How to Keep Your Phone From Overheating
We’ve all been there; you are using your iPhone or Android, when suddenly you notice that it gets a little warm. A little heat soon turns a little hot, and then very hot, to some extent. You might be thinking, “Does my phone have to be so hot that it hurts to use it?” No, it shouldn’t. Here’s what to do if your phone is overheating and how to prevent it in the first place.
Why do smartphones get hot?
Your smartphone, like all computers, generates heat during operation. This is usually normal; the problem occurs when there is too much heat in the image. To avoid damaging the internal components of your device, the system is designed to take preventive measures when overheating to cool down.
This includes lowering the maximum display brightness (which is why you see your phone starting to dim due to overheating); slowdown of the processor, so your phone becomes more sluggish; and, if it comes to that, lock up. In this case, you will see a message warning that your phone is too hot and needs to cool down before you can continue using it.
Since your phone has a built-in cooling system, you don’t have to worry about overheating issues that could lead to anything catastrophic like a battery explosion. But frequent overheating is annoying and abnormal. Let’s take a look at some situations where your phone can overheat and what you can do about it.
Take it away from the sun
One of the most common reasons your phone heats up is the same reason you get warm when lying on the beach: the sun. Direct sunlight is bad for your phone’s temperature. The black mirror, which is your phone’s display, takes in all that direct sunlight and heats up quickly. The whole device gets very hot to the touch, the display gets very dim and very soon the OS will lock you up.
The only solution here is just not to use your phone in direct sunlight or even in a hot environment if you can help. If you are in an overheating situation, place your phone in the shade. Fun Fact: Most phones are designed to work properly in ambient conditions between 32 ° F and 95 ° F.
Be careful when charging.
When charging your phone, you must not accidentally do this. Heat is generated when the phone is connected to a power source, especially if the power adapter is large. Usually, this heat shouldn’t be enough to overheat your phone; it only becomes a problem when you combine it with other factors, like where you charge it.
Do not allow your phone to charge while under a blanket or other soft material. These fabrics can store heat inside your device just as they can on you. Instead, place the device on a cool, flat surface such as a table or counter. This material will make it much easier to dissipate heat from charging.
Use the correct charger for your device
The charger you use for your phone also matters. Sometimes we plug our devices into any available port, but this can cause your phone to heat up too much.
Think about this: Some phones have giant batteries that take more power to charge than, say, the iPhone SE. If you connect these types of devices to low-wattage power adapters (think Apple’s 5W Power Adapters), the battery will take a lot longer to charge than it should. If the phone tries to do something intense while charging, it will generate a lot of heat.
On the other hand, a charger that feels right can cause problems. If your device is capable of fast charging, this will heat up the battery much faster than a regular charger. You might want to reduce the size of the power adapter in this case if that’s enough for your device.
Check with the manufacturer of your device for the capacity of its battery.
Reduce the number of apps a little
The internal components of your phone generate heat during use. What makes these components work harder than applications? Whether you’re spending serious hours playing a graphics-intensive game, or streaming live from your phone camera, these tasks can get hot pretty quickly, especially if you’re charging your phone while doing it.
If you get too hot and if you can afford it, give your phone a little break from power-hungry apps. You should also check your phone’s battery usage settings to see if any apps are overloading your phone in the background. If they are, and you do not need them, disable their background use.
Don’t leave it in your pocket
This advice is easy to understand but can be tricky to follow. Most of us are not going to walk around with our phone on in our pocket, but it does happen all the time. We may have accidentally activated the camera from the lock screen, or thought we pressed the power button when it didn’t actually happen.
In any case, if your phone is active, especially if it is doing something intensely, it will heat up in your pocket. This is the same principle as not letting your phone charge under the covers; in the fabric of your pocket, the heat has nowhere to go.
Don’t forget about the case
The body of your smartphone can also trap heat. If you experience overheating a lot and are having trouble fixing the problem, consider replacing the case with something that handles heat better (silicone or plastic is ideal). Better yet, to really troubleshoot, use your phone without a case for a while to see if it’s getting in the way of getting hotter. Just be extra careful with it for obvious reasons.
Turn it off
If you need a hot phone to cool off in a pinch, turn it off. This will allow the device to shut down any intense processes or functions that are causing it to heat up, and will allow heat to leave the device faster than if it was still on. Just let it cool down before loading it again.