Is the wireless charger working for anyone?

2023 model. Wireless will not work with my iPhone 15Pro. It will charge my wife's iPhone SE Gen3. That said, my phone did charge in my 2020 Prius Prime and my wife's new CRV Hybrid - both with flat pad. Back to cables for any long trips.

 

Do you have the iPhone in a case? A lot of people like @jonnybonz are reporting it does not work consistently if the iPhone is in a case. This is a major downer for me, assuming the behaviour of the 2024 Prius and 2025 Prius is the same.

 

Yes I have it in a case. Originally had a Otter Box Defender but it would not charge with that case. Now I use a BodyGuardz Ace Pro and it charges fine.

 

I'm back to add some info. I have discovered that standing the phone up in the charger and plugging it into the C port works great for long trips. I don't routinely charge the phone except overnight. It is a Samsung 20 in an otterbox case without the clip part. It charges fine in the slot (have to scoot it around a little sometimes), it just is too hot for comfort for me. In addition, I have some minor issues with Android Auto disconnecting and then refusing to reconnect unless I plug in the phone, and it is too inconvenient to do that if it is in the slot. (plug it in, let it connect, unplug and it works fine). Like I have said in the past I WILL FIGURE out this system.

Does anyone else have a specific spot in a regular drive that disconnects the Android Auto every time you drive past it? Just asking.

 

I have the LE, so I don't have the charger, but I put it in the slot, and ran a cable into the armrest, which BARELY sticks out when not in use. It works well for us!

 

It worked for my Samsung S10e but I had to turn off fast wireless charging or it heated up too much and the phone would shut down. My Samsung s22 seems to charge OK with it though.

 

I initially experienced the same issue with the wireless charger. My Samsung S22 w/ thin case would not charge consistently while placed inside the wireless charger. The orange indicator light for the wireless charger would blink, indicating an error. Once I ordered rubber insert liners from Amazon and placed them on the bottom of the wireless charger, it fixed the problem for me. My theory is that the slight elevation of the rubber liner made the phone sit in a better position inside the charger, enabling it to charge. I hope you find a solution!

 

If you gals and guys find a reliable solution for the most recent iPhones in cases, that may sway my decision, but this wireless charging problem alone is enough to make me think of the Camry Hybrid AWD instead of the Prius Hybrid AWD or Prius Prime.

The only thing is that here in Canada the Prius Prime gets a $5000 rebate, which is pretty enticing. That means at the top trim, it's actually cheaper than the Prius Hybrid AWD. I would really like to get that AWD though, as I live at the bottom of a hill. Truth be told, my current 2012 FWD Prius Plug-In manages fine 360 days a year, but my wife's RAV4 Hybrid AWD does better those few remaining days of the year.

 

I've pretty much given up on wireless charging in the Prius, given how easy it is to do reliable wired charging from an outlet inside the console box. Wireless charging is comparatively inefficient and generates enough extra heat that charging is subject to shut off even with a good connection.

The cable run from the console box is very short; if you use a black or grey cable, it will be practically invisible over its short exposed section.

 

I have a MagSafe wireless magnetic charger mount in my 2012 Plug-in Prius and it's great. When the PiP had to go into shop for months after a collision and I was driving around in a rental car with wired Apple CarPlay, I realized I really dislike wired phone connections in the car. I often forget it's attached, and I try to leave the car with it still attached, which is not good. It may be because I'm an idiot, but even after several months, I was still making the same mistake.

 

I find the wireless charging works ”fine” as far as recognizing my iPhone (in a case) when I insert it in the slot, however I find the charge rate is very low and the heating up of the phone is very high, so most of the time I just plug in a USB, which is too bad. I am sure the heat is slowing down the charge rate, but it’s also an old iPhone (xR), which struggles to do it’s three simultaneous jobs of running CarPlay, audio streaming (Apple Music, iHeart or podcasts) and whichever nav I feel like using (usually Apple Maps, sometimes Waze, rarely Google).

So instead of using the wireless charger, I had kept my seat-rail mounted phone holder (on the passenger seat), so I still have my phone mounted near the cup holders when I am driving anywhere outside of my neighborhood, and when running a nav it provides a nice second screen that always shows upcoming turns, which is convenient, particularly on road trips or traveling somewhere unfamiliar. I use the wireless charger occasionally for a short trip or whatever, but I don’t rely on it.

I think the “toaster” design is an excellent idea, but I think Toyota made a major oversight by not including some fans in the slot to help with cooling when a phone is inserted. I mean, everyone seems to report similar performance/heat issues, did they not do any QA testing on this feature before releasing?

 

My 23 Prius Prime Limited charges for a few minutes, then nothing. I use cables for a iPhone 15 Pro Max

 

Wireless charging has been pretty reliable for us. We use phone cases, although they're not very bulky ones.

The only time it didn't work is when I accidentally hit that tiny power button inside and had no idea that it existed, so basically thought it completely broke

 

Which phones?

 

My apologies, but this reasoning always astonishes me. Needing to use a $15 cable or not is the trigger between choosing two completely different vehicles? The difference in fuel economy, the $4000+ difference in MSRP, the vastly different shape and trunk space don't matter? It's just if you need to take 3 seconds to plug in a cable, assuming you even need to charge your phone on your commute? My head spins.

 

Yes, call me crazy but having to plug in the phone in the car just irritates me. I had a rental car a few months like that and I just never got used to it. Mind you in that car it was to access wired Apple CarPlay and not just for charging. I suppose I could just use wireless CarPlay in a Prius without charging most of the time. I could also theoretically do what I’ve done in the 2012 Plug-In, which is to install a MagSafe charger on a stand. Also I wonder if an iPhone plus case plus MagSafe charger would fit in that charging slot, without using the charging aspect of the slot. Or it could go somewhere else.

So, is it a deal killer? No, but it’s a consideration. I think Toyota really screwed up here. They didn’t think this one through. However, I do wonder if the slot inserts really do help. I hear that at least one PriusChat member has had success with it.

BTW, I sometimes fit more in the trunk of my rental Kia Forte in its 15.3 cubic feet trunk than I usually do with my Prius Plug-In. How can that be? Well technically the 2012 Prius Plug-In holds a lot more at 21.6 cubic feet, but the issue is that the front-back depth of the cargo space of the Prius is much less. The advantage of the Prius is the height of the cargo space for big objects, but that rental Kia’s trunk was much deeper which helped when transporting a lot of short things. For bigger things I’m better off using my wife’s RAV4 anyway. The thing I wonder about though is if I could fit four wheels inside a Camry, for those seasonal wheel changes. It would be annoying having to use the wife’s RAV4 to transport the wheels for my car as that would require two trips to the shop.

EDIT: I see online you can fit 2 wheels in the Camry trunk and 2 in the back seat (with protective covers).

 

iPhones, albeit older models. 11 pluses and a 10. All with cases but not very thick.

 

2024 PP XSE Premium, iPhone 13 Pro Max in a MagSafe case. Seems to hold battery level but does not gain much charge in the phone. And yes, it heats the phone up considerably. Disappointing, it gives me the impression that it’s not worth using. Thinking maybe there is a way to modify the phone pocket to swap out the OEM Qi charger with an Apple MagSafe charger plugged into the usb port in the armrest. But a little hesitant to start modding my new baby I’ve only had for a week

 

if memory serves, on our Gen4 Prius (no longer own it), my iPhone 13 Pro (not Max) wouldn’t charge with a MagSafe case but would with a non-MagSafe case.

 

What does this area look like without the charger? I wish mine didn't have it.. I don't even know how much extra I paid for this, considering I do not use it. My iPhone 11 Pro Max is too big for it, especially with the case on.