On Tuesday, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro weren’t the only new products to dump Lightning for USB-C. Apple also unveiled an update to the AirPods Pro, which only just launched a year ago. Now when you buy a pair you’ll get a case that charges with USB-C instead of Lightning.
According to Apple’s tech specs, the new port doesn’t change anything about the charging speeds for the case, but it does mean that you can now use your iPhone 15 to charge your AirPods case. Simply plug one end of the USB-C cable that comes with your iPhone 15 into your phone and the other the new AirPods Pro MagSafe Charging Case with USB‑C and you can use your iPhone’s battery to charge your earbuds.
If you have an iPhone 15 and AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, you’ll be able to plug them into each other for charging.
Apple
We’ve been hearing rumors for years about reverse wireless charging, but reverse wired charging is a surprising feature. It’s a bit more convenient as well since you can use the iPhone 15 while charging your AirPods since it doesn’t need to lay flat. Reverse wired charging brings yet another charging method to the AirPods Pro case, which can be charged with a wall plug, MagSafe, Apple Watch charger, and now an iPhone 15.
Apple also says you can charge an Apple Watch with the iPhone 15 but doesn’t mention any other devices. But maybe the next iPad mini or iPad Air will gain reverse wired charging support.
The AirPods Pro with USB-C case can be preordered now and will arrive on Friday, September 22 alongside the new iPhones. Note that third-party retailers such as Amazon still selling the Lightning-equipped AirPods Pro, and it is not known when these retailers will sell the USB-C case.
For more about Apple’s new products, check out everything announced during Wonderlust.
