iPhone 15 Pro Owners Experience NFC Module Failures Following BMW Wireless Charging

Apple has acknowledged that the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max are experiencing overheating problems, attributing the issue to a bug in iOS 17. A fix is in the works, but a new problem has arisen: wireless charging may be causing damage to the NFC module. While there have been only a few isolated incidents reported, it’s becoming too frequent to be dismissed.

Numerous users on MacRumors forums and X have reported difficulties with setting up Apple Pay. When they replaced their phones at Apple Stores, employees suggested that the NFC module had malfunctioned.

These users eventually found a potential cause – the issues started after using wireless charging pads in their BMWs. In some cases, the phones went into data recovery mode after suffering damage. This was not limited to defective units, as replacement phones also experienced NFC module failures. Users claim that they did not encounter such issues with previous iPhone models.

Currently, reports primarily come from iPhone 15 Pro owners who drive BMWs, although one user with a 2023 Toyota Supra also experienced Apple Pay issues on their 15 Pro. In contrast, our sister site, ArenaEV, conducted a review of the BMW i7 xDrive60, and the Android phone used during testing survived. While it became warm during charging, there were no further issues. Heat does not appear to be the root cause, as the iPhone 15 Pro Max ran hot during benchmarking without any problems.

If you own an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max and drive a BMW, it’s advisable to avoid using the car’s wireless charging for now, at least until Apple and BMW can identify the issue. While it seems that the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models are not affected to the same extent, it may be wise to exercise caution regardless.

Published on 10/12/23 9:47 | by Rawa John