Apple’s iPhone 17e arrived with a feature missing from its predecessor: MagSafe. The wireless magnetic charging standard has been a staple part of the iPhone lineup for a long time, ever since Apple released it with the iPhone 12.
Anyways, iPhone 16e users complained, the internet talked about it, and Apple listened. The iPhone 17e’s MagSafe support comes from a coil and magnetic infrastructure that is baked right into its back panel. It lets the phone snap (quite satisfyingly) onto a MagSafe charger or a compatible accessory.
The iPhone 17e shares its back panels with the iPhone 16e
However, the twist, or rather a disappointing fact about the iPhone 17e, is that it shares its design, dimensions, and, therefore, its back panel with the iPhone 16e. And then came iFixit’s teardown of the iPhone 17e, which reveals that its MagSafe-enabled back panel is fully compatible with iPhone 16e.
Apple, in its relentless push to simplify manufacturing, accidentally handed iPhone 16e owners a compelling yet slightly dangerous upgrade path. The spare-parts manufacturer notes that most components are cross-compatible between this year’s iPhone and the older, affordable model.
They even managed to boot an iPhone 17e using an iPhone 16e logic board, though Face ID didn’t work and stopped functioning.
So, can you actually add MagSafe to the iPhone 16e?
On the positive side, this makes repairs easier and parts simpler to source. So, does that mean that all iPhone 16e users can get a MagSafe-enabled back panel installed on their units?
Technically, yes, but there’s a big asterisk. The iPhone 16e doesn’t appear to have the required software to recognise the iPhone 17e’s MagSafe module, so the signature animation and sound are missing. Further, whether the older iPhone can support full 15W wireless charging speed is something that we’re yet to find out.
Second, you almost certainly can’t swap the back panels yourself. So, to summarize, the iPhone 16e does, in theory, support MagSafe charging, but to unlock it is quite a task. If your iPhone 16e is under warranty, don’t try doing this or getting it done by your local technician.
