What you need to know
- Apple Support has published a new support document about the MagSafe Charger.
- The document explains that the charger could leave a circular imprint on leather cases.
- It is not clear if that will also impact Apple's upcoming MagSafe Leather cases.
In a new support document detailing how to use your MagSafe Charger with the iPhone 12 lineup, there is a warning about the use of leather cases with the new charger all the way at the bottom of the document.
Apple says that, if you use a leather case with your new iPhone 12 and keep the case on while charging with the MagSafe Charger, you may notice a circular imprint on the case after disconnecting it from the charger.
If you keep your iPhone in a leather case while charging with your MagSafe Charger, the case might show circular imprints from the contact.
This is most likely due to the fact that leather is a soft material and, as Apple explains below, the MagSafe Charger may heat up a bit when charging, so this could cause the leather to soften up and "mold" itself in a way around the charger. Keep in mind that the MagSafe Charger technically works with all Qi-enabled phones, so you could experience this problem with any phone you are using the charger with.
As with other wireless chargers, your iPhone or MagSafe Charger might get slightly warmer while your iPhone charges. To extend the lifespan of your battery, if the battery gets too warm, software might limit charging above 80 percent. Your iPhone or MagSafe Charger could get warmer and charging could take longer after heavy use. Your iPhone will charge again when the temperature drops. Try moving your iPhone and charger to a cooler location.
Hopefully, Apple's own MagSafe Leather Case for the iPhone 12 will be resistant to this kind of imprint, but we'll have to wait until the company releases those cases next month. In addition, Apple does not say if such an imprint would perhaps go away over time. That is most likely because, with the range of leather cases that exist in the market, it would be almost impossible to make that kind of assurance.
If you use a leather case and plan to keep doing so with your new iPhone, the best thing to do would be to take your iPhone out of the case when using the MagSafe Charger. Unless, of course, the case manufacturer says that the case is "imprint proof."
