The great thing about modern technology is how conveniently and almost magically it appears to work. The problem with that is sometimes something goes wrong, and it’s not immediately clear how to resolve it. Such is the case for certain BMW owners who also have an iPhone 15.
The new phone is an exciting, expensive piece of technology, and it might be caused to fail when it comes in contact with an owner’s exciting, expensive car. Some BMW owners are complaining that after using the inductive phone charging pad in their vehicle, their Apple Pay and other features can stop working.
The problem appears to be connected to the NFC chip inside the phones, reports Mac Rumors. This system works on a very low frequency and allows phone users to accomplish certain functions wirelessly. That includes paying for stuff or unlocking their vehicle with Apple CarKey.
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The charging function is run by a separate charging coil, which can handle much greater frequencies, but the two systems are located close to one another, along the back of the phone. Unfortunately, it remains unclear whether the problem lies with the iPhone 15 or the inductive charger used by BMW. We have reached out to both companies for comment and will update this story when we hear back.
However, consumers believe that heat may be contributing to this problem. In a Reddit thread responding to reports of this issue, one user claimed that their BMW 3-Series is “essentially an oven heater. Barely charges makes the phone super hot.”
Others complain that the inductive chargers in BMWs cause other phones to overheat, too. And the problem doesn’t appear to be exclusive to iPhones. One Redditor claimed that the charger in their BMW X5 causes their Samsung S22 Ultra to overheat.
Most phones simply go into a self-preservation mode when they overheat and shut off. While iPhone 15 owners have reported that their devices shut themselves off, and they could be turned back on, they complained that they received a “Could Not Set Up Apple Pay” error message after rebooting.
Fortunately, so far, Apple appears to be replacing phones affected by this issue. No permanent solution has yet been proposed, however. That means that BMW owners who have an iPhone 15 may simply want to avoid using their inductive charger for now.
