My 16-reg car has the Phonebox option, meaning there's a rubber mat in the little sliding-lid cubby hole under the air con controls, featuring a symbol of a mobile phone.

 

I have a silly-big phone (the iPhone 6+) so it doesn't fit in there very well tbh, but I'm tempted to upgrade to a newer, smaller iPhone (either the 8 or the X) in a few weeks time, and these new phones are not only smaller but are compatible with Qi-standard wireless chargers.

 

I understand that some Phonebox cubby holes feature such Qi wireless chargers, but as I bought the car used, I've got no idea how to tell if mine features it (without trying a Qi-compatible phone in there, of course... but I don't have one to test).

 

Does anyone know if/how I can tell if I've got wireless charging in my Phonebox cubby hole please - perhaps from the sticker of hieroglyphic option codes under the boot lining?

This picture is from an A4 but there maybe is symbol similar to this in the cubbyhole.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.cdn.autocar.co.uk%2Fsites%2Fautocar.co.uk%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Fgallery_slide%2Fpublic%2Faudi-a4-rt-2015-0037.jpg%3Fitok%3DsBwhwVAX&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.autocar.co.uk%2Fcar-review%2Faudi%2Fa4%2Finterior&docid=xNsmA0ZGyMxtUM&tbnid=-nF917B7zl74gM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwis-pe1u6TWAhXLJ8AKHdHuDioQMwg9KAUwBQ..i&w=900&h=596&hl=en-gb&safe=active&client=safari&bih=325&biw=667&q=skoda phone box wireless charging&ved=0ahUKEwis-pe1u6TWAhXLJ8AKHdHuDioQMwg9KAUwBQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

Thanks @match14.  Mine looks like this though (pic borrowed from someone else, found on Google Images):

 

... but I think I might have answered my own question anyway.  

 

Further Googling revealed a Skoda press release about a new option for "Phonebox with wireless charging" becoming available for new cars from Spring 2016.  I'm pretty sure mine was registered around that time, so I doubt it could have been spec'ed with that option if it wasn't available to order until then. :(

You can get phone cases with the necessary wireless charging loop inside, that connect to the charging port on the mobile. A cheaper way to use the feature, rather than change phone.

 

 

I don't know if the phonebox is the same as the golf, but you can buy the charging pad and retrofit it if it fits 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01EADVQUK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XcNUzbZM846P5

20 hours ago, glosrich said:

You can get phone cases with the necessary wireless charging loop inside, that connect to the charging port on the mobile. A cheaper way to use the feature, rather than change phone.

 

Agreed, but my iPhone 6+ is getting to that age now (3 years/generations old) where it's starting to feel slower and more clunky with every new iOS version that's released.  

And if I'm honest, it's just too big - yet I love the big screen - thus I've been wishing for an iPhone with a screen as big as the '+' variants, in a physically smaller handset.  Unfortunately for my bank account, Apple have gone and made just such a phone, at a time when I was thinking of upgrading mine anyway... damn them.

 

19 hours ago, roo said:

I don't know if the phonebox is the same as the golf, but you can buy the charging pad and retrofit it if it fits 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01EADVQUK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_XcNUzbZM846P5

 

It looks to be a different shape to that one, to me?  Good idea though, if there was a similar kit for the Octavia, it would be the neatest solution.

 

It's no biggie tbh.  There seem to be quite a few options on Amazon for cheap and cheerful non-slip 'ultra slim' Qi charging pads with micro-USB inputs.  They're sufficiently cheap that I wouldn't mind buying one to test temporarily with a 12v socket adapter for power.  If it worked, the phone didn't slip around too much and the signal-boosting function still worked OK, I could then think about 'hard wiring' a suitable 5V PSU into the fuse box area in a similar fashion to my dashcam.

if you're going to the trouble of plugging a wireless charger into the 12v socket, why don't you just plug the phone in to an adaptor/uSB cable directly ?

I would leave a wireless charger plugged in for two reasons.  You only have to place the phone onto the pad, and not faff about with finding the cable, the right end and the cable being the right way up; and you don't wear out the usb socket on the phone as I've had it myself with both ubd and iphone sockets.

24 minutes ago, Wet Kipper said:

if you're going to the trouble of plugging a wireless charger into the 12v socket, why don't you just plug the phone in to an adaptor/uSB cable directly ?

 

As I said, if I found it to be a useful experiment, I'd probably hard-wire the power from the fuse box area like I did for my dashcam a while back.

 

Also, it's a few moments less faff every time you get in and out of the car, as @roo pointed out.

An easy way to do this is with an Xvida case and the wireless charger is magnetic. I have it fitted to my phone and car and its excellent. No messing about with cables at all and the induction charger is led green so easy to see on a dark evening.

 

the cases are excellent and the only one for the S8+ that has a proper tempered glass protector, not cheap but when you have a £750 phone you dont want it to get smashed

 

https://www.xvida.com/collections/charging-docks

 

https://www.xvida.com/

 

i have the flat option fitted to the car so no sticking it to the windows or vents fits nicely into the drawer at the front of the gear leaver and holds the phone in place strongly. wires are routed through the back of the drawer out of sight

 

Edited 5 December, 20178 yr by JohnnyType2