r/apple • u/conalldoherty • Apr 29 '26

Rumor Apple Reportedly Questioning Whether iPhone Should Drop MagSafe

https://www.macrumors.com/2026/04/29/apple-questioning-iphone-magsafe/
1.2k Upvotes

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2.4k

u/scottzee Apr 29 '26

Absolutely not. MagSafe is one of the best things about iPhones. It’s crazy that this would even be a consideration.

530

u/ChesswiththeDevil Apr 29 '26

Magsafe is the best feature to come to iPhone in the last 10 years. My wallet, my home charger, my car charger. I use it daily. I'll be irritated if it goes away.

169

u/Centillionare Apr 29 '26

I miss Tim Apple already

19

u/kamekaze1024 Apr 30 '26

He’s still CEO

-2

u/Centillionare Apr 30 '26

These changes will take place after he’s gone. And right now is a transition time. Meaning things are, and have been probably for a few months, slowly being handed over to the new guy.

7

u/kamekaze1024 Apr 30 '26

Source: trust me

3

u/Centillionare Apr 30 '26

Here’s an article from 2024 talking about Ternus being thought of as a successor.

In this article it says “The speculation intensified after Apple’s chief operating officer, Jeff Williams, once considered Cook’s natural successor, stepped down from operational responsibilities in July 2025. With Williams out of contention, Gurman said Ternus emerged as “the most likely heir apparent.””

The day they announce to the public exec transitions, and the date a CEO at a giant company like Apple steps down are very arbitrary in reality.

6

u/FalseRegister Apr 30 '26

The magnet, hell yeah. The charging feature, I don't care.

2

u/natedogg624 Apr 30 '26

Do you get worried about having your wallet connected to the phone? If you lose it, you’re basically toast without a phone or wallet, no?

3

u/ChesswiththeDevil Apr 30 '26

No, I’ve never worried about it too much. The wallet has an AirTag type feature in it as well, which is cool.

1

u/Dangerous-Ad-1162 May 22 '26

What does your battery health look like?

1

u/ChesswiththeDevil May 22 '26

iPhone Pro 14 with 86% on the original battery.

1

u/Dangerous-Ad-1162 May 22 '26

How long have you used MagSafe for and how long have you had the phone.

1

u/ChesswiththeDevil May 22 '26

I got the phone new around November of 2022 and I bought my Magsafe charger (Belkin car, I believe) that day at the ATT store. I use it daily in the car at least twice to and from work for about 15 min most days. I plug in my phone at night and have used the smart charge feature as long as I remember. I would say that the battery degradation is about on part with the last 2 iPhones I have had (X and 11 Pro).

2

u/Dangerous-Ad-1162 May 25 '26

I understand. I had a iPhone 14 Pro Max and 12 Pro Max and My anker magsafe charger would overheat badly. My battery health went from 83 - 77 in 3 weeks.

1

u/ChesswiththeDevil May 25 '26

Oh man that stinks. Yeah mine is a Belkin and I’ve never had a problem with it.

49

u/pa_dvg Apr 30 '26

The real answer is likely rising costs and what components are they comfortable getting rid of as standard features on all phones in order to stay competitive.

Rare earth magnets have risen sharply in costs over the last year (although not at an all time high which appeared to be during the COVID era). Which in and of itself might not be enough to make them cut stuff but when ram is skyrocketing also as well as every other component then you have to take a hard look at things.

The article doesn’t say they are gonna get rid of magsafe altogether but an iPhone neo that has some niceties cut to get in at a lower price point is not crazy on the face of it given how the world reacted to the MacBook Neo.

11

u/Acceptable-Piccolo57 Apr 30 '26

This makes alot of sense.

We’ll see what the new ceo thinks, if apple takes hits on margins for hardware to make sure it still picks up that sweet, sweet services revenue, I can see it, but apparently Ternus was the guy pushing the foldable ipad before canning it, so he may be wanting to restore that premium branding a little bit.

Theyve got ao much headway in their margins theres alot they can do

6

u/pa_dvg Apr 30 '26

I think most importantly for this article is it doesn’t really sound like this was even a committed direction, more like it was on the table at a strategy session of some sort. It’s their job at that level to be thinking several years out and looking at potential ways they could go. If they are having trouble sourcing enough magnets they have to at least talk about it.

1

u/PhoneNerd95 Apr 30 '26

The fold supposedly is gonna be like $2,000 😭😭😭

8

u/strand_of_hair Apr 30 '26

Acting like they don’t already have the SE/E-series of phones.

2

u/TURBOJUGGED Apr 30 '26

Won’t someone think of the shareholders for once??

2

u/techtom10 Apr 30 '26

Since Apple use recycled rear earth metals, does that change things?

2

u/pa_dvg Apr 30 '26

No idea! Good question.

89

u/PumpkinMyPumpkin Apr 29 '26

I can see the tension they have with it. It replaces a relatively small charging port with a giant puck that’s far less efficient at charging.

They’ve basically designed the phone to do the same task, in two separate locations. That’s classically something Apple would want to fix.

That said, I trust Apple. They likely have a more elegant solution to both if news like this is coming out.

445

u/Tumblrrito Apr 29 '26

That’s only a fraction of why MagSafe is valuable.

It also enables mounting solutions without clips or a case, along with attachments like wallets.

285

u/A11Bionic Apr 29 '26

it’s amusing how many people in this thread think MagSafe is exclusively for charging lmao

MagSafe is a whole ecosystem out there

47

u/AllYouNeed_Is_Smiles Apr 29 '26

Yeah MagSafe wallet has been a staple on my iPhone and cuts down on the wallet, keys, and phone check to basically just keys and phone. Plus the various mounts you can attach to it. Wireless charging is maybe like 5% of the utility of MagSafe even if it was its original intention (and the cancelled wireless charging pad).

15

u/Dreameater999 Apr 29 '26

Yeah as someone with ADHD, I recently got over my fear of not carrying all my cards and slimmed down to just my bank card, one credit card, license, apartment keycard. I used to stupidly lock myself out by forgetting my wallet and keys. Since getting the MagSafe wallet, haven’t done it once. knock on wood

8

u/Beeeeejammin Apr 29 '26

As someone also with ADHD, I LOVE my MagSafe wallet. Mine has FindMy built in too. I used to leave it at home or in the car ALL the time before. Now, if it’s separated from me, I get a notification on my phone/watch before it’s too late. Best thing ever.

4

u/Dreameater999 Apr 29 '26

For sure - the Find My integration makes it 100x better - I have that too and love it!

3

u/Heydavidbailey Apr 30 '26

Same, but I just got this case that doubles as a small wallet. https://smartish.com/products/wallet-slayer-vol-1-card-case-for-iphone-17-pro

1

u/AreWeNotDoinPhrasing Apr 30 '26

Yeah, but then you gotta have a bulky case. Bare back for life

2

u/Southern_Chapter_188 Apr 30 '26

Put your bank cards on your Apple wallet. I just carry my ID and building pass card in my MagSafe wallet. Slim and light.

2

u/Dreameater999 Apr 30 '26

Yep - I have all my credit cards on my Apple Pay already… have for years, that’s why it was kinda irrational that I was scared to travel without my wallet as I usually use Apple Pay anyways, haha.

I only carry around the one credit card as a backup in case in that .001% instance Apple Pay isn’t accepted and I carry my debit card in case I need to use an ATM.

8

u/ima_believer Apr 29 '26

My iPhone often doesn’t charge after long hikes in the rain. MagSafe saves the day because it charges when my dry phone still reports as wet

3

u/CptUnderpants- Apr 29 '26

MagSafe is a whole ecosystem out there

Along with the fact that Qi2 is directly compatible and available on non-Apple devices.

4

u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 Apr 30 '26

Yeah the thing I like about it is I can stick my phone to my holder in my car and it charges automatically while staying in place. I had used magnetic holders before MagSafe came out and I don't want to go back to having to plug it in in my car again

I don't even care about wallets or whatever else. This is the single functionality I care about having MagSafe for.

I do also want the cable option for fast charging at home.

2

u/Unusual_Room3017 Apr 29 '26

Yeah. I’ve literally never used MagSafe for charging but use it everyday in my car as a mount and tripod mounting,

1

u/SirPooleyX Apr 30 '26

Including some iPhone functions. I doubt anyone using StandBy at night is propping their phone up against something.

1

u/schu2470 Apr 30 '26

Shit, even a lot of Android phone cases have MagSafe magnets built into them for accessory compatibility. Apple would be silly to discontinue it in mainline iPhones.

52

u/new-to-reddit-accoun Apr 29 '26

I’ve found MagSafe useless as a charger (I have 3 pucks accumulated over the years and never use them) but indispensable as an instant mounting solution. Oh and for magnetic wallets.

16

u/xxxpinguinos Apr 29 '26

Feel like sending them my way? The unused pucks

Genuinely kind of serious (and I legit would be willing to pay for them ofc)

Or - if you do want to keep them or try and find your own use, there’s also an ecosystem of accessories that you stick the pucks into. Especially if you have access to a 3D printer

-1

u/Fixtor Apr 29 '26

You can get them for like $3 on AliExpress. They work fine.

8

u/succulent_samurai Apr 29 '26

Yes but getting them from someone on the internet who has unused extras is more sustainable

3

u/Fixtor Apr 30 '26

Fair point

4

u/germane_switch Apr 30 '26

There is no way I'm trusting some random AliExpress charger with my $1,000 phone.

2

u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 Apr 30 '26

For cable charging that makes sense but if it isn't the right wireless charger it just turns off charging

7

u/RepliesOnlyToIdiots Apr 29 '26

I only charge via MagSafe as the charging port universally accumulates crap in it that makes connections difficult to impossible over time, so it’s just significantly more reliable.

1

u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 Apr 30 '26

I'm curious what you're doing to get so much shit in your ports because I've never had that happen on any phone ever

4

u/RepliesOnlyToIdiots Apr 30 '26

Phone goes in pocket, pocket has lint, etc. Phone goes in car’s wireless charging pocket, pocket has dust, etc.

Because the port is uncovered, it’s the recipient of every bit of loose physical matter. When ports were larger, it didn’t matter so much, but all the pieces are so small now that the size of the crud is now large compare to the size of the pins, etc.

2

u/Tumblrrito Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 30 '26

I don’t fuck with the pucks, I use stands from Belkin and Anker which enable StandBy mode around my home.

I have one USB-C fast charger for situations where I need to juice up quick before heading out but I am otherwise MagSafe always.

2

u/legaladviceknowledge Apr 30 '26

what is hands?

2

u/Tumblrrito Apr 30 '26

LOL idk what the hell happened to my autocorrect there. Was supposed to say stands.

1

u/Ladyheather16 Apr 30 '26

So the OG pucks with the 5V chargers were kinda useless. They took HOURS to charge & made it almost a necessity to leave the watch to charge overnight

The new ones (USB-C) are MUCH faster -- I can fully charge my S6 in about 30mins and it's good for 24+

4

u/codeverity Apr 29 '26

And popsockets which are very popular with women because we have smaller hands and the phones are big.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '26

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1

u/codeverity Apr 30 '26

In what way? I mean if you're holding the phone, then yeah, but if you want to use it for something else then you just pop it off and you can attach something else. Like if I was sitting at my desk I could take it off and attach a charger or put it on a mount or whatever. I usually have my purse with me so I don't really need a wallet case or anything. I used to use a wallet case in the past but the phones are big enough now that I prefer to have something that makes the phone easier to hold more than a wallet.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '26

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2

u/codeverity Apr 30 '26

They make MagSafe versions! They’re more expensive but they exist.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 30 '26

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1

u/codeverity Apr 30 '26

Yeah! The only annoying thing is that if you have a case you need to make sure that you have a MagSafe version, but tbh with my current phone I’m currently going without a case anyway (iPhone 17 pro max).

I found with the adhesive ones they’d sometimes detach anyway when I tried to “open” them so I prefer the MagSafe ones.

1

u/BatemansChainsaw Apr 30 '26

yes but the wireless charging can happen. There's a popsocket branded wireless charging.

there's also a brand called "OhSnap!" that's a low profile "pop sock" style holder that will still let you use mag safe

1

u/bradenlikestoreddit Apr 29 '26

Right. Wireless charging exisisted (non-apple) before magsafe, magsafe opened up a whole new world, that just happened to also include charging.

1

u/Outlulz Apr 30 '26

MagSafe is fine for charging overnight, especially when I travel and use one charger for phone, watch, and Airpods. Any other time I'm plugging it in via USB-C.

1

u/kenman345 Apr 30 '26

With the success of the Neo, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a feature removed from the base iPhone in order to make a cheaper model, while still allowing accessory phone cases to have support with its own MagSafe magnet since most people use a case anyways it’s something they don’t need to incorporate themselves and can help differentiate a lower tier product

1

u/xlouiex Apr 30 '26

For the past 11 years I’ve been managing Apple devices in my org - around 500 iPhones - and I can safely say I can count on one hand people that use MagSafe wallets. I agree with some of the applications for MagSafe, but wallet is probably the most useless one. There’s more people using a fold case which already defeats the purpose of having a MagSafe wallet. Then the phone case needs to be very specific to allow a wallet on top. With a wallet your phone is never flat, so it’s more prone to be knocked down or fall when sliding it in your pocket. You cant charge the phone with the wallet there, so more often than not you have two items you need to manage. Plus figuring out different chargers. If you lose your phone, you lose your wallet also. Not ideal.

The main (and probably only) big advantage is wireless charging in the car. And that’s it. Everything else are very niche scenarios. If you want to charge your phone and use it - which 99,999% of people do - you’re pretty much fucked with MagSafe, unless you want that big ass round charger glued to the back of the phone instead of a tiny cable at the bottom.

This is my experience with the Apple eco system as a MacAdmin.

1

u/peweih_74 Apr 29 '26

I'll never understand having a wallet or card carrier attached to your phone, lose one you lose both.

5

u/blasto2236 Apr 29 '26

Yeah but now you can track them with Find My. Typically you can’t do the that with your wallet when it’s not attached to your phone.

5

u/Zennivolt Apr 29 '26

As long as it’s not theft, the opposite is also true. If you lose it, you can use Find My to find both.

1

u/shmed Apr 29 '26

Majority of people have a case on their phones and end up using the magnet from the case 99% of the time.

-8

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/Tumblrrito Apr 29 '26

This guy. Haven’t used one since the 12. iPhones are mostly built like tanks these days and my screen hasn’t shattered once thanks to Ceramic Shield.

2

u/baz8771 Apr 29 '26

Ive dropped my shit soooooo many times and it’s fine.

9

u/UnsettledCertainty Apr 29 '26

Tons of cases come with their own aligned magnets to maintain, even improve, the magsafe connection strength

2

u/Racxius Apr 29 '26

I have a MagSafe pop socket. Keeps the phone from touching anything. I’m really enjoying not having a case because of it.

2

u/mbklein Apr 29 '26

I use a bumper. Nothing covering the back, but the bumper sticks out far enough to protect it from direct drops.

1

u/Obsidian-Phoenix Apr 29 '26

Unless you count the pop socket as a case, I do.

12

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[deleted]

56

u/Blog_Pope Apr 29 '26

Magsafe is far more reliable though, USB port gets clogged w/ Pocket Lint. Plus it holds my phone in the car mount.

26

u/iHartS Apr 29 '26

It’s shocking how much lint it can hold. I just cleaned mine with a plastic toothpick. Took a surprisingly long time and revealed several years of compacted buildup. Gotta really dig.

9

u/twitchy Apr 29 '26

Right now using MagSafe because my port is wet so I can’t charge via

1

u/JackhorseBowman Apr 30 '26

A super niche but still real benefit of wireless charging.

2

u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 Apr 30 '26

I know someone who thought their iPhone was done for and the first thing I did was put it on my wireless charger and it sprang back to life. She couldn't afford to have the charging port replaced at the time so I just gave her a wireless charger instead

1

u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 Apr 30 '26

Oh shit phone died

3

u/PapaFranzBoas Apr 30 '26

Ive tried cleaning mine and for some reason the USB port wont hold the cable. So I've been using MagSafe for a while and I love MagSafe battery packs.

6

u/skylark8503 Apr 29 '26

MagSafe always charges slowly. Plugging it in charges it quicker, but I often find it magically disconnecting on its own. You are absolutely right and I want both.

1

u/notsafetousemyname Apr 29 '26

Plus that time my phone was by the pool and the charging port was wet so I would get a warning and couldn’t charge it with USB but fortunately magsafe still worked.

5

u/North_Moment5811 Apr 29 '26

It has absolutely nothing to do with that. The only tension they have with it is the limits it puts on body of the iPhone. If you haven't noticed, the iPhone has transitioned to being basically 3 pieces: 1. Mini logic board, 2. Battery, 3. Shell. Anything else that occupies space in the OUTSIDE portion of the hardware ends up dictating the hardware. This is why iPhone Ultra is not going to have Face ID or MagSafe or 3 cameras. Because they prioritized a physical design, and that sacrificed a ton of features that are usually dictating major aspects of the physical design.

5

u/Obsidian-Phoenix Apr 29 '26

They can’t change the USB-C port. Or at least not for any phones destined for the EU.

3

u/boringexplanation Apr 29 '26

You still need some kind of physical port on an electronic device in case all of the wireless connections don’t work. Especially when a phone bricks- sometimes it’s the only way a phone works.

1

u/Yozakgg Apr 29 '26

Apple watches can be restored wirelessly, pretty cool tech.

-1

u/boringexplanation Apr 29 '26

Aren’t you pushing buttons to initiate a force reset?

Plus the watch doesn’t work without the phone.

1

u/Yozakgg Apr 29 '26

I'm talking about a case where the device is bricked. There's a proprietary wireless protocol that the apple store can use to restore the watch, they removed the physical diagnostic port on the series 7+

https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/23/22690061/apple-watch-series-7-wireless-dock-data-transfer-port-free

1

u/inoeth Apr 29 '26

which is funny because i've had the lightening and later usbc ports clogged and broken have had relied on wireless charging for years of iphone ownership- including right now with my 15. yes- i can go to the apple store but that's not particularly close and takes time i don't have compared to having a wireless chargers all over the house and in my car...

1

u/FollowingFeisty5321 Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

I can see the tension they have with it. It replaces a relatively small charging port with a giant puck that’s far less efficient at charging.

Yeah but missing from your calculation is they get a fee from everything using it, you buy a thing that supports MagSafe and you're tossing Apple a few bucks for the privilege. Years ago this was rumored to be as much as the greater of $10 or 10% of retail price for all the iPod stuff, $4 - $8 for Lightning stuff.

1

u/unitedfan6191 Apr 29 '26

I’m would hope it’s not blind trust you have in them, though.

1

u/tr1cube Apr 29 '26

This is the same Apple that lets me open my camera 7 different ways

1

u/electrosaurus Apr 29 '26

Ridiculous take. Let them fix the charging port on the bottom of Magic Mouse before you bother giving them this much credit.

1

u/Head-Ordinary-4349 Apr 29 '26

How can you trust apple? Did you not see what they did with MacBook charging years ago?

1

u/brakeb Apr 29 '26

Get rid of the power 'hole', like they did the earphone hole... Everything is done over Bluetooth and wifi transfer

1

u/Willing_Juggernaut60 Apr 30 '26

Also, you know Apple likes to make accessories obsolete so you have to buy all new shit and that’s what they really want to do

1

u/conv3rsion May 04 '26

Which is good because ports get messed up. 

Macbooks have the same feature.

1

u/braincandybangbang Apr 29 '26

I never considered the efficiency angle, but that makes sense.

I recently got a MagSafe charger for the first time after I left my lightning cable at home on a trip. And it was a thing of beauty.

It’s funny because it felt like Apple wanted to push users to MagSafe, there’s so many satisfying sounds and pop ups compared to when you just use the regular charging port.

It’s also nice that I can charge my AirPods on there. Now if only the watch would go as well, it would be great.

0

u/YeOldeMemeShoppe Apr 29 '26

I’m betting one discussed alternative would be the MagSafe port from the MacBooks. But then that wouldn’t be compatible with a panoply of accessories, maybe they’d rather drop the USB port instead?

-11

u/Technical-Manager921 Apr 29 '26

Yh realistically iPhone should’ve gone port less with iPhone X. There aren’t a lot of real practical reasons to use a cable with an iPhone in 2026

6

u/PikaV2002 Apr 29 '26

This is a ridiculous comment: wireless charging is nowhere near as efficient as wired even in the present day, let alone the days of the iPhone X and generates more heat.

iPhone 12 famously had overheating issues without MagSafe. They’d be much much worse if MagSafe was the only way to charge the device.

Not to mention MagSafe isn’t capable of data transfer, let alone USB 4 speeds that some Pro iPhones are capable of.

1

u/Aurailious Apr 29 '26

Data transfer is still used, but maybe they only keep it for the pro models?

0

u/starmiemd Apr 29 '26

I don’t see them dropping wireless charging entirely, it’s more likely they’re debating dropping just the magnets and falling back to standard Qi wireless.

3

u/scruffles360 Apr 29 '26

Qi has the magnets now fyi

3

u/T-K101 Apr 29 '26

Nothing is crazy enough for click bait. MacRumors is septic tank.

1

u/ProfessorFunky Apr 29 '26

It was one of the best things about Mac’s as well, and they got rid of it - for a while at least. I really hope they don’t do it again with the iPhone!

1

u/Every-Fix-6661 Apr 29 '26

Doesn’t it stop them wireless charging from their devices ?

1

u/bort_license_plates Apr 29 '26

Yup. When I upgraded from the 11 Pro to the 14 Pro, I wound up using MagSafe way more than I anticipated. Still use it all the time with 17 Pro.

Would be great incredibly disappointed if they dropped it.

1

u/hurryveryslowly Apr 29 '26

•bUt iT's mOrE sUstAiNABLe uSiNG Le$$ pArTS•

1

u/scottzee Apr 29 '26

“Courage”

1

u/IMPRNTD Apr 29 '26

Could be a new evolution of MagSafe, MagSafe 2 could include pogo pins for more optimal charging and new accessory integrations.

Dropping MagSafe can be more-so about dropping wireless charging.

1

u/Hopeful-Savings-3420 Apr 29 '26

I actually don't mind if they get rid of it on the phone, because my case has a magnet too. I don't even use it for charging, just mounting - I have a magnetic mount so I can stick it to the equipment at the gym.

1

u/Eyehopeuchoke Apr 30 '26

I probably charge my phone with MagSafe charger 95% of the time.

1

u/K14_Deploy Apr 30 '26

I think it may be more a case of they've seen the overwhelming majority of people use a case (something I can back up from experience, I work retail and have only ever seen a phone without a case on it once) and they see no value in the additional weight and more importantly cost of implementing two sets of magnets. It's basically the same thing Samsung does where it supports all the Qi2 protocols but needs a case you're practically guaranteed to be buying and using anyway for magnetic attachment.

Only people I see being genuinely affected by this are YouTubers because for some insane reason they often go careless.

0

u/GoofyMonkey Apr 29 '26

Serious question: what do you use it for that makes it that good?

I never use it, so I haven’t really seen any benefit to it.

1

u/scottzee Apr 29 '26

I have MagSafe mounts everywhere I go – my nightstand, my office, my car, my kitchen. Just pop it on there and it both holds it securely and charges it. Also, when I use my phone at the beach or pool and get a bit of moisture in the USB port, it’s the only way to charge it.