Unfortunately, the iPhone 11, and all iPhone models before the iPhone 15, do not support battery sharing. This means you cannot use your iPhone 11 to charge other devices, either wired or wirelessly.

While some online resources might suggest methods for battery sharing on older iPhones, these are often inaccurate or misleading. 

It’s important to rely on trustworthy sources like Apple’s official documentation to avoid potential harm to your device.

What is Battery Sharing on iPhone?

Battery sharing, also known as reverse wireless charging, allows you to use the battery in your phone to wirelessly charge another compatible device, like another phone, smartwatch, or earbuds.

Here’s a breakdown of how it works and its limitations:

How does it work?

  1. Enable wireless charging: The phone you want to charge (receiver) needs to be placed on the back of the phone with battery sharing enabled (giver).
  2. Charging begins: The giver phone wirelessly transfers its battery power to the receiver phone.

Limitations

  • Not available on iPhone 11 and older: Only iPhone 15 and later models support battery sharing.
  • Requires compatible devices: Both the giver and receiver devices need to be compatible with wireless charging standards.
  • Slower charging: Battery sharing typically charges slower than using a regular charger.

How to Share Battery on iPhone (Not Applicable for iPhone 11)?

Since the iPhone 11 doesn’t support battery sharing, this section isn’t applicable. However, if you’re curious about how it works on newer iPhones, here’s a brief overview:

Using a Cable (iPhone 15 and later)

  1. Connect a USB-C to Lightning cable to the iPhone you want to charge (receiver).
  2. Connect the other end of the cable to the iPhone with battery sharing enabled (giver).
  3. The receiver phone will start charging.

Using Reverse Charging (Wireless) (iPhone 15 and later)

  1. Enable battery sharing on the giver’s iPhone.
  2. Place the receiver device on the back of the giver’s iPhone.
  3. The receiver phone will start charging wirelessly.

Maximising Battery Life on iPhone

Even though you can’t share the battery on your iPhone 11, here are some tips to extend its battery life:

  • Enable Low Power Mode: This reduces background activity and conserves battery.
  • Adjust screen brightness: Lowering brightness significantly improves battery life.
  • Close unused apps: Swipe up on unused apps in the app switcher to prevent them from draining battery in the background.
  • Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when not in use.
  • Reduce background app refresh: Limit which apps can refresh content in the background.
  • Optimize battery charging: This feature learns your charging routine and reduces battery wear.

Potential Future Developments

While not currently available, Apple might introduce wireless battery-sharing capabilities for older iPhones in future software updates. However, there’s no official confirmation from Apple regarding this.

Conclusion

While battery sharing isn’t available on iPhone 11, newer iPhone models offer this functionality. By following the tips mentioned above, you can maximize the battery life of your iPhone 11 and get the most out of your device.