Ink Cabin guides
Custom Magnetic Phone Grip: Which Phones and Cases It Works With
Our new photo phone grip snaps on with magnets. See which iPhones and MagSafe cases it fits, which cases it will not hold on, and how to design the round print.
By John Mason, Ink Cabin
Short answer: the new Ink Cabin magnetic phone grip attaches with a magnet, so it needs a phone or case with a magnetic ring. It works on a MagSafe iPhone without a case, and on our MagSafe Tough and MagSafe Clear cases. It will not hold on a regular Tough, Snap or Clear case, because those have no magnets. The printed top is a 5.7 cm (2.2 in) circle that you design yourself, and the grip costs €19.99 with free shipping.
A phone grip is a small thing you touch every day, which makes it a good place for a photo you like: a pet, a face, a monogram or the same pattern as your case. This guide covers what the grip is, which phones and cases it works with, and how to design a picture that still reads on a small round print.
The magnetic grip on the back of a phone
The studio image shows the grip where it actually lives: centred on the magnet ring on the back of a phone, with a photo printed on the round top. At about 5.7 cm across, the print is small, so the picture is a single, close subject rather than a whole scene.
Use it to judge two things before you design: how much of your photo fits on a circle that size, and how the grip will look against the colour or print of your case. It is an illustrative example with a sample photo; the designer shows your own picture on the exact round template before you order.
What the new magnetic phone grip is
The grip is a round disc that sits on the back of your phone. It folds flat to 0.6 cm when you are not using it and weighs 22 g. Lift the top using the built-in groove and it becomes a handle for one-handed scrolling and photos. Open it further, up to 90°, and it works as a stand for watching videos or making calls on a table.
It holds on with a neodymium magnet rather than adhesive. Nothing is glued to your phone or case, so you can take the grip off, move it to another magnetic phone, or leave it off when you do not need it. Soft TPU finger supports make it comfortable to hold.
The top of the grip is printed with your design. You upload a photo or artwork in the designer, see it on the round template, and we print the grip to order after checkout.
Which phones and cases it works with
Because the grip is magnetic, the question is not the phone model alone but whether there is a magnet ring behind it.
Works:
- A MagSafe iPhone (iPhone 12 or newer, apart from models sold without MagSafe such as the iPhone 16e) used without a case.
- Our MagSafe Tough case, which has a magnet ring built into the back.
- Our MagSafe Clear case, where you can see the ring through the clear back.
- The MagSafe Tough version we list for Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel models. Those phones use our magnetic case to give them a ring the grip can hold on to.
- Other cases that are sold as MagSafe compatible or as having a built-in magnetic ring.
Does not work:
- Our Tough, Snap and Clear cases without MagSafe. They are good cases, but they have no magnets, so the grip has nothing to hold on to.
- A phone without built-in magnets inside a case without magnets, whatever the brand.
- Thick leather, wooden or silicone cases without a magnet ring. Even on a MagSafe iPhone, a thick non-magnetic case weakens the hold too much for daily use.
If you are not sure what you have, try a MagSafe charger or wallet on the back of your phone. If it snaps into place and stays, the grip will too.
Using the grip with MagSafe chargers and wallets
The grip and a MagSafe charger use the same ring, so they cannot both be on the back at the same time. Take the grip off before you put the phone on a wireless charger, then snap it back on. It is a quick movement, and it is one of the reasons a magnetic grip is more practical than one that is glued on.
The same goes for a MagSafe wallet: the ring holds one accessory at a time. If you use a wallet most of the day, the grip is still useful as a stand on your desk or when you watch something on a train, and it lives in a bag or pocket the rest of the time.
When you put the grip back, centre it on the ring. The magnet pulls it into place, and a centred grip balances the phone best in your hand.
Designing for a small round print
The printed top is about 5.7 cm across, a fraction of the size of a phone case. A picture that looks great on a whole case back can turn into a blur of tiny shapes on a grip. Pick an image that still makes sense when it is small:
- One subject, close up. A single face, a pet's head or one flower reads much better than a group photo or a wide landscape.
- Strong shapes and colours. Bold patterns, initials and simple illustrations hold up well. Thin lines and small text do not.
- Keep the important part in the middle. In the designer, the solid inner circle is the safe area and the dashed outer line is where the top is cut. Anything between the two lines can be trimmed, so use that ring for background only.
- Fill the whole circle. If your photo stops short of the edge, the gap is printed in the background colour. Zoom in until the picture covers the circle.
A sharp original photo matters even at this size. Our free photo quality checker flags blurry, dark or heavily compressed files before you upload them.
Making a matching case and grip
A grip that matches your case looks deliberate rather than random. You do not need to repeat the whole case design on it. Try one of these instead:
- Zoom into a detail. Use a close crop of the same photo, such as your dog's face from a full-length picture on the case.
- Pick up one colour. Take one colour from the case and use it as a plain or patterned background on the grip.
- Initials or a name. A short monogram on the grip pairs well with a photo on the case.
If you order a case and a grip together, they ship in the same parcel. Design the case first in the MagSafe Tough designer or the MagSafe Clear designer, then open the grip designer and use the same photo.
Questions about the magnetic grip
Will the grip work on my case from another shop? Yes, if that case has a magnetic ring or is sold as MagSafe compatible. Test it with any MagSafe accessory first.
Can I charge wirelessly with the grip on? No. Take the grip off and put the phone on the charger, then snap the grip back on afterwards.
How big is the print? The printed top is round, about 5.7 cm (2.2 in) across. The grip is 0.6 cm thick when closed.
How much does it cost? The grip is €19.99 with free shipping to Europe, the UK and the United States. It is printed to order from your design.
Ready to try it? Open the magnetic grip designer, upload your photo and check the round preview before you order.
