iPhone 14 Pro - Wireless Charging not working with slim standard case and standard QI charger

It is true that the charging coil in the newest phones (actually since iPhone 12) with MagSafe, repositioned the charging coil. And it's true it made some older chargers not work well with the newer design. Apple can't release a software update and the coil isn't going to be repositioned. So what do you do? Exactly what I did and move over to MagSafe charging or don't use older Qi chargers and instead plug your phone into charge. I made the switch a couple years ago now and every charger I use is MagSafe. MagSafe is amazingly simple and flawless in its ability to align the charger with the coil in the back of the phone.

I have found the answer to my issue , well it seems to be. DONT use MagSafe. I had a MagSafe case which I put on my new phone straight away.

I have since bought a non MagSafe case and the phone is now charging on all my wireless chargers. Its the magnetic ring causing the issue not the camera bumps.

It’s not the bump per se, it’s where the charging coil is located and the software in the third party chargers.

Basically they made bad assumptions about phone coil to charging coil distances and so the phone will no longer charge because of that.

Even some long time Apple accessory makers of charging stands sold in Apple Stores got it wrong, so their Qi charging stands do not work with an iPhone 12 or newer. This is why, for example, Logitech’s wireless charging stand is only specified to work up to an iPhone 11.

Meanwhile my auto dealer’s service department has end tables with Qi chargers built into them that are just large flat surfaces and they continue to work without issue, as do most Qi chargers that are pucks and so do not make placement assumptions.

MagSafe is wonderful because the magnets make for a perfect phone coil/charging coil alignment, every time.

I didn't mean that the iPhone8 is the same - my point is the age of its technology.

There was never a problem with the charger on my desk or in my 2021 vehicle.

With the iPhone13, the QI charging did not work out of the box - anywhere I tried. Yes, Apple has the habit of devices of the same model not having the same OS. After 5 minutes on the phone with Apple, their quick response was to install the latest version of IOS15. It immediately corrected the charging issue. It still does not work "as well" as the iPhone8.

Now with a new "out of the box" iPhone14, the same thing happened. I called Apple and their fix was IOS 16.1

It immediately corrected the charging issue (as the iPhone13).

Doesn't it make you wonder why "out of the box" there are problems with the charging?

The engineer I spoke to at Apple swears he never heard of the problem before so I suggested he look up (by my phone number) the past history - there it was......the same problem with the iPhone 13. He then apologized for being confused about the charging questions.

BTW....I'm not impressed with MagSafe either - the charger has since been returned to AMAZON.

I don't think anyone is missing the point. What people are most assuredly missing is not all Qi Wireless Chargers have the charging coil in the exact same location. Some are single coils chargers. Some are dual coil chargers. I've even seen triple coil chargers. What people aren't getting is that in many 3rd party chargers, the coil(s) are simply not aligned appropriately to engage 100% reliably with iPhone's engineered for MagSafe charging. If one has a standard Qi charger which works, it works. If one doesn't, it can be frustrating.

Yes, a MagSafe iPhone is still using standard Qi Wireless charging. But if a 3rd party stand, which Apple has no influence over, doesn't put the coil in their stand in the right spot to align correctly with a MagSafe coil, the charger may not charge the phone or at least not reliably. And moving to MagSafe can eliminate the worry 100%.

If this doesn't help people who are having issues with 3rd party charging stands, then I don't know how it could be explained simpler.

yes, iPhone 14 has issues with charging on "lay flat wireless chargers", because of the camera lens bump. I found a fix for my Fuel wireless charger by turning my iPhone clockwise until the camera bump dropped off the side of the charger. Along as the "center circle" on the iPhone is lined up with the "center circle" on my Fuel wireless charger it will charge just fine.

jasonfromruidoso wrote:

It seems as though the camera bump is not allowing it to lay flat and charge. Boo Apple. Now what do we do after we have spent money on wireless charging devices? Shame on you and all the money we spent on a ‘new’ phone that can’t use ‘new’ technology 🥺🥺🥺 will they recall them and give us new ones?

No, of course they won't. Apple changes designs every year. If what you used previously doesn't work with the new design, you do what millions upon millions upon millions of us did and buy new chargers. Or don't charge wirelessly and just charge the old fashioned, plug it in to charge way. Move to MagSafe, you'll never have to worry about a change making it difficult to charge your phone. I moved over to MagSafe a couple years ago and wouldn't go back if you paid me. It's that good. That reliable.

i just purchased the OtterBox Wireless Charging Station (Qi) and I found that it wouldn’t begin changing my phone unless a portion of the camera bump was on the charger. It was like a magnetic pull was required. Needless to say, I don’t want to ruin my camera, so the OtterBox Wireless Charging System will be returned. The Apple wireless charger (much) smaller works fine. I was hoping to use the OtterBox system due to portable (no wire) charging.

Many old chargers still work with iPhone. I have older chargers which will still charge my iPhone 14 Pro Max. I have some which wouldn't and I gave them away. Apple didn't change from Qi Standard. They simply moved the charging spot on the phone to the exact center of the back of the phone. Then they put a magnet around it to align perfectly with a MagSafe charging puck. That may prevent some chargers in some cars from being able to work. You say you own a 2023 car. MagSafe was introduced on iPhone with iPhone 12. So three years ago. One would imagine automobile manufacturers have had enough time to factor that into their cars?

If you can't use the charging plate in your car, do what I do in my Mercedes and plug it into a USP port.

Fontano wrote:

1) But they did. Several “standard” qI chargers won’t work because of the changes made. The lip on the camera area doesn’t allow those chargers to work correctly, just like in the vehicle

That is incorrect.

Many Qi chargers do not have any issue with the lip - I own several myself along with an end table with a built-in Qi charger that continues to charge my 14 Pro Max and a friend's 14 Pro with zero issues like it did with any older iPhone that supported wireless charging.

The issue is that the Qi standard allows the implementer of the charger to determine what distance from the charge ring in the charger they think may be judged as "too far" for their device, as well of placement of the coil within their charger.

Feel free to download them yourself if you like:

Wireless Power Consortium: Specifications

If a company decides on an implementation that doesn't work with future iPhones, that is their issue, and as I've mentioned several chargers once sold in the Apple Store no longer work with newer phones.

That's an error on the part of the third party manufacturer, not Apple, and in fact if you contact those manufacturers they will admit that and state they do not guarantee compatibility with any iPhone model not specified on their packaging.

At least one vendor came out with a newer model that was compatible that seemingly only differed in the firmware installed as all physical dimensions were exactly the same, yet the old model charging stand would not work with newer iPhones and the new model would.

Automakers in particular made some bad decisions regarding charge distance and coil placement that not only affect iPhones but also newer models from Google and Samsung.

2) MagRing may not have an electrical conductive connection, but it isn’t all wireless. It lifts up off the surface to account for the camera lip, so that the charging surface can once again be flat against the back of the phone

Again, that is not true. If you look at a MagSafe charger the ring fits below the "lip" of the camera area, so it sits flush with the back of the phone or case, and there is no physical electrical connection whatsoever.

You can see that from photos on Apple's own website:

It's not doing anything magical, it's a wireless charging device like all Qi chargers are, though there is more information exchanged between the charger and phone that allows it to charge at a faster rate than standard Qi chargers do.

I just got the iPhone 14, and yes, there appears to be a design flaw whereby the camera bump does not allow the phone to charge wirelessly. I have the Fuel brand wireless charger, The solution for that charger is to turn my iPhone clockwise, until the camera bump slips over the edge of the flat surface of the Fuel. Note that the bump slips off at approximately the 1-oclock position if you imagine a clock face. Now charges just fine.

It’s not Apple’s responsibility to make sure their device works with all chargers in the world as the Qi specification allows manufacturers to put the charging coil anywhere they wish and charger manufacturers are responsible for having their chargers work when the coils are aligned.

The problem comes if a stand or say a cutout in a vehicle charging mat assumes a particular coil placement or a minimal coil to coil distance.

Note several Android phones suffer from the same issue for similar reasons.

You're right. The phone changed. When Apple moved to MagSafe charging, the coil in the phone was moved into an optimal location for MagSafe chargers. MagSafe chargers are still Qi Wireless Standard.

Many older chargers have no issues charging the changed iPhone. But many older chargers do. There is no industry standard mandate on where a charging coil should be in a wireless charger. Some manufacturers got it right and their chargers work fine. But for those who put their coil in a spot which is not optimal for iPhone and as Dogcow suggested above Android phones, well those chargers just don't work. And that is not Apple's fault. That is not Androids fault. It is simply a misaligned coil for the newer generation phones.

Technology continues to advance. It will continue to advance and some older devices just aren't up to the job they were designed for a few years ago.

And I just read this:

"MagSafe is truly one of the wonders of the modern world.

It makes wireless charging way better and easier, and it’s great for accessories like car mounts. There’s a range of useful and interesting gewgaws that can be clamped magnetically to the back of your iPhone.

And now it’s coming to Android – and everything else that’s charged wirelessly.

The Wireless Power Consortium says Apple’s MagSafe will be built into the next-generation Qi charging standard, allowing a range of devices to benefit from the magnetic system.

This is a win for everyone, and it’s great to see a good idea like MagSafe get the widest possible distribution throughout the product world by becoming a standard.

Kudos to Apple for letting this happen."

As I said, Technology moves forward and that's that.

I have a Ubiolabs wireless charger, a glass camera protector (making it even higher profiled), and a tech21 case. My phone charges and doesn't really make direct contact with the back. It also charges in my K5. All with the case on. I think having a MagSafe case would solve your issue. I haven't had an issue with one.

MagSafe charging does not require direct contact just needs to be close enough.

I bought an ohsnap snap3 pro... it's thin, magnetic, and with MagSafe. I put it on my case which evened out the level issue with the phone cameras and now my phone charges on the pad in my car. It's like a pop socket but thinner and you can charge through it. Granted, you have to stick it to your case. But, it works for me for now. Not an advertisement but just thought ppl should know in case they too want to try.