Apple iPhone 15 series facing issues while charging from USB-C power banks: Report

Apple had launched the iPhone 15 series consisting of 4 flagship smartphones – iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max at the Wonderlust event on 12 September. The new iPhone range was the first ever to feature a USB-C port, ditching the company’s proprietary Lightning port.

Apple had to make the first such change to the charging ports of its flagship lineup in 11 years after the European Union passed legislation requiring all mobile phones, tablets and other devices sold in the bloc to be fitted with a USB-C port by the end of 2024. The Cupertino-based tech giant had already made the switch to USB-C for iPads and Macs.

However, a new report from Macrumors suggests that the iPhone 15 range may not support all USB-C power adapters, with many users pointing out the problem on Reddit and Macrumors forums. Users noted that in many cases the iPhone 15 would not charge with a power bank, while in other cases the iPhone 15 would charge the power bank instead.

The report suggests that the issue may be due to the reverse charging capabilities of the iPhone 15 series. The iPhone 15 series comes with the ability to reverse charge smaller Apple devices such as the Apple Watch or Apple AirPods using the USB-C cable.

Many different power banks have had problems charging the iPhone 15 series, including the Anker PowerCore Slim 10K PD. A customer who contacted Anker about the issue was told that the only way to charge the iPhone 15 through the power bank was to use the USB-A port.

A statement by Anker quoted by Macrumors read, “It seems that due to the iPhone 15 series’ reverse charging function, the USB C’s port charging of Anker PowerCore Slim 10k PD will be influenced, which does not have a solution currently. The only way to get your iPhone charged is to use the USB A port.”