When you spend a lot of time outside in the heat of summer, you tend to have a small arsenal of supplies to keep you cool and comfortable. Sunscreen, bug spray and plenty of water represent the bare minimum in terms of protecting yourself from the elements. But have you ever considered that your phone needs to be protected as well?
When iPhones Overheat
According to Apple, iPhones work best between 32 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. If exposed to temperatures between 96 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit, a warning message will display when you try to unlock your iPhone, telling you that your phone needs to cool down before you can use it. If the phone reaches a temperature above 113 degrees Fahrenheit, permanent damage can occur within its processors. At that point, you might as well sell your iPhone for any salvageable parts to a company like Gadget Salvation.
On the other end of the spectrum, iPhones are non-operational between -4 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything lower than -4 degrees can cause permanent damage.
What to Do if Your iPhone Is Overheating
It’s frustrating to not be able to use your iPhone when you want to, and in the case of overheating, you’ll need to wait at least several minutes before your device is operational again. Apple has provided an emergency call feature that should still work even when an iPhone is overheating. However, a low battery coupled with overheating can shut down the phone altogether.
To cool it down quickly, take the protective case off (if you use one) to help the heat radiate more efficiently away from the phone. Set the phone down in a shady area. Bringing it into air conditioning is even better. Wait several minutes and check on it again. Be patient; it will cool off eventually.
Preventing Your iPhone from Overheating This Summer
The best way to prevent your iPhone from overheating this summer is to keep it out of direct sunlight. The sun will essentially bake your phone. Take care not to forget your phone in your car or to place it on any hot surface.
If you’re planning to be outside for a while, you can try to keep your phone in a bag that sits in the shade. You can even keep an ice pack in the bag to help dissipate some of the environmental heat. Even though extremely low temperatures are not healthy for an iPhone either, the ice pack will not be able to stay at or below freezing on a hot summer day, so your phone should be okay in this scenario.
When the heat indexes or “feels like” temperatures creep up into the triple digits, it might be difficult to simply keep your iPhone in your pocket without it overheating. However, it takes time for a phone to warm up after being inside, so you should be fine during short jaunts outside.
