[ssh]

No problem with an iPhone 12 thus far.

When it’s been charging for 20 minutes or more, check the phone and touch the pad to check temperature? In my 330, 20 minutes is about when the phone goes into overhead and the pad is noticeably warm/hot. No way the phone makes it more than 30-45 minutes…

 

[Inside]

I had an i4 e40 for couple of hours to run a little bit of test drive. My phone S22 Ultra with Spigen gets so hot that charging stops. I was unable to use phone for couple of minutes due to internal temperature once removed from charging pad. This makes wireless charging useless.
I have never ever ever ever an issue with my A5 or A6 or any other car with wireless charging. I wonder if there is any option to add radiators under the charger to remove heat.
Also USB-A port instead of USB-C port in this area is weird setup :/
However, I did found Android Car wireless damn good. Easy access, Waze fully operational, spotify via Harman Kardon sounds really good.
My car is still not yet delivered, but I do like i4... Next time will take M50 for a ride

On your samsung phone turn off fast wireless charging. It should reduce the heat

 

[Ken7]

When it’s been charging for 20 minutes or more, check the phone and touch the pad to check temperature? In my 330, 20 minutes is about when the phone goes into overhead and the pad is noticeably warm/hot. No way the phone makes it more than 30-45 minutes…

I didn’t time it yesterday, but I’m pretty sure it was at least 20 minutes. Not hot at all.

 

[ssh]

I didn’t time it yesterday, but I’m pretty sure it was at least 20 minutes. Not hot at all.

Thanks so much!

 

[J_P]

On your samsung phone turn off fast wireless charging. It should reduce the heat

I always have wireless fast charging turned off and it made no difference when I tried wireless charging on the i4 M50 I test drove - still roasted the phone 😡

I should have my car in about a month but I'm with @ssh , if it exhibits the same problem, it will keep going back until they get it sorted.

 

[3er]

I am not going to fix BMW's design flaws by switching fast wireless off while I am driving i4. I have dedicated several days to fight with Audi to fix damn connect feature until they have fixed esim, so I will be happy to go after BMW to get wireless charging pad exchanged until they will fix it.
Again - I have had no issue with wireless charging and overheating in my A5 or A6 or any other car I was using as a rental.

 

[rollermonkey]

I've always wondered about the sense of putting the wireless charging spot inside an enclosure. Battery charging always generates heat, and phones have been having issues with overheating while charging since long before wireless charging, and long before BMW first thought up the i4.

All this talk about what people are going to do, when the heat issues almost certainly have nothing to do with BMW at all perplex me.


If BMW's solution is to tell you to turn off fast charging, and you don't want to, that's not on them any more.

 

[J_P]

I've always wondered about the sense of putting the wireless charging spot inside an enclosure.

It's an open enclosure, not a closed box, convection currents can easily escape as the heat rises

Battery charging always generates heat, and phones have been having issues with overheating while charging since long before wireless charging, and long before BMW first thought up the i4.

I haven't had an issue with phone overheating for probably a decade. Even superfast charging my current phone doesn't make it too hot to hold like the wireless charger did on my test drive

All this talk about what people are going to do, when the heat issues almost certainly have nothing to do with BMW

What on earth makes you say that this is nothing to do with BMW? I haven't experienced this problem with any phone or any type of charging in the last decade.

If BMW's solution is to tell you to turn off fast charging, and you don't want to, that's not on them any more.

I've said this three times in this thread - I always have wireless fast charging turned off - it is kinder to the battery and as I always charge overnight, speed is no issue. On the rare occasions I need a fast top up, I charge via the cable.

 

[ssh]

All this talk about what people are going to do, when the heat issues almost certainly have nothing to do with BMW at all perplex me.

When the pad itself gets hot even when it’s not charging anything, it’s a design issue for BMW. That’s the case in my 330. I’m hoping it’s not in the i4.

 

[J_P]

I didn’t time it yesterday, but I’m pretty sure it was at least 20 minutes. Not hot at all.

What phone have you got @Ken7?

 

[J_P]

When the pad itself gets hot even when it’s not charging anything, it’s a design issue for BMW. That’s the case in my 330. I’m hoping it’s not in the i4.

That's interesting. Since starting this thread, I have been at a loss to understand what is generating the heat. If the pad itself gets hot without even doing anything then this would explain the problem. Does it really get hot or just warm?

 

[rollermonkey]

It's an open enclosure, not a closed box, convection currents can easily escape as the heat rises

I haven't had an issue with phone overheating for probably a decade. Even superfast charging my current phone doesn't make it too hot to hold like the wireless charger did on my test drive

What on earth makes you say that this is nothing to do with BMW? I haven't experienced this problem with any phone or any type of charging in the last decade.

I've said this three times in this thread - I always have wireless fast charging turned off - it is kinder to the battery and as I always charge overnight, speed is no issue. On the rare occasions I need a fast top up, I charge via the cable.

I'm not attacking anyone, I just haven't had the same experience as other people.

This image is from BMW's own page. That's got a lid that can be closed, and I remember from my test drive, that your phone goes pretty deep onto that area to sit on the charge pad. That's pretty well enclosed, even with the door open.

Now, I hate my TM3, but by comparison, you have to see that the BMW charge spot is much more enclosed, even with the door open.

Over the years, all of my iPhones have randomly decided they want to get hot sometimes, and not others. Even my current one. It's happened in my TM3 in the past month. Yours hasn't? Lucky for you then. Our mileage varies.

As to your last point, again, I'm not singling out anyone, but other people stated that they would demand replacement if that was what they were asked to do.

BMW didn't invent the Qi charge standard, and if the charger in the car meets that standard, (I have no idea) I'm not understanding what they are supposed to do?

Maybe my problem is that I just got out of a car so old that I didn't have an aux port or USB, let alone wireless charging, so my standards are way lower right now. I'm just happy to be able to listen to my tunes through the car speakers instead of the phone's!

 

[rollermonkey]

That sounds like a serious issue. Any idea who BMW is having make that component for them?

When the pad itself gets hot even when it’s not charging anything, it’s a design issue for BMW. That’s the case in my 330. I’m hoping it’s not in the i4.

 

[Ken7]

What phone have you got @Ken7?

iPhone 12. I’ll get the 14 when it comes out, but I don’t anticipate any issues.

 

[ssh]

That sounds like a serious issue. Any idea who BMW is having make that component for them?

No. But my 330 has had 3 and they all have the same issue. I think it’s environmental; I suspect the surface under the pad is heated by the car’s transmission or something like that.

 

[Ken7]

If it's a manufacturing issue then all units should have the problem. It appears they don't. I haven't yet experienced the overheating with an iPhone 12. Although the charging area is somewhat enclosed, hot air rises and there's enough of an escape path for that air so as not to be a major issue. So who knows?

 

[robby.van.mieghem]

well i have an iphone 13 and it overheats definitely in the wireless charger, even with no case around it. It gets terribly hot!
So i don't use it anymore ( and when I used it, with carplay and waze active, it does not hold up to charge ... )
I use a cable at this moment

 

[Ilektriksky]

Yes in my '18 x3 M40i I had the overheating issue as well and after a month or 2 the pad would cease charging at all (just flash the red/orange light). I had to have my dealer replace it twice and they said that there were lots of issues (at the time) with the wireless charging pads. Hopefully it is fixed now, but as others have said if not, I won't hesitate to make them replace it every time it breaks.

 

[ssh]

well i have an iphone 13 and it overheats definitely in the wireless charger, even with no case around it. It gets terribly hot!
So i don't use it anymore ( and when I used it, with carplay and waze active, it does not hold up to charge ... )
I use a cable at this moment

In your i4?

 

[3er]

BMW needs to fix damn algorithm of wireless charging according to QI spec. If pad detects that device is hot - power delivered to the device should be reduced. This is how most of certified wireless charging pads works.
And BTW - recommendation from BMW that I should switch off fast wireless charging can go to hell... What will be next? Don't use brakes too often as braking pads are being overheated?
Edit: phone keeps replacing brake with break