I have a 2021 GLS 580. When I bought the car, I was using an Apple iPhone 11 Pro, and it fit well in the charging cradle with an Apple leather case and actually did charge, although slowly. I just bought an iPhone 14 Pro. It fits fine in the charging cradle with an Apple leather case, but will not charge. The charging icon on the phone turns green momentarily and then goes back to white. I think that the larger camera lenses on the 14 Pro prevent the phone from laying flat on the charging pad, but I am still trying to figure out why it does not work. I have a several years old Belkin charging pad on my desk, and the 14 Pro does not lie flat on that pad either because of the camera lenses, but it charges just fine.

I would like to discuss this issue further with anyone who has purchased an iPhone 14 Pro.

 

Are you not using wired CarPlay?
if you do, then your phone would be charging while connected anyway, no?

For me, I find the wireless charging cradle completely useless. Just awful location to get the phone in & out. and besides, if I have to use the CarPlay wired, I don't understand the need for cradle....

 

I use a vent mount MagSafe for holding and charging my iPhone 13. It's connected to one of the USB ports. Very simple and clean and stable.

 

I have: 2021 GLS63; iPhone 14 Pro Max; Apple leather case.
Phone fits in cradle and charges.

 

The problem isn't related to the iPhone design. I have a 2021 GLS580 and ran into the same issue. It's an easy fix that just requires a MBUX software update. If you do some reading online you'll see that it's not a totally uncommon issue with our car.

Take your car in for service, describe the problem, and tell them that you need a software update. My MB service agent tried to tell me that the problem was related to iPhone hardware before even looking at the car, so don't let them turn you away without investigating. I had to insist they check. Haven't had an issue with wireless charging since the update.

 

Thanks for the information, Neetorama. I am going to call my dealer right now, but I bet that I will get the same response that you got initially. Do you happen to have a MBUX update number or some other way to identify the update?

 

It's been a few months, so I don't have the update number. I think this is the thread where I originally discovered the need for a software update.

https://mbworld.org/forums/gle-class...g-issue-4.html

They reference MB bulletin LI82.70-P-073025 dated 8/9/21, though I'm not sure if this is the same update my car got.

 

Is there any way to tell if you have this upgrade applied to your car without taking it to the dealer (we live 5 hours from our dealer) ?

 

Thanks for the responses. I called my dealer, who told me that I already have the latest and greatest update installed in my 580. It was the MBUX multimedia system update in August 2021 that dealt with the screen going black - actually a recall because when the screen went black, there was no backup camera, which is now required equipment. Anyway, that update was installed in my car on 8/5/21. PhilipHanser, you can see if you have the update by opening the MercedesME Connect App on your phone, pressing the car icon on the bottom of the screen and then pressing Over-the-Air vehicle updates. The update should be listed there and should have been done in August 2021. You can also see the updates on the multimedia system in the car. I think it is in drop down menus under the system icon on the far right.

Neetorama, it looks like we both have the same update and further that the update that was applied to my car could not have addressed any charging issue with the iPhone 14 Pro because that phone was not released until September 16, 2022. So if you got an update that was later than August 2021, my dealer knows nothing about it. Such an update would have had to have been issued in the last couple of weeks to address the issue with the new phone.

So for the moment:
1. The iPhone 14 Pro will not charge in the Mercedes inductive charging cradle without any case on it.
2. It wil not charge with an Apple leather case with MagSafe
3. It will not charge with a Tendlin leather case without any magnets in it (no MagSafe)
The best that the phone will do is show the phone charging icon green for just long enough for the Multimedia display to report "Wireless Charging Started." Then the battery icon on the phone goes back to white. Several minutes later the Multimedia system advises "Wireless inductive charging not possible. Remove objects from inductive charging cradle." My previous iPhone 11 Pro charged in the car cradle just fine and the new iPhone 14 Pro charges just great in the three old Qi chargers that I have around the house. So Apple changed something in the way that the 14 Pro phone charger works to create an incompatibility. I guess that I will go back to Apple for more answers.

 

My iPhone 11 Pro Max charged without issue as well. I began experiencing the same issue you describe when I upgraded from my 11 to a 13 Pro Max. The behavior was exactly the same -- the head unit would display "Wireless Charging Started" followed by the "Wireless inductive charging not possible" message a short time later.

The thread I linked you to discusses an identical issue with the 12 Pro Max. I discovered it while troubleshooting my 13 Pro Max. I willing to put money on your issue being the same. If you have access to an iPhone 12 or 13 try charging it in the inductive cradle. I bet you'll run into the exact same issue you're seeing with your 14 Pro.

Like I said earlier, my dealer claimed the issue was related to the phone right off the bat...they may have been right. The issue could originate with the phone. But maybe not. I don't know and it doesn't matter. What I do know for certain is some change was introduced by either MB or Apple between the release of the iPhone 11 and 12 that's causing the issue, and it can be corrected by your dealer via software update. Press them on it and insist on bringing it in. Your car should still be under warranty so tell them you want to get it checked out. Because you're not the only one with an iPhone 12, 13 or 14...your dealer may not know much about it, but this is very much a known issue to MB. And they have a fix.

 

I neglected to add that I have sent two emails to MB customer service about the issue. No reply. An Apple “senior advisor” is to call me in the morning. Maybe they can explain what changes they made to the phone to make it incompatible with the MB inductive charging cradle.

 

By the way, did your dealer even bother looking up MB bulletin I shared? Did you?

LI82.70-P-073025
Insufficient charging or no wireless charging with iPhone 12

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...05804-9999.pdf

https://www.tsbsearch.com/Mercedes-B...82-70-P-073025

 

Thanks. I will get that Xentry Tips Bulletin to the dealer this morning. Isn't it ridiculous that the customers know more about the car than the dealer? The dealer should have conducted that software upgrade the last time my car was in for service.

 

Let us know how this goes. I have an iPhone 14Pro on its way to me from China to replace an iPhone XS, which works fine in my 2020 GL580. I will also print and keep the documents handy neetorama just in case.

 

You are absolutely right that the larger camera bump on the 14 Pro is the culprit as it prevents full flat contact with the charging coil in the cradle and even a tiny gap breaks the wireless connection. First try removing the leather case entirely and charging with no case at all. If that does not work look into a MagSafe compatible cradle insert designed specifically for the iPhone 14 Pro dimensions as several aftermarket options exist for Mercedes consoles. Also check if a Mercedes software update is available as some GLS owners reported wireless charging improvements after updates!

 

I have a 17 Pro Max in a TechWoven case that fits and charges without any issues.

 

2020 gls 580 with iPhone 14 Pro Max but with a hard case not leather, no problems and I have never had problems with it.

As I understand it the charging pad in a maintainer not a charger. It has a relatively Low watt charge. The plug in is twice as strong and actually charges.

The pad is only to maintain the battery while you are streaming CarPlay to the car

could be wrong please correct if so.