Battery sharing with your iPhone, is it actually possible?

Did you know that you can share a smartphone’s battery with another phone? It’s called reverse charging or powershare and it can be quite handy, for example when you need that last bit of power to order an Uber. In this article from ThePhoneLab you can read all about battery sharing, powershare and how to charge accessories wirelessly.

In this blog, we discuss:

What is Powershare or battery sharing?
Can you share battery with an iPhone?
Which smartphones have Powershare?
Charging accessories via Powershare
What your iPhone can do: wireless charging
Disadvantages of charging with another phone
Tips from our specialists

What is Powershare or battery sharing?

Charging a phone with another phone is officially called Reverse Wireless Charging or Wireless Powershare. You simply place the back of your phone against someone else’s. If both devices support it AND the feature is enabled, charging begins automatically.

Depending on the brand, you’ll find the feature under names like Battery Share, Wireless Reverse Charging or Wireless Reverse Charging. You enable it through Settings > Battery.

Can you share battery with an iPhone?

Unfortunately, iPhones cannot currently share battery with other devices. Apple has already built in the hardware (on some models), but the feature is not yet available through iOS. So the wait is for a software update that will enable it.

In other words, iPhone charging with another iPhone or Android charging with an iPhone is not currently possible.

Which smartphones have Powershare?

Fortunately, there are phones that can. Powershare is available on many devices from:

Samsung (Galaxy S10 and newer)
Huawei
Google Pixel (excluding older models)
Xiaomi
OnePlus

Note that not every device of these brands supports it. So check your phone’s specifications beforehand.

Charging accessories via Powershare

A handy bonus: Powershare also lets you charge accessories. Think:

Wireless earbuds (such as Galaxy Buds, AirPods with wireless case)
Smartwatches that support Qi charging (not the Apple Watch, unfortunately)

Just make sure your smartphone has enough battery left – otherwise you’ll find yourself with no phone and no use for your charged earbuds.

What your iPhone can do: wireless charging

Any iPhone 8 or newer can be charged wirelessly via a Qi charger. Older iPhones (such as the iPhone 7 and earlier) unfortunately do not support it.

For example, you can charge your iPhone 13 with a MagSafe wireless charger or a universal Qi pad. But: this is not Powershare – you can’t charge other devices from your iPhone with this.

Disadvantages of charging phone with other phone

Battery should be at least 30%: you usually can’t share power if you’re already running low.
Slower charging: reverse charging works wirelessly and thus slower than via a cable.
Not suitable for every situation: useful as an emergency, but not a replacement for a real charger.

iPhone battery draining fast? We help!

If your battery often runs out quickly, our specialists can often help you even better than a rescue angel with a powershare-enabled phone. We give advice on battery condition and usage, as well as replacing your battery if necessary, often within 30 minutes.