Fix For MagSafe Charger Hot When Charging iPhone 12 Pro Max?
iPhone 12 and MagSafe puck getting hot during charging.
Your MagSafe charger gets very warm while charging your iPhone 12 and you’re wondering if this is normal or not? Will this shorten the battery life of your Apple smartphone? In most cases this shouldn’t be a problem. However, you do have to make a difference between warm and hot. If the MagSafe puck gets so hot that you can’t hold it without feeling a burning sensation on your finger, your device could experience a problem.
Why Is iPhone Hot During Wireless Charging?
If you haven’t charged an iPhone wirelessly before, you might be surprised about the fact that the MagSafe charger warms up during the process. That’s because wireless charging is a less efficient way to transfer energy, when compared to the classic wired procedure. Air doesn’t conduct electricity as good as wire. That’s why heat is generated.
The iPhone gets hot during inductive wireless charging because the battery is not able to absorb and store 100% of the energy that it gets from the MagSafe charging puck. This inefficiency is converted to heat.
One would expect the new MagSafe system to be more energy efficient and thus generate less heat than the traditional charging pads. However, we’re also dealing with a smaller surface that’s used for transferring the energy. Thus the entire power transfer occurs through the circular charging coil embedded on the back of the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.
iPhone 12 MagSafe Charging Tips For Less Heat
There’s not much that you can do to make your device warm up less during charging. Here is what you can check:
1. Remove Case
We’ve received a report about a MagSafe puck that was getting very warm after only a couple of minute of charging an iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The situation improved when the user removed the case. Any additional layer that comes between the device and the puck can only increase the energy transfer inefficiency, thus generate more heat.
2. Avoid Fast Charging
Quick charging forces even more energy through the same surface. This automatically generates additional heat and the MagSafe puck is prone to overheating. It’s not the charger that you should be worried of. If the puck gets hot the back of your iPhone will also, along with the battery. Does a hot battery age faster? Check the conclusion of this article.
3. Clean MagSafe Puck
In time, the Magsafe puck can become greasy or accumulate various impurities that might cause it to lose energy transfer efficiency. Clean it regularly with a soft wipe.
4. Ventilated Area
If you charge your iPhone in a hot environment, changes of the MagSafe charger getting hot increase. Chose a ventilated area and make sure that both device and charger are helped in dissipating heat.
Fact: If you’re using an iPhone 12 docking station or a flush mount adapter for your desk, make sure that they have holes, or other spaces that permit heat from dissipating.
Should I Be Worried?
Unless your iPhone is very hot while charging, there shouldn’t be any problems. Even if the device is getting too hot, it will automatically stop the charging process and shutdown. The iPhone 12 Pro Max model, because of its bigger size, might be more prone to overheating.
Although serious overheating could degraded your battery faster than usual, wireless charging has proven itself to be a battery lifespan extender. That’s because users that charge wirelessly tend to charge multiple times during a day and prevent their iPhone battery from reaching low levels. Li-Ion batteries live longer if you keep them charged towards the higher-end. That’s why iOS prompts you to charge your device when the battery reaches 20%.
More: The wireless Qi chargers will automatically stop the charging process when the battery is fully charged, compared to the wired chargers that will continue to bombard your iPhone with energy until you unplug. (unless Optimized Battery Charging kicks in)
Are you experiencing abnormal iPhone 12 overheating during MagSafe charging? Use the comments section and share your feedback.
Related: Other common iPhone 12 MagSafe problems are:
– iPhone 12 Pro Max not charging wirelessly with MagSafe.
– iPhone Lock Screen sound glitches when MagSafe case is added.
– iPhone 12 stuck on MagSafe charging animation
Wireless charging doesn’t use air, Jesus
A, thanks for your opinion. Yes, that’s debatable. MagSafe chargers don’t create a void when they snap on the back of the iPhone, so it’s safe to say that air is involved in the process too. The main idea is that overheating is caused by the energy transfer procedure that’s less efficient when compared to wired charging.
It’s not debatable. Wireless chargers will still work in a vacuum.
Daniel, thanks for your contribution.
Daniel is 100% correct.
Thanks for confirming.
So basically the heating of the phone is normal right?
It’s normal as long as it won’t get too hot. Avoid direct sun exposure while charging.
I had my Iphone12 for 5 months. First 2 months of wireless charging. It was heating up. After 2 months it stopped charging wirelessly. Brought back to Apple Store they fixed it in one hour. Took it home. Wirelessly charge again the first 5 minutes my IPhone was hot again. This is without the case. I stopped charging wirelessly.
Thanks for the feedback Alvin. Is the device getting hot, or just warm? Warmness is normal but if it gets hot frequently it might affect battery life and lead to premature deprecation.