Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack can charge iPhones faster with a new firmware update

My favorite type of software update is the kind that unlocks secret hardware features, and the Apple MagSafe Battery Pack is the latest surprise — you can wirelessly charge an iPhone at a faster 7.5 watts instead of the original 5 watts. Once you apply firmware update 2.7 (about 9to5Mac).

You can wait for an over-the-air update, or plug a Lightning-to-USB cable from the bundle into a connected Mac or iPad to get the fix, and then it says it’s good to go.

But if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t quite install the update just yet – I could wait until we hear from Apple (or reviewers) if it affects battery heating.

Look, I bought a MagSafe battery pack for myself last year my iPhone minibut I sent the pack back pretty quickly. As I wrotethe mini-MagSafe combo felt uncomfortably warm without a case—but With In a case, the MagSafe Battery Pack felt a bit too loose and tended to slide around while I was holding it. (Yes, I used Apple’s own clear case with MagSafe, not some third-party knockoff.)

Dieter Bohn / The Edge

And so you can understand why I’m having a hard time imagining it better Now that the MagSafe Battery Pack packs more juice. In our review of the MagSafe Battery PackDieter pointed out that the 5W charging speed is designed to minimize heat and preserve battery longevity.

Now Apple may have made other tweaks that negate the heat issue as well — the company may have changed the frequency and duration of charging. If it’s charged at 7.5W for a short time, it might need to be charged less often and it might even be less annoying for those of us who carry it around all day.

If so, I might even buy another one. I have reached out to Apple and will let you know what the company says.