Apple’s Magsafe Battery Pack has been doing the rounds of the internet for quite some time now, and now, thanks to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, we know that it’s happening, but there are some hiccups en route.
Earlier this week, Steve Moser from MacRumors discovered a code snippet in the second beta of iOS 14.5 that mentions a “battery pack” that attaches to the iPhone’s back using Magsafe and keeps the iPhone charged at 90% to ensure maximum battery efficiency.
It was quite skeptical until Mark Gunman confirmed the existence of a magnetic battery pack. According to him, the battery pack has been under development for almost a year now, and it is scheduled to launch in the coming months.
According to Gurman’s source, there are quite a few prototypes under testing, and one of them has a white rubber finish on the exterior. Also, these battery packs won’t offer protection against the drops like earlier, as their main purpose is to charge the phone.
Magsafe: Not a Safe Bet
Magsafe has been criticized heavily since its inception. Many iPhone users have complained about the magnets’ strength as a couple of Magsafe accessories, such as Apple’s leather wallet, failed to hold on as tightly it should have.
The Magsafe battery pack is quite a phenomenal idea in theory, but it seems like the Cupertino giant might be facing some issues to turn it into a reality. According to Gurman, the charging pack’s been facing some issues during internal testing which is delaying the release.
There’s nothing wrong with the magnet; according to Gurman, the magnets are strong enough to hold on to the iPhone, but there are some software-related issues. According to the source, iPhone is triggering a warning that the charging pack is getting overheated even when it is not. There are also some chances that the project can be scrapped, just like the AirPower, which got canceled due to overheating. There are some chances that the project can be scrapped, just like the AirPower, which got canceled due to overheating.
Gurman has further weighed in on the development of other Magsafe based accessories, including an in-car mount, but it hasn’t made it further the discussions. Magsafe is also rumored to be expanded to other Apple devices in the future, including upcoming MacBooks.
We don’t know whether it might be coming or not, but it seems like Apple is moving ahead with its other plans since a new iPad Pro and second-gen AirPods are rumored to debut next month.