongside the iPhone 7. Within two years, they became Apple's most popular accessory. AirPods are Apple's entry-level wireless headpho ...
(3rd generation) ** The wireless charging case for AirPods (4th generation) does not have magnets to automatically align with MagSafe chargers due to its smaller size. *MagSafe Charging Case for AirPods Pro (first-generation SKUs after October 2021 and second generation)


References

{{reflist


External links


MagSafe Charger

MagSafe Duo Charger
Wireless energy transfer Computer-related introductions in 2020 Apple Inc. hardware