What to do to keep your smartphone from overheating in the heat

It is important to avoid overheating your phone as it can negatively affect its performance, ruin the battery, and cause permanent damage. As the summer months arrive and we spend more time outside, the risk of your phone overheating increases.

Read also: How not to charge your cell phone to make it last as long as possible

If you care about your health during hot weather, don't forget about your smartphone. There are several scenarios to look out for when it comes to overheating, as well as a few tricks to protect it and cool it down if necessary.

How to tell if your phone is overheating

The starting point is to know the safe operating temperature of your phone, which the manufacturer usually provides in the manual or on their website. For an iPhone, for example, this is usually between 0°C and 35°C. Whether you're at the beach or in the car, this gives you a general idea of when the temperature gets dangerously high.

There are also other scenarios where your phone can get hot. This can happen when you're video recording or streaming, charging wirelessly, using powerful apps or games that put a lot of strain on your phone's processor. These problems often get worse as the device ages.

GPS navigation is another task that can heat up your phone quickly. Especially when it's charging and being used in direct sunlight across the forehead.

Transmitting large amounts of data over Wi-Fi or cellular networks can cause problems with overheating. In this case, the communication components in the device work overtime, especially when the signal is weak, forcing the built-in modem to remain active for a long time to establish and maintain a connection. This can also affect the battery life of the phone.

Most phones get hot to the touch from time to time, especially during high use, but there are no precise scientific criteria for determining when the temperature is dangerously high. Prolonged overheating can be a concern, especially if the phone gets so hot that it's difficult to hold it in your hand.

In some cases, your phone can warn you when it's getting too hot. For example, iPhone sends a warning when the temperature gets too hot to charge safely, when restoring from an iCloud backup, or when the phone is too hot for general use. In these cases, operations are suspended until the device cools down, but you can still make emergency calls.

Also read: How to take high-quality photos even with a bad camera on a budget smartphone

How to prevent your phone from overheating

The main measures to prevent your phone from overheating include the following steps:

1. Store your phone in a properly cooled and ventilated environment. If you must take your phone to a warm place, try to keep it in the shade and provide enough space for air circulation;
2. Use common sense and avoid extreme temperatures. Do not take your phone into a sauna or leave it in a car in direct sunlight on a hot day. When charging your phone, keep it away from a window and in a cool part of the room, and check its status from time to time;
3. Reduce your phone's activity when it gets hot. Ideally, turn it off completely. If this is not possible, close all running apps and put the phone in airplane mode, which will reduce the load on internal components;
4. Quickly move your phone to a cool and shaded place if it gets too hot. Disconnect it from the charger if it is charging, and remove the case, if any. Some cases may prevent your phone from cooling properly. If possible, put your phone in a cool and dark place and leave it there for a while;
5. Keep your operating system and apps up to date. Update your phone regularly and install available updates to ensure that the software runs efficiently and without errors;
6. Use chargers and cables officially approved by the phone manufacturer. Improperly selected or malfunctioning chargers can cause your phone to overheat;
7. If your phone keeps overheating, even in cool conditions, there may be a hardware problem, such as a faulty battery. In this case, it's wise to contact your local service shop or the phone manufacturer for assistance and possible repairs.

To recap, we have already written about why a phone can explode.

If you want to get the latest news about the war and events in Ukraine, subscribe to our Telegram channel!