Is the wireless charging pad useless?

674 Views 20 Replies 11 Participants Last post by DFranch, 11 d ago

JMK32

Discussion Starter · 16 d ago

Just started using the wireless charging pad in my '23 GT-Line after having the car 2 weeks after I bought a wireless Android Auto plug in yesterday so I wouldn't have to plug phone in all the time, and the charging pad barely charges at all and makes my phone (Samsung S23 Ultra) very hot.

Besides needing to put something under my phone to get it at the right height for the charging pad to even work (or put it in upside down), I did a test today with and without a case and the phone either only went up 1% after 30 or so minutes, or stayed the same percentage after 30 minutes. That's really bad.

Is anyone experiencing any sort of quick charge with the pad? You'd think in a 2023 model they'd have a quick charge pad. Or is mine defective?

Guess I'll need to go back to a quick charge plug in for the 12v port and do wired change again...

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LONEWOLF

· #2 · 16 d ago

My phone doesn't even work on it. So I have 0 input . Hopefully it's my phone and not the pad

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JMK32

Discussion Starter · #3 · 16 d ago

LONEWOLF said:
My phone doesn't even work on it. So I have 0 input . Hopefully it's my phone and not the pad

I don't think it's your phone as I've seen a number of posts here and on Reddit about issues with the coils not aligning well with both Android and iPhones unless you put something to lift it an inch or put in upside down. But my bigger issue is charging speed.

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GlacialWhiteGT

· #4 · 16 d ago

LONEWOLF said:
My phone doesn't even work on it. So I have 0 input . Hopefully it's my phone and not the pad

Same here. My wife and I position the phone in the charger position when we drive but we've never had it work. I now keep the phone charger turned off for safety.

Grey Wolf

· #5 · 16 d ago

I’ve got a 2021 K5 GT and the wireless phone charger works great with my iPhone XR. I usually like to start my day with my phone around 80%, but this morning it was only at 74% when I had to leave for work. I put it in the charger and 6 minutes later when I got to work my battery was right at 80%.
On longer trips I’ve charged from 25% up to 75 or 80% in about an hour. When I take my phone out it’s not hot at all. Also, I use an OtterBox Defender case.
Sorry to hear your having issues, it does seem to be a fairly common complaint but I’ve never had any problems with my circumstances.

Reactions: 1

GlacialWhiteGT

· #6 · 16 d ago

Grey Wolf said:
I’ve got a 2021 K5 GT and the wireless phone charger works great with my iPhone XR. I usually like to start my day with my phone around 80%, but this morning it was only at 74% when I had to leave for work. I put it in the charger and 6 minutes later when I got to work my battery was right at 80%.
On longer trips I’ve charged from 25% up to 75 or 80% in about an hour. When I take my phone out it’s not hot at all. Also, I use an OtterBox Defender case.
Sorry to hear your having issues, it does seem to be a fairly common complaint but I’ve never had any problems with my circumstances.

IMHO I think it is the phone that is the problem - not the car. We simply plug the phone into the car's USB port to charge it if we need to charge it...

Shado

· #7 · 16 d ago

My Android charges just fine. I had it in the charger this morning and it went from 80% to 100 in around 20 minutes or so. It is a large one though, Revvl pro 6 5g as you can see so maybe size is the issue.

Mobile phone Telephony Communication Device Portable communications device Mobile device

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LONEWOLF

· #8 · 16 d ago

Does the charger pad power icon light up right there when it's working.?

GlacialWhiteGT

· #9 · 16 d ago

LONEWOLF said:
Does the charger pad power icon light up right there when it's working.?

That's what I've seen on youtube videos - the power icon lights up when it's charging.

I've never seen it on my K5...

CK - 2022 Kia K5 - How To Use Your Wireless Phone Charger! - YouTube

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KunoMochi

· #10 · 16 d ago

Yeah, mine has the Qi charger indicator light as well when I put my phone on the pad to charge.

You also have to note a few things:

The charging speed can vary depending on how low the state of charge on your phone is. The lower it is, the faster it will charge, then it will gradually charge slower as it reaches close to full charge. It's one of the reasons why companies always advertise 0-80% charging speed instead of the full 0-100%. The other being that having to fully charge a battery can reduce battery life slightly faster over time.
Background apps on your phone can put a hamper to how fast your phone is charging. If you haven't already done so, it's a good idea to disable or uninstall apps that you either don't use often or have no use for. Just make sure that the apps are also ones that are low system priority. Do a little research if need be but if you aren't entirely sure what an app does, it is best to leave it alone.

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LONEWOLF

· #11 · 16 d ago

GlacialWhiteGT said:
That's what I've seen on youtube videos - the power icon lights up when it's charging.

I've never seen it on my K5...

CK - 2022 Kia K5 - How To Use Your Wireless Phone Charger! - YouTube

View attachment 4874

So I just tried my neices IPhone. And orange light came on. It's just my **** phone as I suspected 😂

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Shado

· #12 · 16 d ago

The orange light will come on but it may take a few seconds depending on what the car is booting up. I heard the charger is the last thing to start.

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OldBlue

· #13 · 15 d ago (Edited)

In my experience with the Qi charger...

I have an iPhone 13 Pro and my SO has a 13 Pro Max. They both charge in the Qi charger pocket after I cut a piece of straw 3 1/8" in length and dropped it in the pocket. The location of the charging coils varies between different phone models, so what works on one may not work all that well (or at all) on another. I tried an old Android phone I have and it won't charge at all on the charger. My drive to and from work takes about 50 minutes each way, and my iPhone will generally gain 30 to 40% charge over that time, depending on it's state of charge when it starts. It does get warm, but not hot. The light on the charger will light up, and the battery icon in Apple CarPlay turns green whenever it's charging.

--EDIT--

I have read online that some people are having charging issues with the latest iOS update, where the phones are overheating on any charging pad. Depends on the phone model and apps running in the background, evidently. From what I read Apple is still investigating the issue.

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jasonszero6

· #14 · 15 d ago

No issues with mine (android). If you have a thick case it might not work. I believe the light turns green when at 100%. May be wrong though.

DFranch

· #15 · 15 d ago

It definately worked better with my Galaxy s21 + than it works with my S23 +. Some times it gives me a couple % in 30 minutes, other times I don't gain anything.

bcooper733

· #16 · 14 d ago

JMK32 said:
Just started using the wireless charging pad in my '23 GT-Line after having the car 2 weeks after I bought a wireless Android Auto plug in yesterday so I wouldn't have to plug phone in all the time, and the charging pad barely charges at all and makes my phone (Samsung S23 Ultra) very hot.

Besides needing to put something under my phone to get it at the right height for the charging pad to even work (or put it in upside down), I did a test today with and without a case and the phone either only went up 1% after 30 or so minutes, or stayed the same percentage after 30 minutes. That's really bad.

Is anyone experiencing any sort of quick charge with the pad? You'd think in a 2023 model they'd have a quick charge pad. Or is mine defective?

Guess I'll need to go back to a quick charge plug in for the 12v port and do wired change again...

Not the same problem, but my Samsung Galaxy A13-5G wouldn't charge in my 2023 K5 GT-Line. Found out the Galaxy A13-5G doesn't support wireless charging.

BVC

rcook55

· #17 · 14 d ago

If you have a 3d Printer you can use this to print a support for your phone so the coils line up: Kia K5 Wireless Charging Slot Adapter by rcook55 It's not fancy, just a long rectangle that fits into the charging well. Allows my iPhone 14 Pro Max to charge and my wife's Galaxy S22 also works when it's in place.

bcooper733

· #18 · 14 d ago

Thanks for a very interesting tip. I'm a dinosaur mechanical engineer - so if I can hit it with a hammer or turn it with a wrench, I will tackle it. But I don't have access to a 3D printer, and I just plug the phone into the K5's USB outlet. But that's a creative solution you've come up with.

BVC

OldBlue

· #19 · 13 d ago

You can always cut down a straw or even a pencil to the correct length and use that.

JMK32

Discussion Starter · #20 · 13 d ago

OldBlue said:
You can always cut down a straw or even a pencil to the correct length and use that.

Just flipping my phone upside down got a consistent connection, it just didn't power up much at all.

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