The magnetic back for the new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models won’t damage your credit cards, although you may want to keep it away from direct contact with single use magnetic stripe cards, such as the swipe cards used in hotels.
That’s according to Kaiann Drance, Vice President of iPhone Marketing at Apple, who is interviewed in the latest “Rich on Tech” podcast.
However, while Drance warns that the keycards could stop working if they’re placed next to your iPhone (magnets will erase the information stored on the card), she said that Apple’s MagSafe wallet is shielded to stop this from happening.
That means that, so long as you keep the card in the wallet, it should be fine. Credit cards, while also containing a magnetic strip, are more durable and therefore won’t be negatively affected.
Elsewhere in the interview, Drance discusses the iPhone 12 features. There’s not much that wasn’t talked about by Drance at the recent iPhone 12 event. However, it’s a good summary of what makes this year’s iPhones special. She also confirms that users can use their old Lightning chargers for the new iPhone, that battery life is affected by 5G but that Apple has implemented some solutions to lessen this impact, and a bit more. She also says that 5G enables HD FaceTime. If that’s something Apple mentioned during the recent event, I’d forgotten it.
The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro is available in stores starting today. The iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max, meanwhile, will arrive next month.
Have you got a new iPhone today? Let us know your thoughts and initial impressions in the comments below.
