[funkahdafi]

Hi guys,

I picked up my new LCI 440i today, which has the wireless charging phone cradle. I was shocked to find out that my phone doesn't fit. It's too large. It's a Google Pixel 2 XL, so on the larger end, but there are far larger phones out there, even very popular models like the Samsung S8 plus.

I can't believe that a "normal" 6-inch phone doesn't fit in there.

Did anyone here experience something similar?

[Skyhigh]

What't the surprise really about?
You never noticed the "XL" in your model... or others never thought about the "Plus" in theirs?

iPhone X fits just fine, I can ensure you that.

You might consider buying a phone and a tablet next time instead of 2 in 1

[rlmesq]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

iPhone X fits just fine, I can ensure you that.

Not everybody drinks the Apple Kool-Aid.

[Skyhigh]

Well... looking at the numbers - most do, sooner or later
But the brand is not really the point. The point is that if you buy something as big as a tablet you MUST be aware that it comes with disadvantages (and hopefully a rucksack to carry it in). BMW are not to be blamed for that.

[funkahdafi]

You are not being helpful, all you are is being a smart ass Mr. Knowitall.

A 6-inch phone is hardly the size of a tablet. 6-inch phones aren't exotic by any means either. Phones like the Samsung S7/S8/S9 are immensely popular and ignoring this form factor is just pure ignorance on BMW's end. There is enough space under the armrest to make this cradle 1-2 centimeters larger.

What's most annoying though is that the maximum size is not mentioned anywhere in the sales material or the online configurator. It's only in the owner's manual, which - these days - is only available to owners.

[Skyhigh]

They are certainly not "exotic", but you might want to google some statistics about market share of "XL" phones.... (no smartassing/knowitall there, just numbers). You'll be very surprised I think
BMW have satisfied the majority of the market, incl. the most popular models.

P.s. not trying to be offensive, not at all. I just find it weird when people complain that when they buy something extra big, it doesn't come with a warning sticker that it may on occasions be "too" big...

[Billfitz]

It's a sad day when your choice of car is limited by the size of your phone.

[jeffc83]

Originally Posted by funkahdafi

Hi guys,

I picked up my new LCI 440i today, which has the wireless charging phone cradle. I was shocked to find out that my phone doesn't fit. It's too large. It's a Google Pixel 2 XL, so on the larger end, but there are far larger phones out there, even very popular models like the Samsung S8 plus.

I can't believe that a "normal" 6-inch phone doesn't fit in there.

Did anyone here experience something similar?

Same phone here and it doesn't fit. We also do not have wireless charging anyway with the Pixel 2 and 2 XL.

To the rest: You'd be surprised how many Android phones do NOT fit!

[jeffc83]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

It's a sad day when your choice of car is limited by the size of your phone.

Only if they feel that this is the only option as there is something called a center console and even better: a pocket!

[Skyhigh]

Originally Posted by jeffc83

We also do not have wireless charging anyway with the Pixel 2 and 2 XL.

So the thread is about a user who is disappointed by the fact that his extra large phone which does not support wireless charging does not fit into the wireless charging cradle?

[jeffc83]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

So the thread is about a user who is disappointed by the fact that his extra large phone which does not support wireless charging does not fit into the wireless charging cradle?

I believe this is the case here

There's no dancing around how the XL is bigger than many phones out there but a lot of Android phones aren't built/designed well and just have larger bezels anyway giving it larger overall dimensions...that Moto I had with a smaller 5" screen was just as big in overall dimensions due to it's shitty design. In his/our defense, the Pixel XL 2 isn't one of those phablets but it's also not a "regular sized phone"....more like a tweener which is probably why he expected it to fit. As for the charging capability, that I just cannot answer lol

[funkahdafi]

You know, there is a saying in Germany that translates roughly to this: mischievousness is the joy of the little people.

If that makes sense.

While you are trying to make fun of me because you think I want to put a phone that does not support wireless charging in the wireless charging cradle, the fact of the matter is, the charging cradle also provides an inductive connection between the phone and the external antenna to improve the signal strength and avoid the Faraday cage effect. This feature is supported by my phone and that's why I want to put it there.

[jeffc83]

Originally Posted by funkahdafi

You know, there is a saying in Germany that translates roughly to this: mischievousness is the joy of the little people.

If that makes sense.

While you are trying to make fun of me because you think I want to put a phone that does not support wireless charging in the wireless charging cradle, the fact of the matter is, the charging cradle also provides an inductive connection between the phone and the external antenna to improve the signal strength and avoid the Faraday cage effect. This feature is supported by my phone and that's why I want to put it there.

See, I was just having fun with the subject and was not belittling you personally mate. Too many folks online take things personally and sometimes I'm one of them too. All in fun man and try to laugh a little Besides, I'll be the first one to openly admit that I had no freaking idea that it boosted the signal! Sweet! Another thing to add to my ever growing list of reasons to upgrade Who's the fool now? Couldn't possibly be me?

[Roadtrip Ren]

I will also been looking at this after I ordered my car and I have a note 8 with a case. After looking at it, it looked like with a little mos I could extend the spring part to fit since its so close....will see when I get the car

[Skyhigh]

A phone that has no wireless charging but needs boosting of signal in a car.... you can't seriously feel sorry about it not fitting somewhere, can you?
What a good reason to buy a suitably good phone for your new, good car.

[jeffc83]

I'm out....blue pill it is

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

What a good reason to buy a suitably good phone for your new, good car.

Or a good reason to dump the Bimmer for something more suited to the OPs needs...like a minivan.

[rlmesq]

Originally Posted by funkahdafi

You know, there is a saying in Germany that translates roughly to this: mischievousness is the joy of the little people.

If that makes sense.

While you are trying to make fun of me because you think I want to put a phone that does not support wireless charging in the wireless charging cradle, the fact of the matter is, the charging cradle also provides an inductive connection between the phone and the external antenna to improve the signal strength and avoid the Faraday cage effect. This feature is supported by my phone and that's why I want to put it there.

I wasn't laughing at you until I realized your phone didn't have wireless charging. Now I think you're hilarious!

(My Moto Z Force supports it with the Moto Mod battery/charger back, and you can convert almost any phone to wireless charging with a small adapter that sticks to the back and plugs into the USB port.)

[mstevens]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

What't the surprise really about?
You never noticed the "XL" in your model... or others never thought about the "Plus" in theirs?

iPhone X fits just fine, I can ensure you that.

You might consider buying a phone and a tablet next time instead of 2 in 1

Yep. Everybody has identical needs. Everybody has identical abilities. Therefore, everybody should be satisfied with the same product.

I can't use a "standard" sized phone because I can't see the screen well enough. An iPhone 6S Plus works fine.

However, Mr. Know-it-all, I went ahead and ordered wireless charging after my wife's X3 was delivered and we confirmed that my phone fit with no difficulty. No 3 or 4-series at the dealer had wireless charging, so we didn't have a way to know it was such a different setup.

Originally Posted by rlmesq

Not everybody drinks the Apple Kool-Aid

At least it isn't like the Flavor-Aid used at Jonestown! Besides, many Apple phones won't fit, either.

Why should I care that my phone that doesn't charge wirelessly doesn't fit in the wireless charging cradle?

1. I probably won't have the same phone forever, and my next phone likely will charge wirelessly.
2. The charging cradle takes up a lot of space in the armrest. The armrest is a good place to keep a phone while charging, but it's pretty clumsy to do that with my phone (and really easy in my wife's X3).
3. The charging cradle is where the phone should be to take advantage of the car's antenna system, which helps with reception.
4. The charging cradle is a good place to keep a phone from sliding around while driving, but sitting loosely atop the charging cradle almost guarantees a phone will slide around.

[Skyhigh]

No. Everyone is different and free to be exotic. Being different however comes with a price-tag and that should be no surprise. Mass production is focused on mass consumer. There is always a balance to be maintained.

I am awaiting the first disappointed iPad user to make himself known....

But I do sympathize with you not being informed about the limitations and assuming you are a "standard" case. Happens sometimes. And BMW need to be clear about limitations, I give you that.

[IK6SPEED]

The F3x was designed when a smartphone in USA (iPhone) was 4.54 inches (11.5 cm) x 2.31 inches (5.8 cm)

The iPhone 6s Plus is 6.22 inches (15.8cm) x 3.06 inches (7.78 cm). The Google Pixel 2 XL is just under that at 6.2 x 3.0 inches.

You certainly cannot be mad at BMW because a smartphone almost doubled in size from 10.48 square inches to 19.03 square inches and now does not fit in the smaller hole for which it was designed?

If your pants do not fit when you go from a size 34 to a size 60, do you take the older pair back and complain they should have accounted for this?

As I have noted many times, BMW is at least 2 generations behind other car companies. The fact that they even have wireless charging is a miracle.

Also remember tha Steve Jobs stated publicly that he would not increase the size of the iPhone. So BMW (not in the smartphone business) should have had the smartphone vision for the F series that even Steve Jobs (in the smartphone business) did not?

Please.

And in all honesty, I have some real issues believing that wireless charging does not severely interfere with the ability to successfully transfer the rf from a smartphone to the BMW Antenna for transmission and reception. It is much easier to accomplish in the wired system.

Originally Posted by mstevens

I can't use a "standard" sized phone because I can't see the screen well enough. An iPhone 6S Plus works fine.

There's an easy $10 solution for this. Go to any Grocery Store or Drug Store, even a Walmart, and pick up a $10 pair of reading glasses.

Or get a G20 next year. Problem (probably) solved.

[mstevens]

I'm glad so many posters in this thread are so happy with the wireless charger feature and that it works so well for them. I'm just as glad that those who didn't order it don't miss it. I don't think it's unreasonable for an owner to wish that a feature actually worked for them or for owners to discuss criticism of features.

I'm taking on faith that posters disagreeing with criticism of this feature have and use the wireless charging cradle, or at least have seen it and driven with it enough to be familiar with what they're talking about.

If it had been like the one in the X3 it would've been fine - that cradle is useful for phones that can't be charged wirelessly and will accommodate almost anything. Compared to the previous X3 wired charge cradle using a snap-in adapter, it opens up significant storage space and offers a practical way to store and charge nearly any phone imaginable. It's a good, well-thought-out design.

If the wireless charger had been removable it would've been fine - I would have a usable storage space in my armrest (where, for example, I could put something such as a phone). As it is, it takes up most of the otherwise-usable space in the armrest and offers me no function at all in return.

It's a poor design, a kludge that imposes limitations on the user that a better design would not. BMW already had a more effective solution that shipped months earlier with a different car. That would have taken a little more design work inside the armrest, so they just went with a permanently-mounted "snap-in adapter" (you can easily tell where the eject buttons for both the phone and the adapter itself would have been) with a wireless charger and a clamp.

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

You certainly cannot be mad at BMW

I'm not "mad". I'm mildly annoyed. Mostly, I'm chiming in to support previous posters with frustrations that were blown off as being silly.

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

because a smartphone almost doubled in size from 10.48 square inches to 19.03 square inches and now does not fit in the smaller hole for which it was designed?

But that is not the case here. What matters isn't when the car was designed, but rather when the wireless charging cradle was designed.

My 2011 Z4 had a snap-in adapter that handled the iPhone 6S Plus just fine. Larger phones than the "regular" iPhone were in widespread use well before the wireless charging cradle was shipped and BMW offered snap-in adapters for those.

My current phone would have fit fine if I had ordered the same car a little earlier when the wired system was still in use. The BMW iPhone 6 Plus snap-in adapter that's currently sitting on my desk would have fit in the armrest where the wireless charging adapter is now. The older phone cradle design accommodated larger phones (albeit only using an expensive solution specific to one phone at a time), while the newer design does not.

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

If your pants do not fit when you go from a size 34 to a size 60, do you take the older pair back and complain they should have accounted for this?

If I order "one size fits all" pants online and there is no available information about what size range they mean, and it turns out the pants fit 32 to 34 inch waists and I'm some other size, then I absolutely will send them back and complain.

When I ordered the M4, it was more analagous to being offered the option to order simply "pants", the alternative being "no pants". The wireless charging cradle was so new that the dealer had not had any cars delivered with it. BMW offered no specifications in terms of what might fit.

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

As I have noted many times, BMW is at least 2 generations behind orgwe car companies. The fact that they even have wireless charging is a miracle.

Absolutely.

I've been using BMW's official solutions for mobile phones since the early 90's when that involved buying specific BMW versions of phones that were the only ones that integrated.

They have ALWAYS been a few years behind everyone else in this regard, moved very slowly to keep up, and typically offered "one size fits one" solutions (such as expensive snap-in adapters that fit just one model of phone). They were late to offer Bluetooth, which was not an option on my first Z4 and couldn't even be retrofitted. They did not offer an iPhone 6 Plus snap-in adapter for over a year, until after the 6S Plus was out.

That's why I tried to check whether the charging cradle fit. Ultimately, I ordered it anyway as part of a package that included other stuff I wanted.

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Also remember tha Steve Jobs stated publicly that he would not increase the size of the iPhone. So BMW (not in the smartphone business) should have had the smartphone vision for the F series that even Steve Jobs (in the smartphone business) did not?

Well, given that about a year prior to their shipping the wireless charging cradle BMW had already sold me a snap-in adapter labeled for an iPhone 6 Plus, I think they had adequate clues about this size increase.

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

And in all honesty, I have some real issues believing that wireless charging does not severely interfere with the ability to successfully transfer the rf from a smartphone to the BMW Antenna for transmission and reception. It is much easier to accomplish in the wired system.

I suspect the same. It would've been better if the wireless charging cradle had been removable.

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

There’s an easy $10 solution for this. Go to any Grocery Store or Drug Store, even a Walmart, and pick up a $10 pair of reading glasses.

Thanks, man! Good to know. As it is, I've been wearing these $600 per eye fairly exotic scleral lenses to deal with my pellucid marginal degeneration, when all along the problem could've been solved for $10 at Walmart. And I wouldn't even have to deal with Boston traffic to get to my Harvard eye specialist. You're a lifesaver!

Alternatively, it's possible that you don't actually know everything about everybody else and that sometimes other people know more about their situations than you do.

I was taught in medical school that I wasn't competent to make medical pronouncements about people I hadn't actually examined. Perhaps when you were trained (or went to Optometry school, or whatever else makes you a vision expert) they left that bit out. Even then, you should realize that magnification using lenses alone doesn't solve all vision problems.

This isn't just picking a nit. You spouted a completely unfounded opinion (about reading glasses) proclaiming a supposed cheap, simple solution that doesn't work, because you made assumptions based on insufficient data and probably also based on assumptions that you know more about the subject that you actually do. That detracts from my ability to accept that you know what you're talking about concerning other topics, even if you might actually know what you're talking about.

Since you haven't said in this thread just what phone you're using in your 3/4-series wireless charging cradle, which phone with wireless charging are you using and how do you like it?

If you're not using a phone with wireless charging in your 3/4-series wireless charging cradle, how do you like that combination?

You haven't specified whether you even actually have or ever had the wireless charging cradle in a 3/4-series. If you don't, what are you basing your statements on?

Have you even seen the wireless charging cradle in question and tried to use it at all?

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

Or get a G20 next year. Problem (probably) solved.

Why would I go with a much worse car next year since there won't be a G-series M3 or M4 until later?

Besides, I can't imagine you have any evidence whatsoever to support this assertion. How is this any different from my assumption that a newer, much larger BMW could hold the same phone that fit in my older, much smaller BMW?