Some 7.5W wireless fast chargers limited to 5W after release of iOS 13.1

Wireless fast charging is, technically, something that the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro support. However, there’s a bit of a catch since the public release of iOS 13.1 earlier this week.

ChargerLAB has put together the results (via MacRumors) of several different tests with wireless charging speeds from the iPhone 11, each running iOS 13.1, and comparing them to speeds with devices running iOS 13. The tests revealed that some wireless chargers, despite being able to charge at 7.5W with a device running iOS 13, that has been reduced to 5W since the release of iOS 13.1.

Here’s a graph showing charging speeds with a device running iOS 13:

And another, showing wireless charging speeds with a device running iOS 13.1:

This will extend overall charging times, but not by a ridiculous amount.

The good news here is that there are some exceptions, according to the original report. Wireless charging pads from the likes of Belkin, Anker, Native Union, Logitech, and Mophie seem to still charge at 7.5W despite a device running iOS 13.1. It’s worth noting that these wireless charging options are sold by Apple, which leads ChargerLAB to speculate that fast wireless charging at 7.5W is being limited to wireless charging pads equipped with fixed-frequency voltage regulation with the launch of iOS 13.1.

The fixed-frequency voltage regulation at 7.5W was adopted into the Qi wireless charging standard last year, so it’s a default option now. However, as noted by MacRumors, this is referenced by Apple as “Apple Fast Charging” in some documentation. It’s just not proprietary anymore.

So, something to be aware of, especially if you rely on wireless charging more often than not.