Magnetic Phone Grip: Why It Comes Off and What to Check First

A magnetic phone grip holds to the magnetic ring in your phone or case, so that ring, and how the grip’s base sits on it, is the first place to look when a grip keeps coming off. Whether you are troubleshooting one or about to buy one, check three things: whether your phone or case has a magnetic ring at all, whether the grip’s base overlaps the camera bump on your case, and what metal surfaces you put the phone down on. This guide goes through each, then covers wireless charging with a grip on.

We sell magnetic grips, so read this as a shop’s notes on its own listings plus what owners report online. We have not measured pull force on any grip, and nothing here is a strength figure.

What a magnetic phone grip needs

A magnetic phone grip holds by magnets, so it needs something magnetic to hold to: a magnetic ring in the phone or in the case. Our own listings say this, and they also say what they do not promise.

• Our listing for the Caramel Pretzel Magnetic Phone Grip says it requires a compatible magnetic phone or case and asserts no magnetic-strength or anti-drop guarantee.
• Our listing for the Pink Expanding Cup Magnetic Phone Grip Kit says the kit includes a magnetic attachment ring, and that how the ring installs has not been verified.
• Our listing for the Rose-Pink Single-Loop Magnetic Phone Grip and Folding Stand says it requires a compatible magnetic phone or case interface and claims no holding strength or tested stability.

If you searched for a MagSafe phone grip or a MagSafe grip, note the wording: none of these three listings claims MagSafe certification. Treat them as magnetic grips that need a compatible ring, and check your own phone and case against that.

Three reasons a magnetic grip comes off

The first two come from Reddit posts and comments about other brands’ grips and cases. Each is one person’s report, not a test. The third is our own reasoning.

The base sits on the camera bump. One owner posted that the base of their partner’s magnetic grip “slightly raises against the camera plateau bump in the case”, and that a gentle but firm shake was enough to detach it. Another owner of the same phone and case replied that every magnetic accessory they own holds securely to that case. The two reports disagree, and neither is a measurement, so the useful step is to check your own setup.

Steel grabs it. One commenter said their flat magnetic ring grip comes off when the phone is placed on top of a car or a dryer, because its magnets stick to other objects.

There is no ring to hold to. A grip that requires a magnetic ring has nothing to hold if neither the phone nor the case has one. If your case has no ring of its own, do not assume the grip will hold through it. Read the case maker’s description first, or look for a magnetic ring for a phone case that the maker says fits yours.

Check your phone and case first

Work through these in order.

1. Find the ring. Look for a magnetic ring in your case’s description, or in your phone’s if you carry it bare. No ring means a snap-on magnetic grip has nothing to hold.
2. Check the camera bump. Compare the grip’s round base with the space below the camera on your case. When the grip arrives, press the base on and see whether it rocks. A base that rocks is not sitting flat.
3. Do a shake test over something soft. Snap the grip on, hold the phone by the grip a little above a bed or a sofa, and give it a firm shake.
4. Think about where the phone rests. If you often set the phone down on steel, watch whether the grip sticks to the surface when you pick the phone up.

Can you charge wirelessly with a magnetic grip on?

A snap-on grip can be taken off before the phone goes on a charger, and that is the simple answer. Two of our listings say outright that no charging function is claimed: the cup grip kit and the single-loop grip and stand.

Owners who want a phone grip and stand that stays on while charging report mixed results. One commenter said that with a grip and stand left on during magnetic charging, the back heats up more because of the gap, and advised against leaving the stand on while wireless charging. Another commenter described a thin grip with a magnet on its outer face, which they said does not have to come off to use a magnetic charger. Both comments are about other brands’ products, and the second passes on what the commenter had seen in reviews.

Not every phone grip is magnetic

A grip can look like a snap-on type and attach some other way. Our listing for the White Heart Fold-Open Phone Grip says its rear attachment interface is hidden and unspecified, so we do not describe it as magnetic or adhesive. Read the attachment line on any listing before you assume a grip will snap onto a magnetic ring.

What we do not know

• How strongly any of these grips holds. We have no pull-force figure for any grip in this guide.
• How often a camera bump gets in the way. We found two owners of the same phone and case with opposite results, and no test.
• Whether any of these grips can stay on during wireless charging. We have not tried any of them on a charger.

Quick answers

Why does my magnetic phone grip keep falling off?

Work through three checks: a magnetic ring in the phone or case, a base that sits flat and clear of the camera bump, and steel surfaces that can grab the grip. The sections above explain each one.

Can I use wireless charging with a magnetic grip on?

Plan to take it off, unless the maker of your grip says it can stay on.

Does a magnetic phone grip work with any case?

Do not assume so. Check that the case, or the phone under it, has a magnetic ring before you order.

Where to go next

Browse the magnetic holders or all phone grips. If you are still choosing between a grip, a ring and a strap, the phone grip types guide compares them, and the phone ring holder guide covers where a ring should sit.