It's always nice to see an older phone get new features, and it appears the roll out of iOS 17.4 has brought an unexpected boost to wireless charging speeds on the iPhone 12, which originally launched back in 2020.
As per Macworld, the iPhone 12 can now reach wireless charging speeds of 15W with third-party Qi2 wireless chargers. A number of users are seeing the improvement, so it seems to be legit – though Apple hasn't mentioned it.
You might remember the iPhone 12 handsets introduced the MagSafe charging standard, and it's always been the case that official Apple-certified MagSafe chargers have wirelessly charged up these phones at 15W.
However, wireless chargers without the Apple seal of approval were previously limited to 7.5W, using the Qi2 wireless charging tech also built into the iPhone 12. That charging rate now seems to be matching MagSafe.
Updates, updates, updates
As noted by MacRumors, something similar has previously happened with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 when iOS 17.2 rolled out, but that time Apple did mention the charging improvements in the software release notes, which it hasn't done this time.
Those upgrades meant the iPhone 12 was the only one of Apple's smartphones with MagSafe that couldn't reach 15W wireless charging speeds with third-party chargers, so it brings more consistency to the line-up, at least.
iOS 17.4 was pushed out to the world on March 21, and also brings with it podcast transcription, improved security features, and new emoji. If you're in the EU, it also enables the option to install third-party app stores for the first time.
iOS 18 is now on the way too. Apple has set June 10 as the date for its WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) event this year, when it usually showcases all the changes coming to its various software platforms throughout the rest of the year.
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