Problematic travel loader from Mophie: New firmware should fix it

Attention owners of a basically practical travel charger that was sold exclusively by Apple in this country: The manufacturer will soon be offering a firmware update to fix charging problems. The “3-in-1 Travel Charger” from the accessory specialist Mophie, which in turn belongs to ZAGG, had previously been withdrawn from the market for a short time because there were reports of sporadic problems with the power supply of the devices.

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Charger not charging properly

The travel charger can charge iPhones as well as Apple Watch and AirPods (with Qi charging case). The device comes in a clamshell design and is quite compact, comes in a felt case with a 15-watt USB-C power adapter and cable. The charging errors mainly occurred when using the travel charger as advertised: when you put all three Apple products on at the same time. Then there were regular connection interruptions, which are also audible through the charging signal from iPhone & Co.

Mophie had already announced that he was looking for a firmware solution to the problem and has now apparently found it. According to a statement this week, all owners of the “3-in-1 Travel Charger” should now be emailed and provided with a “Firmware Update Kit”. This is planned for the next two weeks. If no e-mail arrives, you can also take action yourself and contact the address “[email protected]”.

Update (unfortunately) needs hardware

However, the firmware update is not easy. It requires a piece of hardware, a special dongle that you plug into the charger’s USB-C port. The process should only take a few minutes. It was initially unclear how the hardware would be shipped to Europe – a link that Mophie sent to those affected currently ends up with non-US IP addresses in nothing. The company also did not say how the problem would be fixed and whether the fix had any disadvantages, such as loading speed.

The travel charger has meanwhile returned to Apple’s shelves, including in Germany. The market withdrawal took place both in the stores of the iPhone manufacturer and in Mophie’s own online shop, the only second ordering option. The “3-in-1 Travel Charger” was particularly popular with people who also appreciate Apple’s MagSafe Duo dual charger. However, this lacks the third charging option and causes problems with current iPhones because – without a cover – it can collide with their camera module.

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Updated 08/04/2023 05:26 p.m

Upon request, Mophie has now provided a link to the company’s European online store. The firmware upgrade kit can be pre-ordered there, and a user manual can also be viewed. However, at least 5 euros in postage costs are required, the dongle itself is free. At first we weren’t able to place the pre-order because it was aborted with an error message.

Update 08/08/2023 09:24 am

It is now possible to order the firmware update kit. There are no postage costs if you choose “Shipping (Express)”. Mophie also started this week sending English-language emails to buyers who purchased the Travel Loader from Apple. However, the link it contains does not work in the EU, so continue to use this one.

Update 8/8/2023 3:21 p.m

Since Tuesday afternoon, Mophie has been returning postage costs from users who paid for them in the first wave of orders. “We discovered that you were incorrectly charged shipping costs when you ordered the firmware installation kit. We apologize and have promptly refunded the shipping costs,” the email reads.

(bsc)

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