Charging damaged the NFC chips in the new iPhone 15 series, which are responsible for Apple Pay and digital car keys.
According to Macrumors, in an internal memo sent to Apple’s authorized service providers, the company confirmed that a “small number” of wireless chargers built into some BMW and Toyota Supra models can indeed “temporarily disable the NFC capabilities” of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The cause of the problem is not specified in the messages, but Apple is already preparing an update that should fix it. Given that the email came a few hours after the release of iOS 17.1, it looks like the next update, such as iOS 17.1.1 or iOS 17.2, will be used for this purpose.
Previously, some users have complained in posts on Reddit, the Apple Support Community, and on MacRumors’ own forums that Apple Pay and digital car keys stopped working after using a BMW or Toyota Supra wireless car charger, but Apple has not addressed these claims.
Currently, the company does not recommend using chargers in cars until an update is available. Neither company has provided official comment, but BMW seemed to recognize the problem earlier this month when the BMW UK X account responded to a complaint: “We are currently investigating the issue with Apple. We can’t give you a timeframe, but we expect to have an update soon.”
