The USB-C compatibility of the iPhones 15 and 15 Pro offers new possibilities. The new Apple smartphones can now act as an external battery for many devices compatible with this connector. Even another iPhone 15, reports the Macrumors media. When connecting two models using a USB-C cable, the iPhone 15 with the most battery will power the one with the least. A handy feature to help a friend.
The operation is also possible with older iPhones, as demonstrated by YouTuber Marques Brownlee in a video posted on Twitter. Connecting an iPhone with a Lightning port to an iPhone 15 USB-C, using a USB-C to Lightning cable, allows the iPhone 15 to power the older device. This despite the fact that the iPhone 15’s battery is the weaker of the two.
Conditional Android support
In the video, Marques Brownlee continues his experiment and tries to charge an iPhone 15 by connecting it to an Android smartphone. Result: it is possible to power the iPhone 15 battery through an Android terminal if the latter supports the USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) function. You must also be connected to an iPhone with a lower battery level than yours for the feature to work.
On the other hand, if the Android phone doesn’t support USB-PD, the result becomes random: there’s no way to predict which phone will be the charger and which will receive power, Macrumors notes.
Additionally, as Apple noted, the iPhone 15’s USB-C port can be used to charge an Apple Watch or the AirPods Pro 2 with a USB-C charging case. However, charging is limited to 4.5W. A sufficient amount of power for small devices like the Apple Watch, but relatively limited for an iPhone.
Source: BFM TV
