BMW Wireless Charging Causes iPhone 15 NFC Chip Overheating: Reports

Some BMW customers have reported NFC chip faults and overheating difficulties with their iPhone 15 smartphones after using wireless charging stations in their vehicles during the past week.

The iPhone 15 overheating complaints have appeared on several websites and social media platform X (formerly Twitter), and they have raised concerns among Apple users, according to MacRumors.

Customers who have experienced this iPhone 15 NFC chip overheating have reported a recurring issue: after charging their iPhone 15 on their BMW's wireless charging pad, the device enters data recovery mode with a white screen, rendering the NFC chip inoperative upon reboot.

The NFC chip in iPhones powers crucial features like Apple Pay and digital vehicle keys. Users experiencing this problem get an error notice in the Wallet app that reads "Could Not Set Up Apple Pay," there is no way to fix it. After the NFC chip failure was confirmed, some people claimed Apple had replaced their iPhones. However, the new smartphones likewise had the same problem, leaving them without a long-term fix.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models may potentially be impacted; however, the complaints mostly come from owners of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Until the issue is addressed, iPhone 15 owners should use BMW's wireless charging pad cautiously.

The particular cause of iPhone 15 NFC chip overheating is yet unknown, and neither the precise number of consumers who are impacted nor the afflicted BMW models are known. As of present reporting, Apple has yet to issue a comment on the matter.

Apple to Address iPhone Overheating Concerns

In the previous days, several iPhone 15 owners have expressed concerns regarding overheating, particularly following wireless charging, per Apple Insider. While there are varying accounts, some users say their gadgets get uncomfortable hot, while others say they do not. The exact reason why certain iPhones overheat is unknown, though numerous customers reported that the overheating problem eventually went away on its own.

TechTimes recently reported that Apple is expected to solve iPhone 15 overheating issues with a subsequent software update. But, some tech experts commented that considerable improvements would require a decrease in CPU speed. It is unclear when consumers may anticipate a patch because beta testing for iOS 17.1, which may incorporate these adjustments, has not yet initiated.

Other Downsides of Wireless Charging

Make Use Of reported more extensive issues with wireless charging in addition to the worries about overheating. It cited OneZero's tests. Wireless charging uses 47% more energy than conventional cable charging on average.

Although individual consumers' power costs would not be considerably affected, a move toward widespread use of wireless charging could have negative effects on the environment. According to iFixit, installing 73 small-scale coal power plants would be required if all smartphone users worldwide switched to wireless charging, which would significantly harm the environment.