iPhone 15 and Android phones will be able to charge each other thanks to USB-C [Video]

Ben Schoon | Sep 20 2023 - 8:00 am PT

Android smartphones have enjoyed the ability for years now to use a USB-C cable to charge other devices using the battery on their own phone, something that’s handy in a pinch. And, thanks to the iPhone 15 series finally adopting USB-C, Android phones and iPhones will finally be able to share their power with one another.

Since the adoption of USB-C on Android phones as far back as 2015 or so, virtually all devices have had the ability to use their battery to charge another device, even if that’s another phone. Effectively, it means you’re carrying a battery bank with you at all times, as long as you have the charge to spare. And, while Android phones have been able to share their charge with iPhones since Apple adopted USB-C to Lightning cables a few years ago, it hasn’t been possible in the other direction.

With the adoption of USB-C in the iPhone 15 series, though, this changes, and we already have the proof that Apple’s devices can share power with Android phones.

In a brief YouTube Short, PetaPixel tests sharing power between a Google Pixel Fold and an iPhone 15 over a USB-C cable, and the iPhone immediately begins sharing its power with the Pixel upon plugging in the cable. It’s great to see!

This is also easily possible in the other direction, too.

Android phones feature the ability to control how USB is used when a cable is plugged in, and that includes an option to “charge connected device” when the ability is recognized. We haven’t had a chance to test this on iPhone 15, but there’s no obvious reason why it wouldn’t work.

In case you’re curious, using a USB-C to Lightning cable, even with this toggle in play, does not allow an older iPhone to charge an Android phone.

When might you actually do this? Really, it’s not the kind of feature that’s used super often. While my Android phones have had this ability for several years now, I’ve only used it a couple of times. More often, I end up using the USB-C plug on my phone to charge up accessories on the go, as I’ve done a couple of times with my Pixel Watch while traveling. The ability to grab the USB-C charger and use my phone to top off an accessory is arguably even more handy.

And, with an accessory like Nomad’s ChargeKey, that’s actually pretty handy.

Hands-on: Nomad ChargeKey is a keychain-size USB-C cable perfect for power sharing

But, regardless of how or when you might use it, this just continues to let iPhone users and Android users feel a bit more unity between their phones, and that’s wonderful.