[comebackid]

So I took delivery of my X7 last week, and I've been going nuts trying to get the wireless charger to work. Both my wife and I have iPhones. Even removing the covers didn't work.

I recall when I took delivery, the guy placed his Android device on the tray and saw that it was charging. Perhaps I need a software update as I read something about compatibility of Q1 charging and iPhones.

Then I took a peek at my sticker. It specifically states 'No Wireless Charging & Wifi' with a $400 credit. Huh? I don't ever recall when choosing my options that I would lose wireless charging. Even my build sheet doesn't indicate this as there is a $400 difference in the bottom line price.

My dealer is looking into it and I left a message with BMW Genius. Anyone else have this issue?

Thanks.

[ApexTK-421]

Unfortunately you are not the only one. The semiconductor shortage is to blame. Some standard options have been eliminated and credited. On top of that certain add on options have also been eliminated too. Most notably four wheel steering and Harman Kardon stereo. This started happening late spring.

[comebackid]

Originally Posted by ApexTK-421

Unfortunately you are not the only one. The semiconductor shortage is to blame. Some standard options have been eliminated and credited. On top of that certain add on options have also been eliminated too. Most notably four wheel steering and Harman Kardon stereo. This started happening late spring.

Originally Posted by ApexTK-421

Unfortunately you are not the only one. The semiconductor shortage is to blame. Some standard options have been eliminated and credited. On top of that certain add on options have also been eliminated too. Most notably four wheel steering and Harman Kardon stereo. This started happening late spring.

Good to know, thanks. Something like this wouldn't have been make or break for me, but a courtesy of a heads up is the least they can do. Even the dealer didn't know, and now I have to figure out how they're going to retrofit it or get $400 + tax back from them.

[MoistureFarmerBBY]

Originally Posted by comebackid

Good to know, thanks. Something like this wouldn't have been make or break for me, but a courtesy of a heads up is the least they can do. Even the dealer didn't know, and now I have to figure out how they're going to retrofit it or get $400 + tax back from them.

Before you go out of your way to retrofit the wireless charging unit, just be aware that it's barely effective to begin with. I find that of using say apple CarPlay, the wireless charging base will help maintain battery level but it won't actually increase the % beyond 1-2 points per 30 mins. Other owners have shared that their devices run very hot without much increase in battery charge as well.

[comebackid]

Originally Posted by MoistureFarmerBBY

Before you go out of your way to retrofit the wireless charging unit, just be aware that it's barely effective to begin with. I find that of using say apple CarPlay, the wireless charging base will help maintain battery level but it won't actually increase the % beyond 1-2 points per 30 mins. Other owners have shared that their devices run very hot without much increase in battery charge as well.

Duly noted. Thanks.

[Patgilm]

I noticed after I got my X7 last month that on one of my online builds it showed the wireless charging and wifi was deleted and there was a $400 discount as you noted. I had to go back to my window sticker and check to make sure mine had it and it wasn’t deleted on my actual build. The wireless charging really isn’t that great and I wouldn’t miss it but at this price point it is something it should have.

[BigEvan1923]

Mine was removed and it’s really a non issue.
The nfc capabilities are still there for the digital key engine start in iOS as well as card key and that’s all that mattered to me. The current wireless charging is 5W which is painfully slow. Just throw an apple mag safe usb c charger in the glove box and stow the wire away under the rubber liner and you’ll have 18w wireless charging that actually works.

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by Patgilm

I noticed after I got my X7 last month that on one of my online builds it showed the wireless charging and wifi was deleted and there was a $400 discount as you noted. I had to go back to my window sticker and check to make sure mine had it and it wasn’t deleted on my actual build. The wireless charging really isn’t that great and I wouldn’t miss it but at this price point it is something it should have.

I have never had a issue with the wireless charging pad in my last G05 and now my current G07 M50i. With my Galaxy phones, it has performed flawlessly. I have even left my phone on there on long cross country road trips for 10+ hours at a time in its smart case. No issues at all.

The NFC key card is a MUST and such a useful feature using the BMW key card. I never knew how much of a solution it was until I started using it all the time. No worries with water and can be hidden anywhere.

[comebackid]

Originally Posted by Patgilm

I noticed after I got my X7 last month that on one of my online builds it showed the wireless charging and wifi was deleted and there was a $400 discount as you noted. I had to go back to my window sticker and check to make sure mine had it and it wasn't deleted on my actual build. The wireless charging really isn't that great and I wouldn't miss it but at this price point it is something it should have.

I'm hearing that a lot with how insufficient the charger is. But if in fact I don't have it, and I got a credit for it, then the dealership owes me money. We agreed on the price on the build sheet without the credit on the sticker. He's a good guy and checking on it for me, so I'm sure we will come to an amicable solution.

I did, however, notice the service guy showing me the features on the X7. He placed his Android device on the charging pad, and I noticed the change to the lightning charge icon indicating that it was charging.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by MoistureFarmerBBY

Before you go out of your way to retrofit the wireless charging unit, just be aware that it's barely effective to begin with.

I'm going to have to say I disagree with that. At one point I was having CarPlay problems and slow charging but that is because I still had an iPhone X.

Upgrading to the iPhone 12 has solved everything and now the phone charges very well when running CarPlay, doesn't overheat, etc.

If I were the OP I'd be pissed that one of the biggest convenience features on the car was ripped out without my knowledge and I'd demand one be installed by the dealer as soon as they are available.

[G39x]

For the people without the wireless charging, can you still add keys on your iPhone? I think they said that they still have the NFC on the pad, just not charging. I also have a X3MC and the wireless charger made my iPhone 12 Pro Hot in about 30 minutes. So my X7 will not have it, but I don't really care for it, I really want the digital key feature to stay, which I think is not affected by this.

[BigEvan1923]

Originally Posted by G39x

For the people without the wireless charging, can you still add keys on your iPhone? I think they said that they still have the NFC on the pad, just not charging. I also have a X3MC and the wireless charger made my iPhone 12 Pro Hot in about 30 minutes. So my X7 will not have it, but I don't really care for it, I really want the digital key feature to stay, which I think is not affected by this.

All digital key/ key card features work perfectly. You just don’t get the anemic 5W charger.

[G39x]

Originally Posted by BigEvan1923

The current wireless charging is 5W which is painfully slow. Just throw an apple mag safe usb c charger in the glove box and stow the wire away under the rubber liner and you'll have 18w wireless charging that actually works.

Not sure if you will get the 18w capability due to charger requirements of the MagSafe. You still get I believe ~12-15w which is still way better than what the original bmw wireless charger gives you.

[dmanb2b]

I'd be be more pissed at the shady dealer. Sounds like they overcharged OP and are now playing stupid. Even the window sticker shows it was deleted. It's not like the X7 is the only model impacted by shortages

[G39x]

Also, I wanted to ask if wireless Apple CarPlay is affected? I believe wireless "ACplay" uses both wifi and bluetooth to connect, if we only have bluetooth now, does it make a difference? Or does the car have some kind of "intranet" wifi that allows connections?

Also, dealers are not very smart about the options that come on vehicles, other than the basic stuff, some are more knowledgeable, but my dealer didn't even know about DHP when I asked if a vehicle had it, he told me that this is a fully loaded model and says it has "dynamic mode." This is why we have to do homework before relying on the dealer to tell us about a car.

[calbears]

Originally Posted by G39x

Also, I wanted to ask if wireless Apple CarPlay is affected? I believe wireless "ACplay" uses both wifi and bluetooth to connect, if we only have bluetooth now, does it make a difference? Or does the car have some kind of "intranet" wifi that allows connections?

Carplay & Android Auto are not affected. The WiFi for CarPlay is not the same as the hotspot.

[thenew3]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

I'm going to have to say I disagree with that. At one point I was having CarPlay problems and slow charging but that is because I still had an iPhone X.

Upgrading to the iPhone 12 has solved everything and now the phone charges very well when running CarPlay, doesn't overheat, etc.

If I were the OP I'd be pissed that one of the biggest convenience features on the car was ripped out without my knowledge and I'd demand one be installed by the dealer as soon as they are available.

I have tested several iphone models and android models including iphone 12 with no case on it. All will barely charge if you aren't streaming music or using carplay. If you stream music or use car play, the phone will run so hot it sometimes turns off. The battery also doesn't charge.

I've tested the same exact phones on a loaner 2021 X5 I had for 10 days, and they did not have the heating issue, although they still didn't charge the battery when streaming and car play is in use.
If the phone was not in use, it would charge about 5% per hour.

[JaTe]

Agree with folks that are saying regarding the ineffectiveness of the wireless charger. I've never had any luck with any built-in wireless chargers in cars. This goes for rentals I've driven as well as my X7 and Tacoma. If it does charge, it's very slow and phone gets hot. This is regardless of phone as I've had numerous iphones, Samsung and OnePlus that were wireless charging capable. I'll stick to the faster cable charging as the heat from these car wireless chargers can't be good for the phone's battery health/longevity.

[Zavanelli]

Be happy you don't have it. I have it. It's pitiful. I had a usb charger on Day 2 of ownership. Heats the phone up dangerously hot and doesn't charge it at any acceptable rate. Take the $400, you win.

[Saejin]

Don’t worry about it. Get the dealer to cut you a check for $400 and call it a day.

Like most have said it’s not that great. I have it and use it sometimes. First, getting your phone properly placed in the somewhat awkward location is hit or miss to ensure charging occurs. Then getting it out is a slight pain as well.

Then if you’re using navigation while charging it’ll overheat at times.

I usually plug mine into a cable charger.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by thenew3

I have tested several iphone models and android models including iphone 12 with no case on it. All will barely charge if you aren't streaming music or using carplay. If you stream music or use car play, the phone will run so hot it sometimes turns off. The battery also doesn't charge.

What you describe happened to my wife and I in my old iPhone X's for the first year of X7 ownership.

But now that we have iPhone 12's, our phones don't overheat, they don't freeze up iDrive, and they do charge effectively.

Qi wireless chargers aren't great, they can't come close to what a wired connection can supply. The expectation for the X7's wireless charger is simple- when in use for streaming, nav, CarPlay, etc. it maintains the battery percentage you started with. That's what any wireless charger in the same situation would do.

My wife and I don't use iDrive or Bluetooth at all for streaming or nav. We exclusively use CarPlay. We also never enter the X7 with our phones down to 10% and think the wireless charger will jolt us back up to 50% in 30 minutes. We'd use a lightning cable and a high speed USB adapter if that was our usecase.

The expectation of the BMW wireless charger is that if you get in the car with 75% battery, drive for an hour streaming Apple Music and using Google Maps, that when you arrive at your destination you still have 75% battery. That's as good as it gets for any Qi wireless charger.

[Mail4loys]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

What you describe happened to my wife and I in my old iPhone X's for the first year of X7 ownership.

But now that we have iPhone 12's, our phones don't overheat, they don't freeze up iDrive, and they do charge effectively.

Qi wireless chargers aren't great, they can't come close to what a wired connection can supply. The expectation for the X7's wireless charger is simple- when in use for streaming, nav, CarPlay, etc. it maintains the battery percentage you started with. That's what any wireless charger in the same situation would do.

My wife and I don't use iDrive or Bluetooth at all for streaming or nav. We exclusively use CarPlay. We also never enter the X7 with our phones down to 10% and think the wireless charger will jolt us back up to 50% in 30 minutes. We'd use a lightning cable and a high speed USB adapter if that was our usecase.

The expectation of the BMW wireless charger is that if you get in the car with 75% battery, drive for an hour streaming Apple Music and using Google Maps, that when you arrive at your destination you still have 75% battery. That's as good as it gets for any Qi wireless charger.

I think for unknown reasons the experience is mixed between different users. I too have tried with wireless charging interestingly iPhone 11 was working great for me with music and CarPlay. No heating issues. Now I have iPhone 12 Pro, within 30mins it heats up and shuts down due to over heat :