How to add MagSafe to the iPhone 16e

As a new product, the iPhone 16e represents an interesting value proposition from Apple. It has some of the features of the iPhone 16 in terms of its A18 chip (though it technically has fewer cores), some of the limitations of the now discontinued iPhone 8-shaped iPhone SE, and at least one new feature Apple has never released before — a custom modem called the C1. You’re not just paying less for modern specs in the same way you did with the iPhone SE. It’s more complicated.

Still, it’s easy to focus on what’s missing, and a huge feature that isn’t on the iPhone 16e that’s been on every iPhone since the iPhone 12 is MagSafe. In terms of iPhone features, MagSafe has been silently essential. It not only enables fast wireless charging, but also a whole universe of magnet accessories, covering wallets, external batteries, mounts, and cases. Neither of those options are available on the iPhone 16e, but with the right accessory, you can recapture some of the convenience of the feature. Here’s the simplest way to get MagSafe support on the iPhone 16e.

Related

The iPhone 16e lacks MagSafe, but Apple’s C1 modem isn’t to blame

The iPhone 16e ditches MagSafe, and the reason isn’t because of the Apple’s C1 modem.

MagSafe is more than just magnets

The feature is the basis of the Qi2 standard

MagSafe was introduced on the iPhone 12 as a new charging and accessory system for the iPhone, but on some level its basic premise has an even older origin. MagSafe was also the name of the magnetic connector Apple used to offer on MacBooks and was only recently reintroduced with the first run of M1 MacBook Pros in 2021.

Magnetically attached accessories made the iPhone version slightly different, as did the idea that MagSafe would unlock faster charging than you could get from a normal wireless charger. Apple’s steadily increased the charging speed MagSafe has unlocked over time, too. The iPhone 12 started with 15W charging over MagSafe and now, four years later, the iPhone 16 can technically support 25W charging over MagSafe.

It turns out being able to magnetically align wireless charging coils can make them charge more effectively. That’s one of several reasons that the Qi2 charging standard released in 2023 adopts Apple’s work on MagSafe to offer magnetic charging to Android phones and anyone else who can’t use Apple’s proprietary technology. Interestingly, not many Android phones have fully adopted Qi2. The Samsung Galaxy S25 line needs a magnetic case to work with Qi2 chargers, which, ironically, is the most straightforward way to get MagSafe support on the iPhone 16e.

How to add Magsafe to the iPhone 16e

Or at least the accessory part

Even though the iPhone 16e doesn’t include MagSafe built-in, with one or two extra purchases, you can at least get your phone to a place where it can still work with some MagSafe accessories. MagSafe cases primarily exist because wrapping multiple layers of extra material around your phone can interrupt wireless charging and the magnetic connection that already exists between your phone and an accessory. The main thing that makes these cases unique from a normal case is an extra ring of magnets, and those same magnets can take the place of the missing ones in your iPhone 16e, even if it doesn’t improve your charging speed.

Most MagSafe-compatible cases designed to fit an iPhone 16e should still work. Dbrand’s Grip Case for iPhone 16e will get you support for MagSafe accessories, multiple fun patterns and designs, and pleasantly textured sides that make your phone much harder to drop.