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How to fast charge an iPhone
In This Article
Have you ever been on your way out the door only to realise your phone has less than 10% battery? This is where fast charging comes to the rescue. Scroll down to learn everything you need to know about fast charging your iPhone.
Apple originally introduced fast charging to its smartphones in 2017 with the iPhone 8 and, while its 18W charging isn’t anywhere near as fast as that on some Android phones like the 120WXiaomi 12 Pro, it still promises to give you that initial 50% boost in just half an hour.
The key to unlocking these faster charging speeds is to pick up an 18W (or 20W if you use an iPhone 12 or 13) power adapter. Sadly, Apple doesn’t provide a charging brick in the box anymore, but you can pick one up from Apple or a third-party brand for around $19/£19/€25.
You can also get 15W fast charging wirelessly on the iPhone 12 or 13 using Apple’s MagSafe charger, though the Mini models are limited to 12W. That said, this guide covers how to charge your phone with a cable and adapter for the fastest possible charging speeds.
Keep reading to learn how to fast charge an iPhone.
What you’ll need:
The Short Version
How to fast charge an iPhone
Step1
Find a power adapter
Apple listsits own 18W, 20W, 29W, 30W, 61W, 87W and 96W adapters all as supporting fast charging, along with “comparable third-party power adapters” that support USB Power Delivery.
Step2
Plug your phone in to charge
You’ll need to use a USB-C to Lightning cable alongside your adapter.
Step3
Wait
You should see your phone hit 50% in around 30 minutes.
Troubleshooting
You can find fast charging support on the following phones:iPhone 8iPhone 8 PlusiPhone XiPhone XRiPhone XSiPhone XS MaxiPhone 11iPhone 11 ProiPhone 11 Pro MaxiPhone SE (2020)iPhone 12 MiniiPhone 12iPhone 12 ProiPhone 12 Pro MaxiPhone 13 MiniiPhone 13iPhone 13 ProiPhone 13 Pro MaxiPhone SE (2022)
If you’re using an Apple power adapter, you can find the exact number of watts your adapter carries on the certification label on the top or bottom of the charging brick.
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Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
