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iPhone 12 Pro Max and charging

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I have 3 Mophie QI chargers (of various configs such as a watch and phone charger, small disk one, etc.), a Samsung QI one, a few generic ones and not a single one works with any of the 3 iPhone 12 Pro Max phones we have in the household. They will initially show a charge but after about seconds, stop charging. It hasn't improved regardless of IOS version.

Each of these chargers works fine with the 4 iPhone XS Max phones and every Samsung phone that supports wireless charging. My latest Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra works with no issues in my MY, on either side, even in its case.

My intent was not to get into a pissing match about whose chargers are right, but to say that the position of the charging coils within the phone and the charger matter more on the Pro Max than on other ones.
 
Not arguing, just explaining how few chargers seem to work with my iPhone 12 Pro Max. It has been driving me crazy. I had QI chargers all around the house and only the Magsafe one seems to work. It really pisses me off to be honest. I have tried moving them millimeter by millimeter and no luck. It is like a hyper directional antenna.

I called up Mophie tech support when I sent back a few of their chargers for not working. Seems like I am not the only one has this issue. I thought if I could find some way it would work, I would put masking tape for the exact position to lay it down each time. My patience was exhausted after moving the phone around like a ouija board for 30 minutes and gave up. It shouldn't be this bad when my XS Max worked fine and was pretty relaxed about where I set it to charge.

If have found one that consistently works, besides magsafe, let me know as I'll buy one immediately.
 
Not arguing, just explaining how few chargers seem to work with my iPhone 12 Pro Max. It has been driving me crazy. I had QI chargers all around the house and only the Magsafe one seems to work. It really pisses me off to be honest. I have tried moving them millimeter by millimeter and no luck. It is like a hyper directional antenna.

I called up Mophie tech support when I sent back a few of their chargers for not working. Seems like I am not the only one has this issue. I thought if I could find some way it would work, I would put masking tape for the exact position to lay it down each time. My patience was exhausted after moving the phone around like a ouija board for 30 minutes and gave up. It shouldn't be this bad when my XS Max worked fine and was pretty relaxed about where I set it to charge.

If have found one that consistently works, besides magsafe, let me know as I'll buy one immediately.

This is what I use on my home desk and bedside: Amazon.com: Anker Wireless Charger, PowerPort Wireless 5 Stand, Qi-Certified, Compatible iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XR, XS Max, XS, X, 8, 8 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S20 S10 S9 S8, Note 10 Note 9 (No AC Adapter) It works for iPhone 8 and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Found my Amazon order for the one that doesn't work, but the link to the product link (like the charger :)) doesn't work. It was made my Turbot and is the same size as the Anker one above. However, to get the 12 Pro Max to charge, I have to place it one it upside down which is why I think it is about position of the coils within the phone, not anything Apple does in the firmware for basic Qi charging.

Are you Mophie chargers basic Qi chargers or ones that support higher level charging? I have a theory that those that support some version of higher level charging can expose firmware bugs (on either side) which is what causes the problems.
 
Torras case ( TORRAS Diamonds Series Compatible with iPhone 12 Pro Max Case 6.7 inch 2020, Slim Fit Thin Shockproof Hard Plastic Back & Flexible Bumper Case, Clear Amazon.com: TORRAS Diamonds Series Compatible for iPhone 12 Pro Max Case, 5X Military Grade Shockproof, Slim Thin Ultra Clear Hard Back & TPU Bumper Compatible for iPhone 12 Pro Max Phone Case, Transparent : Cell Phones & Accessories) on Amazon works but only after installing the Jeda spacer. Interestingly my wife has same phone but bought the Spigen case and it won’t work even with the spacer.

SMH
What a mess.

Just received my Torras case (not the Diamond Series but the TPU version instead) and my iPhone 12 Pro Max charges with the slim Torras case on, no issues. It gets hot with the case on and charges pretty slow (about 1% per 4-5 minutes) but it works on our 2021 MY with the updated console, no spacers needed. It is not hot enough to burn my hand but the phone back gets very warm, about the same level of heat as my other Qi charger on my nightstand so nothing out of the ordinary.

 
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That’s interesting. I thought the 13 Pro Max is same height and width but a tad thicker than the 12 Pro Max. My 12 Pro Max fits fine with a case and charges in vertical orientation.

I upgraded to the 13 pro max from an 8+.
I’ve tried numerous cases with this new phone with mixed results including varied results on driver/passenger side of the charging pad.
Regardless of orientation, the charger was not consistent
I had mobile service come out and they replicated the problem (with two of their own phones) and replaced the charging pad free of cost.
Unfortunately, there was no improvement at all. Needless to say this intermittent success is very frustrating. I don't have time/patience to fiddle with the charging pad. I relented and purchased 2 USB-C to lightning cords to use for the time being.

iphone cases.JPG
 
I upgraded to the 13 pro max from an 8+.
I’ve tried numerous cases with this new phone with mixed results including varied results on driver/passenger side of the charging pad.
Regardless of orientation, the charger was not consistent
I had mobile service come out and they replicated the problem (with two of their own phones) and replaced the charging pad free of cost.
Unfortunately, there was no improvement at all. Needless to say this intermittent success is very frustrating. I don't have time/patience to fiddle with the charging pad. I relented and purchased 2 USB-C to lightning cords to use for the time being.

View attachment 718936
Sorry to hear about your issues with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and various cases. With my 12 Pro Max wirelessly charging works every time with a Torras Crystal Clear case, except the phone would overheat to the point that the screen dimmed to the lowest brightness and I couldn’t see what was displayed until the phone cooled off.

I replaced the case with the Torras SlimFit that you also tried. However the slim fit is working great for me. It wirelessly charges and does not overheat. Despite everything working, I still rely on a lightning cable in the Y for truly fast charging.
 
That’s interesting. I thought the 13 Pro Max is same height and width but a tad thicker than the 12 Pro Max. My 12 Pro Max fits fine with a case and charges in vertical orientation.
Well, I found out it was the case. It's thicker but offers better protection. So yeah, iPhone 13 pro max does charge vertical. But it could have probably been nice if I got the other charging pads that offer horizontal charging, since pro max is easier to set down that way.

If I take off the case, it did charge. I jumped to conclusions too soon b/c all my past iPhone X cases wirelessly charged but probably wasn't as thick as this iPhone 13 case.

But the iPhone 13 Pro Max has such good battery life that I could go without a charge. I can't get the charge to go under 50% after a normal full day use and I get home around 9-12am. iPhone X I had to rely on the wireless charge.
 
I don’t have any trouble with my wireless pads, but if I want something charged more quickly I use this cable that I bought on Amazon.

TEMAI Tesla Model 3/Y Wall Connector Style PD Fast Charging Cable (USB-C to Lighting)​

My wireless pad works for iPhone 13 pro max. The case was too thick and didn't support wireless charging. But still a challenge to put the Pro Max vertically its a tight / exact fit. Would have been nice if I had the charger that allowed horizontal orientation.

But thankfully my iPhone 13 pro max has such good battery life I can only use 20-30% of its battery a day. I got that wireless charger back when I had an iPhone X and always tried to top off its charge.
 
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Alright, as promised, the updated spacer STL for the 2020 Model Y. Tested with a 12 Pro Max and both the Apple silicone and leather cases over bumps and rough terrain. Looks solid. Offered free for non-commercial use.

2020 Model Y wireless charging phone spacer by Gizmotoy
Recently upgraded to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Can confirm this spacer still works with both the phone without a case, and in Apple's leather case.
 
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