Apple’s MagSafe battery pack has been discontinued. Apple quietly pulled it from the store sometime in late 2024, and the gap it left behind reveals something uncomfortable about the MagSafe accessory ecosystem: nothing that replaced it is actually better.
The original MagSafe Battery Pack was slow — 5W passthrough charging while attached, 7.5W when plugged into a 20W adapter — and it cost $99. It was easy to mock. But it did one thing no third-party option has reliably matched: it worked seamlessly with iOS battery indicators, showing the pack’s charge level directly in the status bar without any app, pairing process, or Bluetooth handshake.
Most third-party MagSafe battery packs treat that integration as optional. Anker, Mophie, Belkin — they all make packs that snap on magnetically and charge your phone. Several of them charge faster than Apple’s discontinued unit. But the iOS battery widget either shows a generic accessory icon or nothing at all, depending on the firmware version your phone is running and the specific accessory. You’re left guessing how much juice remains in the pack until it stops working.
The Standards Problem
MagSafe as a charging standard is tightly controlled, but MagSafe as an accessory ecosystem is not. Apple licenses the magnet alignment spec broadly enough that virtually any manufacturer can slap some magnets on a case or battery pack and call it MagSafe compatible. That’s fine for wallets and mounts. It’s a real issue for anything with a battery, because the deeper software integration — the stuff that makes the accessory feel like it belongs — requires Apple’s own firmware cooperation, which third parties don’t reliably get.
Anker’s MagGo line comes closest to feeling intentional. The magnets are strong, the charging speeds are competitive (up to 15W on recent iPhones), and the physical build quality is solid. But the software experience still feels bolted on.
What This Actually Costs You
Not much, if you’re willing to just accept the limitation and check the pack’s LED indicator manually. The real frustration is that Apple built a charging standard, profited from accessory sales for years, then exited the category without filling the gap it created.
The MagSafe ecosystem works best as a mounting and wallet system. As a battery solution, it remains a collection of compromises dressed up in satisfying magnetic clicks.