When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I feels to me like Mercedes documentation is getting worse as the cars get more complex :-(
I have paired my iPhone 11 Pro max to my NFC pad and to Bluetooth. With these connections, I expected to be able to play music from my iPhone through my 2021 GLC63 that I picked up last week. From what I see from the documentation, I have to plug it into the 'pairing' connector right next to the NFC pad. That would seem to obviate the need for the NFC pad since the iPhone charges when it is plugged in anyway. There used to be a separate "Command" reference that came with the cars that went into more detail for simpler/fewer interfaces.
First off, forget the NFC. With the iPhone, the NFC has no function. It's just there to simplify Bluetooth pairing, but iOS doesn't support it. You actually might wanna turn it off in the settings as in my case it occasionally triggered Apple Pay, when I was trying to put the phone on the wireless charger. But once you have your phone paired via Bluetooth which sounds like you've done successfully, then you are all set. Now just go to Media and select Bluetooth as the audio source and then start playing music on your phone and it will play over the car's speaker. You will also get album art, artist and track information on the display. If you plug in your phone you would normally use Apple CarPlay. It should ask you the first time you plug in your phone if you want to activate CarPlay. That's an entire different game if you are not familiar with what CarPlay is, but it essentially mirrors your phone onto the car's display with a UI optimized for in-car use. Apps that support CarPlay will show up on the CarPlay home screen and you can lunch them from there and they will again display a car optimized UI. There are only certain categories of apps that work over CarPlay. Mapping/navigation, music and messaging apps mostly. With the latest iOS you also get the calendar and can start navigating directly to a calendar appointment. Third-party mapping/navigation apps are also supported now, so many use this for Waze or Google Maps instead of the built-in navigation
First off, forget the NFC. With the iPhone, the NFC has no function. It's just there to simplify Bluetooth pairing, but iOS doesn't support it. You actually might wanna turn it off in the settings as in my case it occasionally triggered Apple Pay, when I was trying to put the phone on the wireless charger. But once you have your phone paired via Bluetooth which sounds like you've done successfully, then you are all set. Now just go to Media and select Bluetooth as the audio source and then start playing music on your phone and it will play over the car's speaker. You will also get album art, artist and track information on the display. If you plug in your phone you would normally use Apple CarPlay. It should ask you the first time you plug in your phone if you want to activate CarPlay. That's an entire different game if you are not familiar with what CarPlay is, but it essentially mirrors your phone onto the car's display with a UI optimized for in-car use. Apps that support CarPlay will show up on the CarPlay home screen and you can lunch them from there and they will again display a car optimized UI. There are only certain categories of apps that work over CarPlay. Mapping/navigation, music and messaging apps mostly. With the latest iOS you also get the calendar and can start navigating directly to a calendar appointment. Third-party mapping/navigation apps are also supported now, so many use this for Waze or Google Maps instead of the built-in navigation
How do you turn off NFC? It’s very annoying it triggers Apple Pay anytime the phone is place in the vicinity.
Thanks everyone. I had mistakenly thought that the limitation with the iPhone had been fixed. I suppose the only real incremental value for NFC is that I can use music apps to play in the car without plugging it in and charging at the same time. I listen to Tidal which also allows me to download to the iPhone so I am not sensitive to cellular interruptions. Not much of an increment, but I am looking for some silver lining here :-)
Does charging rate improve if the iPhone is plugged in and it is on the NFC pad? I suspect not...
While I am at it, it is good to see that MB finally got rid of the relatively small 10GB internal disk. I don't see a place for an SD card which is a loss. I expect I can plug a thumb drive in one of the usb slots in the car but in the glove box it might get knocked out, or takes the usb space we have been talking about for Apple Car Play.
Thanks everyone. I had mistakenly thought that the limitation with the iPhone had been fixed. I suppose the only real incremental value for NFC is that I can use music apps to play in the car without plugging it in and charging at the same time. I listen to Tidal which also allows me to download to the iPhone so I am not sensitive to cellular interruptions. Not much of an increment, but I am looking for some silver lining here :-)
Does charging rate improve if the iPhone is plugged in and it is on the NFC pad? I suspect not...
While I am at it, it is good to see that MB finally got rid of the relatively small 10GB internal disk. I don't see a place for an SD card which is a loss. I expect I can plug a thumb drive in one of the usb slots in the car but in the glove box it might get knocked out, or takes the usb space we have been talking about for Apple Car Play.
Just to be clear NFC and wireless charging are two different things. The NFC reader is not in the wireless charging pad. Yes, the NFC reader is essentially useless with an iPhone and you should be able to turn it off in the connectivity settings. The charging pad is a different story. It works with any device that supports the Qi standard. It charges at a slower rate than when plugged in, though. The maximum wireless charging rate is 7.5 watts that the iPhone is capable of with a fully compatible charging pad, but I don't know if the MB one supports 7.5W. It may only do 5W. For comparison, the new USB-C fast charger from Apple does 29W. The standard iPhone adapter is only 5W, but you can use the iPad adapter which charges at 12W. Not sure what the USB port in the car is capable of to be honest. Worst is USB-A on computer where you can only draw 2.5W.
In the case of an iPhone though, I think the only value of the NFC pad in my car is that I don't have to plug it in to charge, though I might get a better charge rate with USB, though as you point out, we don't know the exact rate for the USB port near the NFC pad. Looking for the silver lining..... If I put the iPhone on the pad, it does not move around or rattle :-)
Correct, the wireless charging pad makes for convenient charging. Even though I optioned it in my car, I don't really use it, though. I don't normally charge my phone in the car. Frequently charging or keeping the charge level above 80% reduces the battery life much quicker, so I generally only charge my phone overnight, but I got it in case I or one of my passengers needs to charge the phone.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
