Some iPhone 15 Owners With GM Cars Experiencing Wireless Charging Issues

Apple's latest flagship iPhones are not charging as expected in some GM vehicles, according to a number of consumer complaints highlighted by The Verge. On Reddit, Apple's site, and other forums, there are reports from iPhone 15 users who own Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Buick vehicles with wireless chargers that are not able to charge their new iPhones. Some people see the iPhone charge for a few seconds, but then it seems to stop, while others can't get their devices to charge at all.

On Reddit, there are several complaints from Chevy owners who can't get their wireless chargers to work properly. Placing the device in the wireless charging cubby does not result in a charge, regardless of whether the device is in a case.

Happy to know that it isn't just me. My iPhone 12 Pro Max worked perfectly (every time) in my '23 Chevy Traverse. I went to the iPhone 15 Pro Max about 6 weeks ago and the feature broke just as described in other comments: Charge for a few seconds and then stops - case on or off yields same results. I am currently on iOS 17.1.1 and have taken every update since the phone was purchased on 10/8/23.

Many of the complaints are from iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users, and the problem may be linked to the iOS 17.1 update.

Some in-car wireless chargers are notoriously unreliable because of they are designed for a range of smartphone sizes and sometimes cannot accommodate larger devices. Alignment issues are common, resulting in a lot of frustration when it comes to wireless car charging.

General Motors told The Verge that it is "aware of the concern" and "is investigating," with nothing to confirm on the issue at this time.

This is the second charging-related issue that is plaguing the iPhone 15 models. Following the release of the new devices, some BMW owners quickly found that wireless chargers in their vehicles were temporarily disabling the NFC chip in their iPhones. Apple confirmed the issue in October and introduced a fix in the iOS 17.1.1 update that came out in early November.

The launch of the Qi2 wireless charging standard may cut down on future problems with in-car charging because Qi2 chargers include magnetic alignment, but it often takes car manufacturers many months or even years to introduce new technology, and it won't be helpful to vehicle owners with existing Qi chargers.

Given that the charging issues that GM owners are experiencing seem to have popped up with iOS 17.1, Apple may be able to address the problem with a subsequent update, and there is also a chance that GM can issue a firmware update to restore charging capabilities. As of now, the iOS 17.2 update does not fix the problem.