2023-10-02 09:42:37
Several testimonials appearing on the web in recent days point to a new problem for the iPhone 15 Pro: the NFC chip would become inoperative when in contact with certain chargers embedded in BMW cars.
If you own a BMW and an iPhone 15 Pro, perhaps it would be better to avoid placing the smartphone on the car’s induction charger. At least that’s what we might think when reading certain testimonies that appeared in the forums of MacRumors, media which published a “Warning” article on October 1st. The summary is quite frightening: the induction station on board certain BMW cars might destroy the NFC chip of the iPhone 15 Pro, or even cause other problems.
In an iPhone, the NFC chip is an essential component for features such as Apple Pay (contactless payment) or even unlocking and starting the car (if it is compatible, which is the case for BMWs with Digital Key technology) . Victims of the problem find themselves unable to access their cards, even following carrying out a restoration (often automatic, with a white screen). Only solution ? Make an exchange via an Apple Store.
« I received a new BMW X5 as a rental and made the mistake of putting my iPhone 15 Pro on the charging station. After a few minutes it completely blocked. », testifies for example Padhenn.
Driver’s seat in the BMW iX1 // Source: BMW
Is this linked to the iPhone 15 Pro overheating?
Everything suggests that this possible problem, which does not concern everyone (who owns both a BMW and an iPhone 15 Pro?), is linked to the overheating that the high-end smartphone has encountered since its release. A problem officially recognized by Apple, which announced that it was working on a software fix. “ I returned the 15 Pro today and am back with my 14 Pro, which doesn’t have this problem at all even though I use the same chargers, cars and cases », says John83762. He adds : “ The fact that it works well with the 14 Pro and the 13 suggests that it is related to the behavior of the 15 in relation to chargers. »
Is this linked to Digital Key, which uses the NFC chip and might cause it to overheat excessively if induction charging is added? It’s a hypothesis, but perhaps not a conclusion. “ I used the key in my Apple Wallet on the first phone, but didn’t do it on the second because I believed that was the cause. I had the same problem upon arrival » continues John83762, who therefore had two iPhone 15 Pros “burnt” by his BMW.
Can this happen on cars from other brands? There do not appear to be any similar cases. Numerama did the test for a few minutes, time to recover 10% autonomy, with a Tesla Model 3: no problem. Mac4Ever corroborates: “ We have tested wireless charging in many vehicles without any particular problem (but not yet on a BMW). » And in the MacRumors forums, MayaUser explains that she has no problem, to date, with a Mercedes EQS. In short, caution must remain in order, since nothing can explain why overheating caused by wireless charging is likely to burn an NFC chip. Even more so if the problem is only software, as Apple says.
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