What Is PowerDrop/PowerSharing & Is It Coming To iPhones?

Almost everyone has a cell phone nowadays, and one of the most popular choices out there is Apple's iPhone. What is Power Drop/Power Sharing on iPhone? The iPhone has been home to many advancements and breakthroughs in cell phone technology, and the future isn't limited to what Apple can produce. One of the most recent advances in this field in the ability to wirelessly charge the Qi-enabled phones, such as the newer iPhones, on charging pads that eliminate the frustration of a cord that may or may not work after a long period of ownership. So what is in store for the future of Apple and their battery power? Could we soon be looking at a potential PowerDrop or PowerSharing feature in the soon to come models of the iPhone?

To start, let's break down what a 'PowerDrop,' or 'PowerSharing,' feature is. The name is pretty self-explanatory, as the phone could now double as a charging pod/pad for various accessories for the phone. This includes items like AirPods, another iPhone, or even an Android phone (pictured) is it's Qi-enabled as well. Now, this doesn't mean the phone would be able to charge itself with the aide of some plug-in or wireless charger, but it would give the iPhone the capability of bringing a dead battery of another iPhone or AirPods back to life.

Another term used for this type of advancement is "bilateral charging" and has been rumored to be included in some other newer phones set to be released very soon. A tech video was leaked earlier in the year that shows Android users will soon get to experience this type of powersharing with the Galaxy S10, as it was demonstrated using the bilateral charging to charge up their GalaxyBuds as well as an iPhone.

There are still some bugs and kinks to be worked out with this new feature. Mostly it's making sure that the iPhone user who's using their phone as the primary source of the PowerSharing doesn't get left with a drained battery because of it. All it takes is some coding to work with the brain of the iPhone to make sure it reserves a small percentage of the battery (around 20%) and shuts off the PowerDrop/PowerSharing option. Apple's iPhones stay on the cutting edge of cellphone technology, and this is definitely no different. This type of advancement could be available as soon as September with the release of the iPhone Xl. The future is now!

Photo credit: Google