Wireless charging has been a fringe feature for over a decade, despite Apple’s push into the ecosystem with the iPhone X and its later adoption of MagSafe. It has been limited to flagship phones, save for a few exceptions, mostly due to the painfully slow charging speeds. But with Android 15, Google now seems to offer phone makers additional reasons to adopt wireless charging even without dedicated hardware.
Instead of relying on a dedicated charging coil, Android 15 could enable wireless charging on phones with Near Field Communications (or NFC) tech. Android Authority dug up instances from the source code of Android 15’s first user beta, which arrived last week, that suggests the implementation.
Notably, the Wireless Charging Standard over NFC (abbreviated as WLC) isn’t a novel technology developed by Google. It was announced in May 2020 by the NFC Forum, the industry body that defines and maintains standards for the protocol, and has since undergone a generation upgrade to the standard.
Compared to a wireless charging pad, an NFC tag requires much less space and remains readable despite bending or some tampering. The technology is already used to transmit energy to low-power devices such as styluses and has been customized to charge wearables such as the screenless Whoop fitness band. The technology also allows charging without enforcing specific orientations across a charging pad.
While the principle is exciting and inclusive for Android devices across a broader price range, it has its limitations. As per the WLC 2.0 standard, the charging speeds are limited to a maximum of 3 watts, compared to the 15W peak charging rate of Qi 2.0-compliant devices, including most phones.
For these reasons, Google may not implement the technology to charge phones. However, it could be perfect for smaller gadgets like earbud cases or smart tags. A more far-fetched guess would have Google using this technology to charge a stylus that is either docked inside or supported by its next-generation foldable — the purported “Pixel 9 Pro Fold.”
It is also entirely possible that Google is simply adding code for future versions of Android and may not implement the feature for Android 15 or even Android 16. We will know better in the coming months and continue to hope wireless charging gets its due adoption.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.