In an internal memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple said that charging an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max with a "small number" of wireless phone chargers built into certain newer BMW and Toyota Supra models may temporarily disable the device's NFC capabilities. The memo does not provide a specific reason for the issue, which was first reported earlier this month.
In an iPhone, the NFC chip powers features like Apple Pay and digital car keys. Users affected by this issue may receive a "Could Not Set Up Apple Pay" error message in the Wallet app, even if they have already set up Apple Pay.
According to Macrumors, Apple said the issue will be addressed in a software update later this year. Given that the memo was issued hours after the release of iOS 17.1, it appears that the update will require a follow-up patch, such as iOS 17.1.1 or iOS 17.2. In the meantime, Apple is advising affected customers to stop using in-car wireless charging.
There are some complaints about this issue on the web, but it is unclear how widespread the problem is. Affected customers say the iPhone goes into a data recovery mode with a white screen, and the NFC chip stops working after the device is rebooted. There is no way for customers to fix the problem, so a trip to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider is required.
It's worth noting that according to reports on the Macrumors forum and the X social network, the problem is found in the BMW Z4, among others. This car is the twin brother of the Toyota Supra, so it is not surprising that the Apple memo also mentions Toyota.
From what we've gathered, this appears to be a problem with the iPhone 15 itself, not the cars. Android users haven't reported anything similar, and many iPhone users with previous-generation phones don't seem to have any issues either.
Source: Macrumors
