In sweltering weather, your phone may be getting too hot to touch. You look at your phone and see a warning: “Your device has overheated and needs to cool down.” For the most part, overheating is not always a problem. You can move your phone out of direct sunlight or put it in a cooler place and wait until it cools down. But this is not always the case.
That’s because extreme temperatures can make your phone too hot to hold, ruin its battery, reduce its performance and even cause permanent damage. For this reason, you may want to take measures to prevent your iPhone, Android phone from overheating. Here are six ways to prevent your phone from overheating this summer. Here’s what you need to know
How does phone overheating affect your device?
If your phone’s internal temperature rises above normal and the device overheats, you may face several problems. Here are the main ones:
- You cannot use your phone.
- Your phone slows down.
- Charging slows down or stops completely.
- Your signal becomes weak.
- Your camera flash is temporarily disabled.
- Permanent harmful effects may occur.
- Overheating the phone can permanently damage the battery, SIM card and other important parts inside your phone.
How can you prevent the phone from overheating?
The most important thing is to keep your phone out of direct sunlight as much as possible, especially when it’s hot. On a cloudy day your phone might be fine on the grass, but the higher the temperature, the less your phone will withstand the sun. On the beach, for example, phones can overheat in just a few minutes, or the same thing happens if you put it in a sunny spot in the car.
Instead, you can protect your phone from the sun’s rays, either in your pocket, in a backpack or in a towel or blanket.
Protecting your phone from the sun is quite easy. But high temperatures alone can also make you suffer from overheating. For example, when it’s 37 degrees outside, the inside of a car can reach up to 45 degrees after just one hour. A phone left in a cup holder can therefore quickly overheat and become damaged.
Keep your phone out of sunlight
The sun heats everything, including your phone. Try to keep your phone in the shade or in your pocket. If you’re at the beach, use it sparingly and keep it in the shade under a towel or under a T-shirt. Most new phones turn off to protect themselves when they overheat, but it’s best not to let the device be exposed to that much heat.
When taking photos or videos or using augmented reality (AR) apps outdoors, be mindful of how long your phone is in direct sunlight and keep it in a shaded location whenever possible. Do not do this if you regularly mount the phone on the dashboard or windshield of the vehicle to use the GPS app or hands-free communication. Avoid leaving it in direct sun for too long, even if your air conditioning is working.
Don’t leave your phone in the car
You’ve seen how quickly car dashboards, steering wheels and seats can get hot. Apple recommends storing your phone between 0 and 35 degrees, which is a pretty impressive range. But depending on the make and color, the temperature inside the car can rise by 10 degrees in 10 minutes and be higher than the temperature outside. This will cause everything to heat up as well as a piece of technology. If you need to leave your phone in your car, make sure it is turned off or in the glove compartment. But it is best to take your phone with you.
Remove the cover
Removing the phone case may sound crazy for people with anxiety. But this hard plastic, metal or silicone case prevents heat from traveling away from the battery or other internal parts. Unholstering your phone can help your phone cool down more quickly. If you must use a case, look for one designed to dissipate heat faster. In addition, you can even find cases with fans.
Close apps that require too much power
If you have to use your phone in sunny weather, you can take the following precautions:
- Set your phone’s brightness to the lowest setting you can see. If you have automatic brightness turned on, turn it off.
- Close unnecessary apps, especially power-hungry apps such as games or apps that refresh in the background like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads or TikTok.
- Do not use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
- Turn on airplane mode. If this is not feasible, disable Bluetooth, at least until you go into shade.
- Turn on low battery mode (iOS) or power saving mode (Android).
- Use recommended chargers. Cheaper, third-party, unbranded chargers can cause the phone to heat up quickly.
If your phone has overheated, let it cool down slowly. Do not put it in the fridge or freezer
Lowering your phone’s temperature quickly can damage it from shock to components or moisture inside. Also, do not cool even a water-resistant phone by immersing it in water.
Instead, let it cool slowly by keeping it out of the sun, placing it in front of a fan or air conditioning vent, or simply turning it off and placing it in the coolest place nearby to rest.
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The post 6 Ways to Protect Your Phone from the Dangerous Summer Heat appeared first on NSF - Magazine.