Apple Patents a Security-Focused Wireless Charger Design

• Apple patent application for AirPower shows hints of functionality
• Security to be a major concern, with Apple incorporating encrypted communication
• AirPower most likely to arrive by late 2018 or early 2019

According to a publication of a patent application from Apple to the US Patent & Trademark Office made one year ago, Apple is aiming at incorporating security-focused features on their new AirPower charging pad.

Judging by the design figures that were revealed, the pad will be large enough to accommodate the simultaneous charging of three devices, while the one with the largest display will undertake the role of showing the charging status of all devices that are being charged on the AirPower. According to Apple and the operational iterations possibilities for the new AirPower, the pad could implement a range of charging technologies, including the Qi charging, the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) technology, and possibly even more.

The pad could also incorporate an internal memory for the purpose of storing device information and one or more communication components that could be utilized for the implementation of security features. The pad could assign a unique ID to the device that is charging on it based on a randomly-generated string, and then use it to communicate with the device under an “encrypted” shroud. This method would prevent any malicious attempts to snoop information that goes back and forth between the device and the pad since the collected data, in this case, would be innocuous. This process of ID assignment will be periodically refreshed, so a high-security level is assured.

All that said, and considering the date of the patent application, no one can say for sure when the new AirPower will hit the market. Analysts estimate the time to be sometime between late 2018 and early 2019, while the iOS 12.1 code has recently revealed that in spite of the reported engineering troubles Apple continues the active development of AirPower.

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