It turns out that iPhone 12 was quietly compatible with Qi2's maximum 15W wireless charging in iOS 17.4, allowing high-speed wireless charging with non-MagSafe compatible chargers

Starting with the iPhone 12 series released in 2020, Apple has adopted a standard called MagSafe, which allows external accessories to be attached to the iPhone by incorporating magnets into the main body. Although there are many MagSafe-compatible accessories and wireless chargers available, the iPhone 12 series, which began supporting MagSafe, had a restriction that 'charging at up to 15W is not possible with wireless chargers other than those certified by Apple as MagSafe.' However, it has been revealed that updating to iOS 17.4, released in March 2024, will enable high-speed charging at up to 15W on both the iPhone 12 and third-party wireless chargers.

Surprise! Your iPhone 12 got an upgrade to 15W magnetic charging with Qi2 | Macworld
https://www.macworld.com/article/2280827/iphone-12-qi2-magnetic-wireless-charging-15w.html

iOS 17.4 faster Qi2 15W charging on the iPhone 12 models
https://www.idownloadblog.com/2024/03/28/apple-ios-17-4-boosts-iphone-12-qi2-charging-speed/

MagSafe-compatible wireless chargers can charge iPhones with up to 15W of power. However, only a small number of wireless chargers certified by Apple are capable of wireless charging at up to 15W, and it has become clear that other 'compatible wireless chargers that are not Apple-certified' are limited to a maximum power of 7.5W.

Apple is halving the speed of non-genuine wireless chargers - GIGAZINE

Meanwhile, in December 2023, Apple began supporting the wireless charging standard 'Qi2' on the iPhone 13/14 series from iOS 17.2. Qi2 is a wireless charging standard inspired by Apple's MagSafe standard, and is the next-generation standard of Qi that improves the efficiency of wireless charging by allowing the charger to be positioned perfectly in a fixed position with magnets like MagSafe.

iOS 17.2 finally reveals that the iPhone 13/14 series will support the wireless charging standard 'Qi2' - GIGAZINE

The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) is the organization that develops the Qi2 standard, and Apple is a steering member of the WPC and serves as chairman of its board of directors. Therefore, Apple provided the MagSafe specification to the WPC when it was developing the Qi2 specification.

Like MagSafe, Qi2 can wirelessly charge compatible devices with up to 15W of power. Therefore, even if the charger is not MagSafe certified, the iPhone 13/14 series can be wirelessly charged at up to 15W if it is a Qi2-compatible charger. However, the iPhone 12 series, the first iPhone to support MagSafe, remains excluded from Qi2-compatible devices.

However, it has been revealed that when using a Qi2-compatible wireless charger with an iPhone 12 series upgraded to iOS 17.4, charging at up to 15W is possible. However, Apple has not mentioned Qi2 support for the iPhone 12 at all in the iOS 17.4 release notes .

Technology media Macworld conducted an experiment to charge an iPhone 12 Pro Max with 0% battery after updating to iOS 17.4 using Apple's original MagSafe wireless charger and Anker's Qi2-compatible MagGo wireless charger. With the MagSafe wireless charger, the battery was able to be charged to 30% in 38 minutes and 50% in 70 minutes. On the other hand, with the MagGo, the battery was able to be charged to 30% in 33 minutes and 50% in 64 minutes. The Qi2-compatible MagGo was slightly faster in charging speed.

Macworld readers have also reported improved charging speeds on their iPhone 12 series devices after upgrading to iOS 17.4 using Qi2-compatible wireless chargers, and Belkin's BoostCharge Pro Qi2 2-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad 15W has also confirmed improved charging speeds.

Belkin's Qi2-compatible charger comes with a compatibility note, which lists the iPhone 12 to 15 series devices as iPhones that support fast charging with Qi2-compatible devices. In the case of Anker, on its official website , it explains, 'The iPhone 12 Pro supports the Qi wireless charging standard, but does not natively support the new Qi2 wireless charging standard. The iPhone 12 Pro is equipped with MagSafe, which provides similar adjustments and improved efficiency as traditional Qi charging, but was designed before the Qi2 standard was completed and introduced. Therefore, the wireless charging function of the iPhone 12 Pro is built around the original Qi standard and our proprietary MagSafe technology, not Qi2,' and it is noted that the iPhone 12 series is not exactly a Qi2-compatible device.

Please note that the wireless charging output of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini is limited to a maximum of 12W, so even if they support Qi2, wireless charging at up to 15W is not possible.

It is clear that the output of the MagSafe charger for the iPhone 12 mini will be limited to 12W - GIGAZINE

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