Imagine this: just like every day before this one, you plop down your brand new iPhone 11 on its trusty wireless charger after a long day at work. Hours pass by, and you pick up your smartphone moments before you leave, only to notice something alarming within seconds of glancing at the screen. It hasn’t charged nearly as much as it should’ve. Is your bran new phone broken? Is it the charger? No, it’s neither of those – according to new evidence and reports Apple have been secretly tampering with the speed of certain wireless chargers.
Apple’s new iOS 13 software update has been nothing if not full of bugs, security concerns, and rushed updates. Now, yet another issue has been discovered. This time, by ChargerLab, which uncovered Apple secretly cutting third-party wireless chargers’ performance on iPhones running iOS 13.
Which Chargers Are Affected?
The folks at ChargerLab found many wireless chargers rated at Apple’s 7.5W fast charging standard were maxing out at 5W. Unsurprisingly, this 33% decrease in charging speed adds considerably to charging time. For example, over 2 hours, an iPhone 11 sporting iOS 13.0 would wirelessly charge to 80%. After installing iOS 13.1 however, the same iPhone 11 would charge to only 55% over the same amount of time. Even after installing iOS 13.1.2, the charging throttle still exists.
This newfound quirk is said to only affect wireless chargers not adhering to Apple’s standards, but Apple has yet to specify any specific requirements for third-party chargers, as their currently-available ones are fairly vague. Manufacturers have also learned that simply complying with industry-standard Qi wireless charging guidelines doesn’t satisfy Apple, and their chargers are still throttled to 5W.
Official Apple Chargers Still Work
We already know Apple doesn’t like it when their customers repair their iPhones at non-approved repair shops, or use unofficial cables with their devices, but are they cracking down on wireless chargers too? The fishy thing about this situation is the fact that all chargers sold by Apple at their physical or online stores haven’t had their charging speed docked. These include certain Belkin, Mophie, Native Union, Anker, Logitech chargers. Also, the company has mysteriously stayed quiet on the controversy, not issuing an official statement, or even publicly acknowledging that the even problem exists.
This whole sham could be just another way for Apple to maintain control of not just your iPhone, but everything which interacts with it. In a related instance of Apple’s dictatorial tendencies, they recently started showing lock screen warnings to owners of iPhone 11 series smartphones who had gotten screen damages repaired at a non-Apple-licensed shop. This situation is yet another that just goes to show, accessories, chargers, cables, repair— Apple wants it all.
