I used the ‘plus five’ rule to fix my iPhone’s slow wireless charging – here’s how it worked

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a favorite source On Google.

ZDNET Highlights

• It’s easy to underestimate the functionality of a wireless charger without realizing it.
• Proper equipment and charging gear ensure that your devices charge quickly and safely.
• Investing in at least a 20W wall adapter is a good starting point.

Wireless charging (often enhanced by MagSafe compatibility these days) is one technological advancement that I can say has improved my daily routine. These chargers are great for reducing cord clutter, charging multiple devices at once, and streamlining the look of your desk, table or nightstand.

Although wireless chargers are practical, it’s easy to miss out on their benefits without realizing it. You may be using the wrong cable and wall adapter, turning your hands-free charger into a useless charger. Here’s how to fix it.

Too: My new favorite Anker charger has a useful smart display (and won’t break the bank)

Since wireless charging is not 100% efficient, during charging, your device may lose some power due to heat and magnetic field leakage. To compensate for this, it’s best to use the cord and adapter that came with your wireless charger, or invest in a wall brick with a higher wattage than your charging setup.

Why is your wireless charger not charging fast?

Here is an example. If you plug a 15W wireless pad into a low-wattage wall brick (especially one that is not certified or purchased on sites like Temu, which raises safety concerns), your charger will likely work, but not at optimal levels. It’s more likely that this setup will reduce your charging speed to just under 15W, increasing the time to fully charge and not making your setup any faster than fast charging.

Also: I added a MagSafe charger to my nightstand and realized its untapped potential: It’s useful in 3 ways

My ZDNET colleague, Editor-in-Chief Kerry Wan, says this poor charging experience happens frequently in her home, because it’s easy to flip-flop between cords and wall bricks without paying attention.

Wan says he and his partner have a collection of random power adapters in their home office, and often use the wrong adapter for their wireless chargers in other areas of their home. “Switching to the higher-output Anker One or using the original charging brick for the Pad (which typically provides five watts more than required) made things significantly faster,” says Wan. Sometimes, you may also notice these changes in the way your device charges.

Too: This handy USB meter tells you exactly what’s going on with your ports – and it only costs $20

Wan says that when his Samsung phone is charging with the correct wireless setup, it properly indicates “fast wireless charging” with a low estimated charge time on his lock screen. As a mobile gadgets and accessories expert, I’ve seen this happen firsthand.

I’m lucky to have plenty of fast chargers or gallium nitride (GaN) chargers lying around my house, so it’s not often that I pick up a faulty setup. But it does happen, especially with USB-C compatible accessories. While it seems like every USB-C device is interchangeable, there’s a reason why your iPhone doesn’t charge as well when you’re using the included cord or brick from some random Amazon gadget as it does when you’re using a certified setup, and the same goes for wireless charging.

“Plus five” rule

As a general baseline to avoid low charging efficiency, use a power adapter that provides 5W more than the maximum output of your wireless charger. In general, for fast charging of the iPhone, you will need a USB-C wall brick with at least 20W power. Apple There is currently a guide for power adaptersBut standard charging requires a 5W USB or 15W USB-C port. Many wireless chargers (often the MagSafe option) now offer 15W Qi2 fast charging, so a 20W wall brick is a good idea.

Too: I bought cheap charging gadgets from Temu – and it was worse than I expected

We’ve tested several wall bricks and adapters, including options that can travel around the world. I prefer the 45W option for most of my everyday devices, except for my MacBook Pro, for which I use a 67W or higher adapter, as recommended by Apple. Lately, I’ve been using Anker’s latest 45W GaN charger, which has a built-in digital display.

It’s also important to consider how you’re using the wall bricks. If you charge multiple devices from the same adapter, the wattage is likely to be divided. This reduces the wattage of each device and, in fast charging, drops your expected 15W fast boost into a slow slurp. I recommend having at least one wall adapter dedicated to your wireless charging setup, so you never have to worry about inadvertently downgrading your charging.

For wall adapters that the ZDNET team has tested and recommended, here are some of our picks.