The Next Android Update Could Add a New Wireless Charging Method
There are currently two main ways to charge our devices: connect them to a power source or charge them wirelessly using a Qi-enabled device. The lesser-known WLC wireless charging standard actually allows devices to charge via NFC, the same technology used for mobile transactions such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. Google appears to be working on bringing NFC charging to smartphones in the upcoming Android 15 update, but it’s unclear why.
Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman spotted the feature in the first beta of Android 15 , which Google released last week. Rahman noticed that Google has added a new class to the system application that deals with NFC: NfcCharging. If that wasn’t clear enough, Rahman discovered that NfcCharging can start and stop NFC charging, analyze useful NFC charging information, and other functions.
When will you use NFC charging?
We don’t know what the timeline will be for adding NFC charging to Android, but at the moment there’s no real reason to rush the technology. Charging a device via NFC will be significantly slower than Qi wireless charging (or wired charging, of course) since the standard only supports charging up to 1W . Qi, on the other hand, has a maximum power of 15W , depending on the device and charger. It will take a long time to charge a modern smartphone via NFC. When you can fully charge a phone like the OnePlus 12 in just half an hour , NFC charging doesn’t seem particularly practical.
However, this standard may be more useful for smaller devices that use tiny batteries, such as Bluetooth trackers or styluses. While NFC charging will still be slow, it could allow companies to use rechargeable batteries in products that currently use disposable ones. Imagine your Pixel passively charging your AirTag or Tile tracker when they’re next to each other, rather than throwing away the battery when it runs low. If Google expands on this technology and adds it to Android 15, the market will be able to take advantage of the standard in new products.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a software update add a new wireless charging standard to smartphones. With iOS 17.2, Apple added Qi2 charging to iPhones, an improved version of Qi that provides a magnetic connection to wireless chargers. However, this Android update may enable NFC wireless charging from the smartphones themselves, rather than giving smartphones access to a new charging method.