iPhone 12 Pro Max Not Charging Wirelessly With MagSafe (Fix?)
Last updated on July 7th, 2021 at 05:18 pm
Posted in Bug Fixes by Patricia on November 14, 2020Is your brand new iPhone 12 Pro Max not charging wirelessly with Apple’s original MagSafe charger? You’re not the only one affected by this problem. One of our readers Brac, has just reported that his recently purchased iPhone 12 Pro Max unit, with no case on it, running iOS 14.2, isn’t charging at all when using the MagSafe puck!
We’ve previously got reports about iPhone 12 models that are getting stuck on the MagSafe charging animation, but this issue had been fixed by the iOS 14.2 software update. It’s also known that the new MagSafe puck is charging older iPhone models very slow. However, complaints regarding iPhone 12 not charging when connected to MagSafe are pilling up.
iPhone 12 Not Charging With Magsafe Causes
In most cases this issue is caused by a software glitch.
The iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max models can be all affected by the MagSafe not charging bug.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max MagSafe charging problem started with a few isolated cases, but we’ve received dozens of similar reports in the meantime.
Some users claim that the issue manifest itself right after unboxing, while other say that it starts after a few weeks of usage.
How To Fix iPhone 12 Pro Max Not Charging
Here are some early troubleshooting tips:
- Change Power Outlet and filter out the possibility of a broken power supply.
- Reboot iPhone, using the force restart trick and try to MagSafe charge again.
- If possible, use the same MagSafe puck to charge another iPhone that supports wireless charging.
- Workaround: regular wired charging should work normally. Use the standard wired USB-C to Lightning charger, that’s still shipped in the box, to charge your iPhone 12.
(Updated July 7, 2021)
How To Fix iPhone 12 Pro Max Not Charging With MagSafe
Here are a few tested and working fixes for iPhone MagSafe charger not working:
1. Tap Battery Icon in Status Bar
Tap the battery icon available in the status bar, while you’re on the iPhone Home screen. If the screen turns black and a spinning wheel is displayed in the middle, it means that a glitch was present and the device re-springs. MagSafe charging should work now.
2. Reboot iPhone With MagSafe Puck Connected
Austin has shared in the comments section that he managed to get his iPhone 12 Pro Max charging by rebooting the device while still connected to the MagSafe charging puck!
Apparently, the iPhone starts charging as soon as iOS finishes booting up!
Please try this troubleshooting tip and confirm if it works for you too, using the comments section available below!
3. Remove MagSafe Case
Some users have confirmed that the iPhone charges wirelessly after third-party MagSafe cases are removed. Is this your case too?
iPhone 12 Pro MagSafe Not Working Video Guide
Here is a video that shows how you can fix an iPhone 12 that’s not charging with MagSafe:
Fact: iOS 14 doesn’t have a Settings option to enable/disable wireless MagSafe charging, so there’s no setting that you could tweak to make this work. Your only option is to contact Apple support and ask for help. If the problem is hardware related you will surly be offered a replacement unit, or asked to wait for a software update.
If your iPhone 12 Pro Max or iPhone 12 mini is also experiencing MagSafe charging problems, please use the comments section available below and share your feedback. We’re curious if this still is a widespread issue is!
iPhone 12 Pro Max Not Charging Report
Here is a quote of the initial feedback:
I just received my IPhone 12 Pro Max. My phone does not charge at all with the MagSafe. I am running iOS 14.2. No case and I’ve tried multiple outlets, plugs and power cycled several times. Nothing works. The same MagSafe charges my wife’s 12 Pro perfectly. So sorry I’m thinking the Max has an issue unknown to Apple at this point.
Related: There is a known iPhone 12 MagSafe related bug that alters the Lock Screen sound on your device when a MagSafe case is attached to it. You can read more about it here.
Did you know that you can 3D print your own MagSafe charging dock or a flush mount adapter?
I have the same problem on my iPhone 12 Pro Max. The Same Charger and Puck charges my Wife’s IPhone 12 Pro without any issue, but my 12 Pro Max will not charge on it.
Arshish, thank you for confirming this. We will now send feedback to Apple and make them aware of this problem. Did you try to contact them too?
Please put any other model e.g. Samsung on charger for some time and when it starts charging remove the Samsung and put your Iphone 12 Pro Max on the charger. I would start charging. I faced the same issue and did this trick to recover from the situation.
Tariq, thanks a lot for sharing this workaround. We will update it as a workaround in the article!
I have the same problem with my 12 pro Max.
I’m running 14.2 using the 20w MagSafe puck charger and clear iPhone magnetic case.
it worked fine for 1 day and now it won’t work at all. I’ve tried charging with the case on and off, nothing.
The lighting connector will charge though.
I’ve rebooted the phone several times and nothing helps.
Nick, thanks for sharing your problem. This must be frustrating. Thea reported an identical problem on her iPhone 12, but apparently Magsafe charging started working again after a reboot in her case.
If you’re too bothered by this, you can attempt to update to iOS 14.3 Public Beta and check if this will fix MagSafe charging for your device. More details available here: https://www.iphonetricks.org/ios-14-3-public-beta-features/
However, be aware that beta versions can bring new unreported bugs. If it works with lightning I suggest that you stick with it until another public software update from Apple.
Thank you for your reply. I have an appointment Thursday at the apple store for a service tech. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing they can do without a new software update.
They don’t have any similar iPhones in stock so I can’t even switch mine out for a new one.
I don’t think there’s a fix in the beta 14.3 yet so I’m not gonna bother downloading it.
I even wiped my phone to factory this morning and restored it accomplished nothing.
Very frustrating.
Nick, thanks for the clarification. Keep us updated with what happens on Thursday. We’ll update this article as soon as we find out anything new. Use the wire and stay safe!
Just got back from the apple store. Turns out that it was the apple MagSafe puck that stopped working.
They gave me a new one and everything works fine now.
I’m so glad it’s not the phone. I’m unsure why the charger broke after only 2 weeks. I never dropped it and it’s just been sitting on my nightstand.
Nick, thanks a lot for getting back to us. This will help others in the same situation. Enjoy the inductive charging!
I just received my new iPhone 12 Max Pro. I am not using a MagSafe puck, but a third party wireless charger that charges my iWatch and AirPods all on one stand. The iPhone charging is intermittent, but it seems now that it won’t charge at all. I’ve tried all kinds of positions on the stand including upside down. This is very frustrating as I usually charge my phone on my nightstand overnight and expect to have a full charge in the morning.
Cliff, thanks for reporting this. Yes, it seems that the iPhone 12 lineup experiences charging problems with various Qi compatible chargers. This should be fixed in an upcoming software update.
Just received my 12 Pro Max and when using the 20W USB-C power adapter and MagSafe charger, I do not receive the animation on screen. Why? Charging also does not appear to be very quick. Any help would be great pls.
Scott, thanks for sharing your feedback. Have you tried to force restart your iPhone and see if makes any difference? MagSafe seems quite buggy in iOS 14.2. There are reports of iPhone 12 Pro Max not charging at all with MagSafe. Keep us updated about how the situation unfolds at your end.
Same here – iPhone 12 Pro Max not charging at all with MagSafe.
Update: force restart helps
Tamir, thanks for confirming. Please get back to us if the problem re-occurs after you fixed it with force restart.
iPhone 12 pro max – 256
Restart again fixed my problem – I hope for good!
Mike, thanks for letting us know. Please get back to us if the problem re-occurs.
MagSafe not charging my iPhone pro max 12 since unboxing. Running iOS 14.6 now. Apple sent a new magsafe charger – again no response when attached to iPhone with or without magsafe case – nothing happens. Force restart trick didn’t work either. I suspect it’s the telephone itself that is faulty, can’t explain this unexpected behaviour by other factors now that I’ve tried two magsafe chargers.
Sorry to hear about this. If you already tried two chargers the problem is with the iPhone. If you reset the iPhone and also tapped the battery icon in the status bar, as shown in the video, without any results, you’re most likely dealing with a hardware problem and you should get a replacement unit. Keep us updated please about how this unfolds.
I have the iPhone 12 Pro Max and mode has the iPhone 12 Pro.
Hers seems to charge fine with the Apple puck and 3rd party chargers.
My 12 Pro Max will ONLY wirelessly charge with the Apple puck. This is inconvenient in my Tesla that has wireless charging built into to it and won’t charge.
(Fully always with how ridiculous this post just was. Thanks!)
Kevin, thanks for mentioning this. Yes, it definitely seems that some iPhone 12 Pro Max units have an inductive charging issue. Hopefully, this can be fixed with a software update.
Hi, same problem with my iPhone 12 mini. The MagSafe charger just arrived and the phone won’t charge. Tried rebooting and updating to 14.2 but no luck.
Jen, thanks for reporting this. Do you have the option to try to charge a secondary iPhone 12 device from a family member or friend with the same MagSafe charger? This will help you determine if the puck is to blame or there’s something wrong with your iPhone. Nick b reported earlier that his MagSafe charger broke after two weeks of usage. Yours could be faulty right from the box.
Do update us when you have an answer for this issue. Hope you can fix it soon.
I have an iPhone 12 Pro (not Max) for a month now. It was charging normally until yesterday. From last night it did’nt charge from Qi charger neither Magsafe. It shows de charging icon but it does’nt charge, shows icon even when disconnected! Now I’m installing 14.2.1, will see…
Upgraded to 14.2.1 and MagSafe works again… (before I’ve tried to power off several minutes with no result)
Ramon, thanks for your contribution. Please get back to us if the MagSafe charging problem re-occurs later on. We hope it won’t. Enjoy your new iPhone!
My iPhone 12 promax is having the same issue. It is not charging I can turn it off and turn it on and every now and again it will charge for a moment and then stop. Very frustrating
Darren, thanks for sharing this. Can you please let us know if this happened ever since you got MagSafe, or wireless inductive charging worked for a while and stopped working later on? Also, does normal wired charging work without any problems?
I have the mini and my magsafe charger is also not being recognized. I’ve tried the restarting tips on the Apple forums. Different outlets, usb, no case. Bummer since I ordered the MagSafe charger car mount. Hopefully this gets resolved soon.
Arthur, thanks for sharing. We’ll update the article as soon as a fix is found. Do get back to us and let us know if the MagSafe car mount works by any chance.
got the 12pro max on release day, at first the phone charged via QI chargers, but any subsequent attempt to charge wirelessly failed, unless a forced restart is performed. In which case the phone will charge again – but the next time, nope.
i didn’t buy the magsafe puck, as i really have no need for it – but the phone will detect the silicone magsafe case at all times.
don’t know if its a directly related issue, but nearly every app i have will hang… if they are force closed and reopened they work 100% – until the next time the phone is put in my pocket and taken out 30mins later to use, and the cycle repeats.
i have to say the whole user experience of using this phone is so much worse than any iphone i have ever owned (that includes my experiences with antennagate if the iphone 4). Apple have agreed to replace the device for me when there is stock availability (currently scheduled 10-17th dec), and that is after waiting a week for a response from apples senior investigation team (and getting no response). Nobody at apple commented on it being a known issue, despite the fact 2 seconds on google will tell you that it is.
So all in all – massively underwhelmed
Craig, thanks for sharing your experience. Yes, we’ve got several reports about the iPhone 12 lineup not charging with third-party Qi chargers, so I am surprised that Apple support staff isn’t aware about this.
We’ve also reported about apps hanging in a separate article. Does they also cause your iPhone 12 Pro Max to warm up? https://www.iphonetricks.org/iphone-12-pro-max-overheating-issue/
Can’t say the phone ever gets particularly warm no! Just extremely frustrating to use
Craig, thanks for clarifying. Patience is the only solution at the moment. We’re all waiting for a new software release.
My 12 Pro Max won’t charge correctly on an Apple Belkin Boost wireless charger. My Xs Max is fine.
First few nights 95% max, then today I get up and it’s on 34%. It looks to have charged for 10 mins then stopped and never came back on all night long.
I do not own a MagSafe charger to test it with.
My Apple leather case no longer makes the MagSafe animation when put on the iPhone either. I’ve rebooted and force restarted it and it still does not show the MagSafe animation for the case.
This iPhone is a pile of ****. I had enough issues with the Xs Max and now I’m stuck with another dud.
They need to sort out this firmware and get the issue sorted out.
Richard, thanks for sharing this. Yes, MagSafe seems to be full of bugs. It’s a first gen product, so let’s allow Apple to fine tune it with the help of software updates.
Similar issue, just got this charger yesterday and left phone charging last night. Woke up to about 70% and extremely hot! There is now a circle mark on my apple silicone case. iPhone 12 Pro Max Gold running latest 12.4 iOS. MagSafe connected to the new 20w usb c charger.
I have never woken up to less than 100% battery!
Apple needs to pull their finger out on this one ASAP!
Tim, thanks for sharing. Yes, Apple has confirmed that it’s working on a fix for problematic MagSafe charging. We will update this article as soon as it goes live.
I too am having the same issue. I have AppleCare and reached out to them first. They instructed me to contact verizon, but they have not been able to help. I am going to try AppleCare again. The MagSafe works for a little while and then it stops. A forced reset is required to get it to charge.
Vinny, thanks for sharing. Do get back to us if Apple support will provide you with a working fix. Fingers crossed!
Add me to the growing list of iPhone 12 Pro Max users that the MagSafe charging puck does not charge the iPhone. What a disappointment!
Cindy, have you tried charging another iPhone 12 with the same puck? If the second one doesn’t work either, you have to return the puck and should get a free replacement.
I am having the same issue with my iPhone 12 Pro Max, won’t charge with or without case on MagSafe charging puck.
Dolores, have you tried the same puck with a different iPhone 12? Does it work?
My iPhone 12 Pro Max running iOS 12.4 has a slightly different charging issue. Over the past week I have placed the phone on a MagSafe puck without issue then later placed it on a Qi charger which would register that it was charging, but after being on the charger for a while, even overnight, the phone hasn’t charged at all and the charging indicator is no longer on. After this happens the phone will not charge at all on any MagSafe or any Qi charger that I’ve tried. Fortunately, when I restart the phone everything works again, but it is very annoying to wake up to a phone that hasn’t charged all night, even though the charge indicator displayed that it was charging when it was initially placed on the charger.
Neil, I assume that you wanted to type iOS 14.2. Can you confirm if this issue still happens in iOS 14.3, the current iOS version? Happy Holidays!
Got iphone 12 pro max ios 14.3 or even beta 14.4 the magsafe charger connects and says it charging but actualy not charging and battery % get drained even tough icon says its charging. Sometimes it works but mostly not. Resets ect do not help even restored my phone as new with no succes. For phone of 1150 + euro do not even include charger you should expect it to work.
Erwin, it should work indeed. You can try to charge a different iPhone 12 device with your MagSafe charger and see if it works. If it does, then you at least know that the charger is OK and the problem is iPhone-related or vice-versa.
I also have a 12 Pro Max running 14.3 (bought it on release 13th November), recently decided to get a MagSafe charger and so far I’ve not even had it work once yet! Tried force restarting, removing the case etc. etc. but could never get it to charge. It does acknowledge that it was connected to the MagSafe charger (plays animation and sound) but the percentage would actually go down when connected.
Definitely not an issue with the charger itself as it charges my other non-Apple phone (Google Pixel 4XL) just fine at decent speeds. I am also using the recommended official Apple 20W charger.
Hoping it’s not a hardware issue with my 12 Pro Max!
Austin, thanks for reporting this. If you managed to isolate the problem to your iPhone, you should attempt to charge your 12 Pro Max with a different MagSafe charger and see if it still refuses to charge. If it does I’m afraid that you have to pay a visit to an Apple Store and have your smartphone checked out. I’m sure that if it came faulty out of the box, you will get a free replacement unit.
P.S.: You can also contact Apple online support and ask if they can confirm a software related issue that prevents the iPhone 12 Pro Max from charging via MagSafe.
Good news, I’ve found a workaround that works for me! It does seem like a software issue. What I did was leave the phone on the MagSafe charger puck first, then force reboot while the phone is still connected to the puck. After it restarts back into iOS I see the percentage going up after a couple of minutes and the puck was getting warm.
Previously I tried taking off the puck, rebooting, then placing the phone back on the puck, that didn’t work for me. So looks like you have to keep the phone on the puck when force restarting.
It’s even working with a fairly thick case on it now!
Austin, that’s great news. Thanks for sharing this workaround. I will update it in the main article and credit you with the info. Let’s see if it works for other users too, until Apple issues a software update that fixes this glitch!
Mine started working fine after I tried your fix to reboot the device while mag safe in place. It is now taking a charge fine I don’t if I can recreate the problem but will try.
Steve, thanks for confirming! Do get back to us if the problem re-occurs!
Hi All,
Thought I’d chime in that I’m on 14.4 and a hard reboot with the puck attached worked for me
so far at least…
Dave, thanks for confirming this.
Hard restart with magcase and puck connected solve it
Sand, thanks for sharing. Glad it worked.
Hi got i phone 12 pro max ( only 3 weeks old ) stopped charging with mag safe on Friday updated to 14.4 software tried rebooting with the puck on & off now it only charges for 2 mins has Apple got any fixes for this kind regards Bob
I bought an iPhone 12 mini. It initially charged perfectly well on the Mag safe puck and 17 days later it stopped mid-charge at 80%. It charged normally using the included lead and usb-c plug.
I assumed the Mag Safe was faulty and had it replaced. Same happened so found this site, carried out the forced reboot whilst on the puck (using the up vol, then down vol, then side bar until screen went black). And it started charging again.
So thanks Austin.
Thanks for confirming Dom. Glad it worked.
I purchased a new iPhone 12 PRO MAX, 256GB, OIS 14.2.1, with silicone case yesterday and my MagSafe doesn’t work. I did the reset procedure and still no MagSafe charging. There is no evidence looking at the screen that MagSafe is connecting. Wired charging works normally. I didn’t try MagSafe charging without the case on. I have AppleCare so I am calling AppleCare this afternoon. I’ll post what I learn.
Regards, Jim
Jim can you update us on your case? Did you manage to fix MagSafe charging or you had to get a replacement unit?
My phone won’t charge with MagSafe with or without a case. I can feel the charger buzzing and the magnet. I tried the Magsafe with other iphones and it worked. I have the 12 Pro Max 256 gb.
Sorry to hear about this. Are the other iPhones that work on the same iOS version as yours? Try updating to iOS 14.5.1, if you haven’t already and see if it makes any difference. Is there a chance that you can also try your iPhone with a second MagSafe charger and notice if it reacts in the same way?
I had the same problem and tried everything, but today had success with following the instructions below. I can’t believe how easy it was.
Press and release the volume up button.
Press and release the volume down button.
Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
When your iPhone 12 boots back up, try charging it again — it worked for me. You should see the MagSafe animation as well as the charging icon in the upper-right corner of the display.
Toni, thanks for confirming the fix.
P.S.: Perform the reboot while the iPhone remains attached to the MagSafe charger.
Shutting down and restarting while attached to the magsafe puck has seemed to address it for me. So glad I found this! (It’s only been about 10 minutes, but normally it stops after2 so I consider this a good sign)