With this in mind, read through this article, and let’s see if we can find an answer to this problem.
Why Is BMW Wireless Charging Not Working?
1. You Think Your NFC Tray Supports Wireless Charging, But It Actually Doesn’t
BMWs are excellent vehicles that boast some innovative features, such as their somewhat new key card feature; with that said, their technology is not immaculate. The BMW models that have been experiencing the problem of the NFC tray not working consist of the 330i, M340i, 330e, the x5, and x7 models, and it is regrettable to report that all of these models were going to have wireless charging. However, due to a parts shortage issue, a lot of these models do not have wireless charging capability. This is very unfortunate and inconvenient for BMW’s customers. You may have heard about the chip shortage that has gripped the throat of many manufacturers, both device makers, and vehicle manufacturers alike. BMW is not exempt from this shortage either. It is estimated that car manufacturers built 2 million fewer cars last year in contrast to 2019 (the last pre-pandemic year.) With this in mind, if the model of your BMW was manufactured in the year 2019, it is likely that it does have wireless charging capability. Any BMW model manufactured after the year 2019 does not have wireless charging due to the microchip shortage. See, a wireless charging mat requires two microchips in order to function correctly, one being the master control chip and the other being a microchip WP300TX01. Essentially, the master control chip pairs with the WP300TX01 chip, and the WP300TX01 microchip is what is referred to as a fixed function device, or FFD for short. As previously mentioned, the wireless charging mat needs these microchips to function, and since there is a shortage of microchips, the BMW manufacturers cannot keep up with demand. Therefore the wireless charger typically underneath the infotainment center of the BMW cannot be included in the build.
Fix 1 – Check With the Dealership/Manufacturer to See If You Have Wireless Charging
An excellent way to both answer this issue and confirm if your BMW model has a wireless charger is to either contact the manufacturer or check with the dealership you purchased the BMW vehicle from, or you could also do both to make sure you are getting the accurate and correct information.
2. Your Phone Doesn’t Support Wireless Charging
This problem could be caused by your phone not supporting wireless charging; with that said, BMW’s wireless charger uses the Qi standard for its charging solution. All Qi-enabled smartphones, including the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, can be charged on BMW’s wireless charger. An easy way to find out if your phone supports Qi wireless charging is to look for the Qi logo on your device, and if you still have the packaging for your phone, you can also check for the Qi logo on the packaging. If your phone is being charged by the wireless charger, it will typically be shown by a charging icon beside your phone on the infotainment center display, and the LED light will show blue for charging and then turn green when your device is completely charged.
3. There’s An Issue With Your BMW
As you may know, BMW manufactures innovative luxury cars, SUVs, Sedans, etc. And they also own the famous, high-quality car manufacturing company Rolls-Royce. Knowing this, you would think that BMW’s tech would be top-tier stuff. However, the infotainment system is also susceptible to errors, bugs, malfunctions, and or glitches. With that said, the issue of the BMW’s NFC tray (wireless charger) not working could be an issue that could stem from the BMW’s computer system. Luckily, there are ways to fix these types of problems, and we have some right here to help you out with finding an answer.
Fix 1 – Perform a Soft Reset
An excellent way to help with an issue such as this with your infotainment system is to perform a soft reset. This helps refresh the system essentially and can help the system reprocess any requests being made. When you set your phone in the wireless charging station (the slot below the infotainment center), it triggers the magnetic energy field that charges your device; the NFC tray (wireless charger) is powered by the infotainment center. Therefore, if you perform a soft reset on the infotainment system, it can also help the wireless charger and its processes.
- First, ensure your BMW is in the standby state, meaning the power is on, but the engine is not running.
- Then after, press and hold down on the volume button or knob for at least 30 seconds.
- After the 30 seconds have passed, simply press the volume button or knob one time again to turn the infotainment system back on. You will see the BMW logo appear when it has powered on. That is how to perform a soft reset on your BMW’s infotainment system, and this should clear up the issue you have been experiencing.
Fix 2 – Perform Master Reset
There are occasions when a problem with the BMW’s infotainment system can call for you to perform a Master Reset; this very well could be one of those occasions. See, it is good to try a soft reset first as this is only powering off the system, restarting, and back on, which can help with general issues such as sluggish performance or errors. With a Master Reset, it powers off the system and restores it to its factory settings; also, in this process, all data and information will be purged from the system settings, which is why this method should be a last resort. However, this method can also truly help the system by putting it back to its factory settings and refreshing its processes essentially.
- First, make sure your BMW is in standby mode, meaning that the power is on, but the engine is not running.
- After that, on your BMW’s infotainment display screen, go to and select the “Car” option.
- Then select the “Settings” option; after reaching the next page, you will want to tap on the “General Settings” option.
- Next, scroll all the way down to the “Reset Vehicle Data” option and select it.
- This will prompt a confirmation message, which you will want to “Confirm.”
- The infotainment system will restart immediately after you confirm the action. Note: If your settings are saved in your profile that is synchronized with your ConnectedDrive account, your settings will be retained in the ConnectedDrive account. That is how you perform a Master Reset on your BMW’s infotainment system, and this should help with any issues you may be experiencing with the infotainment system and or the NFC tray.
Fix 3 – Perform Cycle key
When experiencing this issue with your BMW’s infotainment system, similar to the soft reset and the master reset, it can also help to perform a Cycle Key. This is another method of essentially restarting the system and reassessing its processes. This can certainly help the system and could possibly be the answer to the problem you have been experiencing. 2. Using the key, turn the ignition switch to the “On” position, then within 5 seconds, turn the ignition switch back to the “Off” position and then remove the key from the cylinder. 3. Next, press and hold the “Unlock” button on the key. 4. While you are holding the unlock button, press and release the “Lock” button three times within ten seconds. 5. Let go of the “Unlock” button. 6. If you have done this correctly, then all of the locks will be engaged and released in rapid succession. (If this does not occur, then you will have to start over from the beginning.) That is how you perform a Cycle Key with your BMW, and this could be the answer to the occurring issue.
Fix 4 – Wait For A Few Days
Sometimes when encountering an issue like this, it can be best to give it a few days to correct itself simply. It may sound outlandish, but this is a viable option to answer this situation. Think about it, and if you continue to use your BMW vehicle throughout these days, it will be turned off and on, and it will be locked and unlocked; you will most likely use the infotainment center for directions/navigating. This gives it plenty of time and activity for it to recognize any problems in its system and or processes; typically, the advanced system should notice any issues and correct them accordingly. On that note, the answer to this problem very well could be patience.
4. Your Phone Case Is Interfering
Almost all of us have cell phones and also use a protective case, and why not? Most phone cases offer protection from impacts for when you might drop your phone, or perhaps it slides off of a balcony railing, or maybe your ex gets a hold of it and decides to throw it out of anger, whatever the scenario may be, the case protects your phone. There are even some phone cases that are waterproof/spillproof; there are some made of pure steel, some made from wood, and some even made from bamboo. Almost any kind of case you can think of is probably available somewhere.
Fix 1 – Take Your Phone Case Off
As good as your phone case does for you and your device, it can also cause issues, such as interfering with specific connections. This very well could be the problem you are experiencing; as previously stated, there are many incredibly durable phone cases available for purchase. With this in mind, your phone case could be interfering with the NFC (Near-Field Communication) tray that is underneath the infotainment center. It may be annoying and or inconvenient to do every time, but if you believe this to be the problem, you will want to remove the phone case. It can be anxiety-inducing for some to take the case off of your phone and expose it to the elements; however, in this scenario, it will only be while you are using the NFC tray inside your BMW vehicle.
5. There’s A Bug on Your iPhone
It is possible that you’re experiencing this problem due to a bug in your phone. You may be wondering, “How did a bug get into my phone?” and while it is a hilarious thought, we do not mean a literal insect bug. Instead, we suggest a technical bug. The term “bug” is a blanket word for an error, a malfunction, and or a glitch in a computer program. In this scenario, the bug would be the malfunction of your device not working correctly with the wireless charger in your BMW. Luckily, we have some handy fixes for such an occasion which you will find by reading onward.
Fix 1 – Force Restart Your iPhone
One valid solution to this bug issue is to force restart your phone; you may be thinking, “Well, can’t I just restart my phone?” this is a good practice when encountering problems with your device or even if you are not. It is more effective to force restart your phone. This will basically refresh your phone and its processes, not to mention also close out all of those running background apps eating up your RAM (Random-Access Memory.) Also, this process is relatively straightforward and not too time-consuming. If you are on your iPhone, you can force restart by: Press and quickly release the volume up button, then immediately and quickly press and release the volume down button, then press and hold down the side power/screen lock button. When the Apple logo appears, release the button. This will force a restart of your iPhone and could undoubtedly answer the issue you have been having. If you are on your Android, you can force restart your device by: You will want to simultaneously press and hold down the power and volume down buttons for more than seven seconds. This will force a restart of your Android and should resolve the present issue.
Fix 2 – Update Phone
It is always a good idea to keep your phone updated, as updates offer critical software updates and even features. This very well could help you in this current situation. See, updates bring along nothing but good things for your device and you as well. Not only do updates typically offer fixes to common and reported problems, but they can also bring needed security updates that will help keep you and your device safe. Whenever you have an available update, you should always download it right away, though usually, it is preferable to do so over a WiFi network so as not to eat up your mobile service data. If you are using an iPhone, you can update your phone by following these steps:
- Firstly, you will want to plug your phone into a charger and preferably connect to a WiFi network, then open your iPhone and go to the Settings app.
- Proceed to and select the “General” option.
- After, locate and tap on “Software Update.”
- You may see two software update options, and you will want to select the one you would like to install, then select “Install Now.”
- This will update your iPhone to the latest software update and could very much help. If you are using an Android, you also can update your phone by following these easy steps.
- First, starting at your Android home screen, you will want to go to and open your Settings app.
- Then scroll down, and near the bottom, you will find the option “System” select it.
- After that, select the “System Update” option. You can view the status of your update, and you should follow any steps given on the screen. Following these steps will update your Android and will typically clear up most issues.
Fix 3 – Factory Reset Phone
Sometimes these issues can reach the point of having to factory reset your phone, and this can be a bummer since it will remove all of your data, content, and installed apps. With that said, you can sync and back up your information and data before performing the factory reset; if you are on an iPhone, you can use iCloud; this will preserve everything that you choose to back up data, information, and apps. There is a reason why this should be a last resort for answering a problem on your phone.
Fix 4 – Contact Apple
When having issues like this with your iPhone, sometimes it can be best to go to the professionals and those who know how best to mend the problem at hand. Also, you can quite easily contact Apple for support and assistance with any issue you may have with your iPhone. You can call Apple technical support at these phone numbers: (US) 1-800-275-2273
6. The Phone is Positioned Incorrectly
It is very possible that all of this trouble could be caused by you simply not positioning your phone in the NFC tray correctly, which is actually very easy to do, as many of us are busy bees running around focusing on multiple things at once. Hence, it is all too easy to do something so little incorrectly.
Fix 1 – Make Sure the Phone is Position Correctly
To position your phone on the NFC tray in your BMW, you will want to gently place the phone with its backside down on the NFC tray, then check on your infotainment display beside where your phone should be shown and see if it shows a charging icon. There is also a blue LED light that should turn on when you place your phone on the NFC tray, and when your phone is fully charged, the LED light should show green. Also, if you have a phone case on your phone, it would be wise to remove it while using the NFC tray. BMW is making some incredible moves in the technology meets transportation landscape, and their advancements are admirable as they are focusing on making the owner’s life easier. You cannot blame BMW for the microchip shortage, and there are some that have predicted that the shortage will last through the year 2023; knowing this, it is safe to assume that BMW will not be adding NFC trays to any upcoming models. With all of that said, practice some patience with the technology within the BMW vehicle since it is still technology; therefore, it is susceptible to bugs, malfunctions, and glitches like any other piece of technology. BMWs are incredible and luxurious vehicles, so even if your BMW does not boast an NFC tray, you should still enjoy it for all it is worth. We hope you found the answer to your tech problem within this article and or learned something along the way, and if you did learn something, you could share the knowledge by sharing this article with your friends and or family. Also, if you did find an interesting bit of tech knowledge, you could possibly help out a friend that may not have known that information. Remember, keep your devices and apps on your devices updated and the app caches cleared to ensure optimal performance from your devices and applications.
