As the heatwave across the U.S. continues to intensify, people are doing everything they can to avoid the outdoors, hunting for smartphone overheating solutions to help their phones stay calm when they’re forced to step out. The record-breaking temperatures from central to eastern parts of the country are a matter of concern for many reasons, not the least of which is our toasty smartphones. With how much we rely on these devices, it can be very inconvenient when a phone gives up and shuts down on its own on getting heated, a security measure that ensures the device doesn’t take the more problematic route and explodes instead. If you also need to know how to keep your phone cool during the heatwave, here are some tips to consider.
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Smartphone Overheating Solutions to Help You Cruise through the Heatwave
Temperatures are rising across the globe from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to India and the UK. While many have joked about the British issuing a heatwave alert at 26°C (78.8°F), the numbers are still a departure from what is normal for the region, which is sufficient cause for concern. Just as people are heating up and turning to AC units and iced coffees to stay cool, our electronics could do with some attention as well. Phone batteries can suffer greatly when they’re repeatedly faced with extreme temperatures, and heat waves are exactly part of that problem, impossible to escape and unbearable when you’re caught in it.
Even if you aren’t being met with the hot fist of the heatwave right now, it’s good to know how to prevent phones from overheating or how to cool them down when it does heat up, considering heat waves aren’t the only reasons their temperature goes up. Some smartphones have a natural tendency to get hot quickly but this is never healthy for your device in the long run. Using it when it reaches that state, for example, by putting the heated device to your ear to answer a call, can be detrimental to your health as well. So, consider experimenting with a few smartphone overheating solutions in advance to ensure you’re ready to handle your gadget efficiently when the time comes.
Avoid Direct Sunlight to Keep Your Phone Cool During a Heatwave
The desire to pull out your smartphone and glance at the screen is instinctual—we do it without pausing to think of where we are and whether it’s a good idea. It is a good idea to start becoming more mindful about where you use your device and try to avoid direct sunlight while you’re at it. Try to look for a sheltered spot to stand under before you use your device in the outside world, and if there aren’t any options close enough, turn your back to the sun and keep the device shaded at least.
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Avoid Using Your Phone While it Charges
Some older smartphones get a little warm while they charge and using them while they charge adds an additional burden on the processor to keep it running. To prevent your phone from overheating, avoid using the device until you can take it off the charger.
Additionally, another tip in regard to phones overheating is to avoid charging your device if it is already hot. When a smartphone begins to overheat, the best thing to do is put it down for a while instead of powering more energy into it. Wait until the device is back to normal before connecting it to a power source.
Close Open Apps and Pause All Activity
Smartphone overheating solutions usually start and end with giving the phone a break. If the device begins to heat up, close all the active tabs and apps and turn off any services that you do not need. If you’re in a space where you can turn off the device for a while, then let it cool down on its own. You can turn it back on when closer to normal. If that’s not an option, just switch to airplane mode or the power-saving mode to reduce the activity on the device.
Move to A Cooler Spot But Do Not Put It In The Freezer
Heading indoors to a cooler spot can help stop your phone from overheating but this does not mean you put the device in a cooler or in the fridge to bring the heat down. Rapid temperature fluctuations are not good for your health and neither is it good for your device. Condensation within a fridge can also ruin the internal components of your device so don’t look to these extreme options for a solution.
You can place the phone under the fan or hold it up in front of the AC vent in your car to help the device cool down, but that’s as far as you should go with the temperature change.
Give Your Device a Mini Break From The Phone Case—Phone Overheating Tips
Moving an overheated smartphone away from other electrical equipment, taking it out of your pocket and away from your body heat, and letting it cool down in a better-shaded spot are all useful solutions. In addition to this, you could also remove the phone case for a while so the heat can be dispersed easily. The more complex and layered your phone case is with its additional attachments, the more likely it is to heat up and keep the phone warm. Some phone cases are designed to be better at keeping your phone cool, but none of them do anything special enough to invest in them solely for this reason.
If you’re very serious about preventing your phone from overheating, you could also invest in an external cooling system for your smartphone. While these are generally designed for gamers to keep the temperature down while they play demanding, power-hungry games, there’s nothing stopping you from using them when you want. Products like the Oneplus 45w Liquid Water Cooler Fan, Black Shark MagCooler 3 Pro, or ASUS’ Aeroactive 6 are some alternatives you can try, but check their compatibility with your device before you make a purchase. These are not designed for all devices.
These smartphone overheating solutions should be a good start to keep your phone cool during a heatwave but the best way to ensure it is to be mindful of how you use your device. These strategies can be applied to your life in many different ways. For example, avoid putting your phone on the dashboard or under direct sunlight in your car. If you have a habit of watching something while you cook, keep your device as far from the stove as possible.
Additionally, if you know you’re going to use your smartphone for demanding tasks like gaming, then charge it in advance and not while you play. Finally, reduce how often you allow yourself to doomscroll on your device and you should be able to prevent your phone from overheating on a daily basis.