[1] - https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Charger-Charging-Station-C3/...
EDIT: looks like this is the one I have https://www.ignite-supplies.com/anker-powerwave-7-5w-rectang...
This is solved by MagSafe, the magnets are so strong that it snaps to the device. My wife always charges her phone with Apple's MagSafe charger. I also have one, but since I only charge overnight, plugging in a cable is not much effort.
If Qi2 would become more popular, perhaps cafes, restaurants, etc. could have wireless charging spots.
wouldn't that mean if you take your phone, the charger still sticks to it?
when I was using qi, I'd have it on my desk, and of course I regularly pick up my phone with one hand to do something with it or take it with me, can't un-stick a charger at the same time with one hand...
With a heavier Magsafe charger (like most of the stands out there), you can just lift the phone off and the charger won't come with it. MagSafe's just strong enough to hold a phone on a stand or hold a charger puck to the phone, but not much more.
Once there is a universal standard every phone uses, it works 100% of the time (magsafe does help here), and is able to be completely flat (or incorporated into tables/desks), then you'll see an uptick in wireless chargers at cafes/restaurants.
I think hotels have been adopting them faster.
heck, even induction cooktop can charge phones.
> is able to be completely flat
Did you looked it up on amazon ? There are tons of flat charger.
That said, your complaint isn't uncommon. I build furniture on the side, and have built a couple desks and night stands with built-in wireless chargers for people who wanted everything hidden and out of the way. The charger gets mounted from the underside so that nothing is visible, and I inlay a marker--something like a ring or bowtie inlay--on the surface so you know where to align your phone.
I've also seen chargers on the market that can be mounted into a hole you drill or are sized to fit standard wire grommet holes common on most desks for sale. That's way less fun (IMO), but anyone can install them with a few minutes and a hole saw (or an existing grommet hole, if it fits). No clue if you can find Magsafe ones, but I'd assume so.
The slow charging is fine by me. Fast charging wears the battery out faster.
With this, I don't have to worry about lightning vs usb-c or whatever. I don't have to worry about my work phone trying to share data with my computer. I don't have to worry about annoying programs trying to sync with my personal phones lol.
Unfortunately, the experience just sucks. Charging is slow, if you misalign it it doesn't charge (some devices have the coil off-center!), devices get hot while charging, chargers that work well for phones don't work for other devices...
I'm disappointed and I've mostly gone back to charging with cables.
I haven't tried any Magsafe stuff yet, but since it only works with iPhones it's a non-starter. I don't want a charger that charges just a single device.
If Qi2 gets adopted it may be worth a try, but I think ultimately wireless charging is a gimmick that may be useful in special scenarios (eg. car mount), but for the most part I don't think it's a replacement for cables.