Is wireless charging on the way for Apple users? Maybe, at least if you take the company’s recent hiring history as any indication.

According to a report from The Verge, Apple has quietly but steadily beefing up its wireless charging staff over the last two years. In the past four months alone, the company has hired two former uBeam engineers. All told, Apple has brought in more than a dozen new employees with wireless charging expertise in the past 24 months.

The pattern seems to mesh with a report from Bloomberg earlier this year that the tech giant is looking to develop an enhanced wireless charging technology that could be incorporated into its phones as early as next year.
But it doesn’t appear that Apple is willing to settle for just any wireless charging. It’s looking to add value in the form of distance.

Unlike current wireless charging capabilities – like those offered by Samsung – that require a device to be placed on a charging mat, Apple is reportedly looking to allow charging at a distance. And uBeam has been seeking to do just that through the use of ultrasound waves.

But Apple should take note, uBeam isn’t the only company working on wireless charging over the air.

Wireless charging company Ossia recently announced the commercial release of its Cota system, which functions similarly to Wi-Fi to allow for non-line-of-sight wireless charging. Another company, called Energous, has also tackled the charging problem with a solution that allows wireless charging at a distance of up to 15 feet using radio bands.