Android 15 could reportedly allow users to charge devices via Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, introducing an easier method to wirelessly charge devices that do not have an in-built wireless charging solution. This could be supported by NFC Wireless Charging (WLC), a specification added in 2020 to enable charging between two devices placed at a maximum distance of 2cm through an antenna smaller than 1cm. So far, no mobile platform supports this technology, but it could change with the launch of Android 15.
According to a report by Android Authority's Mishaal Rahman, who found the new development within Android 15 Beta 1 which was rolled out earlier in April, the new operating system version has significant upgrades in NFC support. A new class is said to be added to Android 15 dubbed NfcCharging which hints at NFC Wireless Charging support. Spotted within the strings of codes in the new update, the NFC class mentions “version 1.0.0” which indicates this is the first iteration of the feature being added to the OS.
Tinkering with the codes, Rahman also found references to features such as starting and stopping NFC charging, reading the charging payload information which is sent through NFC, and more. It is believed that Android 15 will support WLC 2.0, which was introduced in 2021 and allows for smaller antenna size.
Interestingly, the technology has been available to incorporate for four years, but Google did not opt to integrate it earlier. However, if the report is to be believed, the addition of this technology can make users' lives easier. While the charging output through NFC will be pretty small (up to 1W, as per the NFC forum), this could be a handy option to charge smaller devices in situations where a charging outlet is not available.
Currently, most mid-range accessories such as earbuds, stylus, and trackers do not have any wireless charging solution, but some support NFC, and including an NFC antenna could be both easier in terms of size and cost-effectiveness. However, these are early days and whether the feature will exist at launch can only be ascertained at the unveiling of Android 15 which is expected at the Google I/O event.
