As Apple announced the launch of its new iPhone series, many iPhone users are probably now evaluating their current phones and wondering how their features stack up compared to those of the new iPhone series. Indeed, many people likely still use 2014's iPhone 6, considering that the phone is just now approaching its three-year mark. Thus, those who have the iPhone 6 and are debating whether or not to purchase Apple's newest iPhone model are probably wondering what features the iPhone 6 has and if it can charge wirelessly.
Unfortunately for those seeking wireless charging capabilities, the iPhone 6 does not stack up. Indeed, no iPhone model, from the original iPhone to the iPhone 7 series, has ever had built-in wireless charging capabilities. This has rendered the iPhone starkly different from Android models and their widespread wireless capabilities.
To be clear, wireless charging does not mean that you can place your phone anywhere and charge it. Wireless charging essentially means cordless charging, which allows users to simply place their phones on a wireless charging pad instead of plugging their phones directly into a wall outlet or computer to charge them. However, the phone must stay on or near the charging pad to obtain a charge and the pad still must be plugged into a power source.
Many Android phones support wireless charging, including several Samsung Galaxy models, a variety of Microsoft Lumia and Google Nexus models, and several others. However, built-in wireless charging capabilities have remained elusive for the iPhone 6 and other iPhone models.
No one knows for certain why Apple did not start adding wireless charging capabilities to its phones alongside Android manufacturers. However, technology experts have some theories. A Cult of Mac article discussing the topic suggested that Apple perhaps did not believe wireless charging capabilities were good enough for its phones, as wireless charging is notably slower than if it's done via a cable.
While there are hacks to make your older iPhones capable of charging wirelessly, iGeeksBlog stresses that attempting to make your iPhone 6 capable of charging wirelessly is strictly prohibited by Apple, which bans the use of any non-original equipment manufacturer chargers. This means that doing so will invalidate your Apple warranty, meaning that you are on the hook (financially speaking) for any future repairs to your iPhone. The website also warns that the process of making the iPhone 6 wireless charging-capable itself could damage the iPhone, so proceed with caution.
A better option for those who are less tech-savvy or worried about potentially damaging their phones could be a wireless charging case. There are several models out there which allow you to plug your iPhone 6 (and other models) into a case with wireless charging capabilities. When the case is placed on its accompanying wireless charging pad, it will charge the phone, essentially giving you wireless charging by proxy.
As you can see, the iPhone 6 does not have any built-in wireless charging capabilities. However, if wireless charging constitutes something that is very important to you, know that both the new iPhone 8 and iPhone X have that option.
