Skip to main content

How to wirelessly charge your iPhone

With iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X or later, Apple has added support for wireless charging with the Qi standard. This means that you can place your phone on a wireless charging mat and your phone will begin charging. Follow along to learn how to wirelessly charge your iPhone and how to find out which one works best for you.

How to wirelessly charge your iPhone

Before you learn how to wirelessly charge your iPhone, you’ll want to know the differences between charging speed and knowing what to look for.

For iPhone users, there’s currently two charging speeds available when it comes to wireless charging: 5W and 7.5W.

Generally speaking, any Qi-enabled wireless charger will have 5W of charging as that’s the base minimum and will charge any smartphone at 5W. 7.5W is a special use case that was created when the iPhone adopted “fast” wireless charging. You’ll need to make sure your wireless charger supports 7.5W wireless charging or sometimes referred to as fast wireless charging for iPhone.

So here’s how you wirelessly charge your iPhone:

  1. Place your iPhone on the wireless charger. Make sure the middle of the phone lines up with your wireless charger.
  2. If your wireless charging has an LED light, make sure it’s lit. Your iPhone will also indicate that it’s charging, the same way it does when your iPhone is plugged in over USB and charging.

Generally speaking, wireless charging is slower than wired charging but you trade speed for convenience. Not having to find the charging port at night, plus charging speeds won’t really matter if you’re planning to charge your phone overnight.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide as well as the following articles:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel