As we enter the summer season, hot weather awaits us at the door. This is a situation that makes it difficult for us to keep our devices like cell phones cool.
If you’re an iPhone user, you’re sure to know that an alert is triggered when your phone gets too hot: “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it.”
iPhones work best in temperatures between 0 and 35 degrees. When the warning message we mentioned appears, they enter a coma-like state and the only thing they can do until they cool down is emergency calls.
So how can you stop your iPhone from overheating? What should you do if you encounter Apple’s temperature warning message? In this article, you’ll find Apple’s recommended guidelines for protecting your iPhone from heat damage.
Avoid direct sunlight
For starters, the best and perhaps most obvious way to protect your iPhone from overheating is to avoid using it in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Not only does the heat from the sun literally make the phone hotter in your hand, but the increased glare can also encourage your iPhone to maximize its screen brightness. This further exacerbates the risk of overheating.
Of course, checking a text message or switching Spotify tracks while sitting in the sun won’t do any harm to your iPhone. However, it is wise to avoid using your device in this way for more than five minutes.
Do not use excessive power-hungry apps
Playing power-hungry mobile games or streaming high-quality videos for long periods of time can also cause your iPhone to heat up, but these factors alone should not trigger the aforementioned temperature warning. Unless, of course, you’re doing them in sunlight…
Activate low power mode
Enabling your iPhone’s low power mode (by scrolling down the Control Center and selecting the battery icon) can reduce the risk of overheating caused by apps.
The fastest way to find Low Power Mode is in your iPhone’s Control Center, but you can also go to Settings > Battery.
If your iPhone is overheating…
But what if your iPhone is already overheating? What’s the best way to get it back in good working order? According to Protect Your Bubble director James Brown, there are two iPhone cooling methods you should definitely not try.
“Even if your phone has the highest waterproof rating, it’s a bad idea to forcibly submerge your phone in cold water to cool it down,” says Brown.
Similarly, putting your iPhone in the fridge, freezer, or water cooler is a big mistake. “Doing so will cause mist to form inside your phone, which will damage the device in the long run,” warns Brown.
Apple’s official recommendation for cooling an overheating iPhone is much simpler: “To resume using your device as quickly as possible, turn it off, move it to a cooler environment (away from direct sunlight), and let it cool.”
We recommend leaving your overheated iPhone in the shade, near a fan, or on a cold kitchen counter until Apple’s temperature warning goes away.
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