I completely empathise with your frustration. I'm experiencing the exact same issue with my iPhone 15 Pro Max after updating to iOS 18.2.1 (from 18.1, I believe). Like you, my Nimble Podium charger (3-in-1) won't charge my iPhone when it's in its MagSafe case, though it worked perfectly before the update.
Interestingly, the left side charging pad (where I usually place my AirPods Pro case) works fine when the phone is laid flat on the charging station, and the Apple Watch charging pad is functioning normally. We've tested this with four iPhones in our household (mine, my wife's, and our two kids' - theirs are all 16 Pro models), all recently updated and in various Apple-branded MagSafe cases. None of them work on the central MagSafe charging dock unless we remove the cases, despite charging perfectly fine before the 18.2.1 update. This strongly suggests the problem stems from the iOS update rather than the phones or cases.
The iOS 18.2/18.2.1 update appears to have introduced a software-related issue affecting wireless charging, particularly with MagSafe cases. The fact that removing the case allows charging to work suggests that the update has changed how the iPhone interacts with MagSafe accessories.
The issue likely relates to changes in power management or charging protocols, affecting how the iPhone communicates with MagSafe accessories or possibly altering power draw limitations.
I'm reporting it to both Apple Support and Nimble in the hope that the more reports they receive, the higher the likelihood of a swift resolution.
In the meantime, I'm charging my phone in the case, laying it flat on the left side of the charging station - where I usually place my AirPods Pro case. That said, if I want the clock orientation, etc., I'll need to charge without the case, which is far from ideal.
Some people have reported success with temporary fixes, such as:
- Restarting the phone.
- Removing, cleaning and reapplying the case.
- Disabling the Optimised Battery Charging feature temporarily.
However, none of these 'temporary' workarounds worked for any of the iPhones or cases in our household.
Let's hope Apple and/or Nimble address this issue quickly. It's clear this isn't an isolated incident, and it's causing significant inconvenience for many users.
