How to quickly confirm your MagSafe Charger is genuine

By

Check your MagSafe Charger for iPhone is genuine
There's an easy way to identify a genuine Apple product.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Wondering whether that MagSafe Charger you bought on Amazon or eBay is as genuine as the seller claimed? There’s a quick and easy way to find out if it was really made by Apple. We’ll show you how.

This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.

Apple accessories are pricey and popular, so it’s no surprise that they’re a target for counterfeiters looking to make easy money. In recent years, online marketplaces have become flooded with knockoffs.

What’s more, many of those knockoffs are incredibly convincing, which means it can be hard to tell whether the product you purchased was really made by Apple — or just a convincing clone.

Fortunately, that’s not the case when it comes to the MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger for iPhone, which are easy to identify as genuine (or not) if you have an iPhone 12. We’ll show you how.

How to check your MagSafe Charger is genuine

Although they act like any other wireless charging pad, the MagSafe Chargers actually communicate with your iPhone using NFC when the two are connected. And they have firmware that can be updated.

To check yours is genuine, then, all you need to do is find its firmware information by following the steps below:

  1. Connect your iPhone 12 to your MagSafe Charger.
  2. Open the Settings app.
  3. Tap General, then tap About.
  4. Scroll down and you should see Apple MagSafe Charger.
  5. Select this to reveal your Charger’s model number, serial number, firmware version, and more.
Check your MagSafe Charger for iPhone is genuine
Look for this information in the Settings app.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

It doesn’t really matter which firmware version you’re running; as long as you can see this information, you have a genuine MagSafe Charger. It won’t appear if you’re using a third-party pad or knockoff.

Note, however, that some cases may prevent your iPhone from properly communicating with the MagSafe Charger — even when charging works. We suggest removing your case before following the above steps.

If you believe you bought a genuine MagSafe Charger and you cannot see this information, you should return your device for a refund.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.