Summer selfies are hard to beat! Follow these tips to keep you phone from overheating.
On the boat, at the beach, or under the boardwalk – but hot summer weather can be rough on your phone. Taking steps to avoid overheating will help keep it up and running through Labor Day and beyond. iPhones and other mobile devices are electronics after all, and the harder and longer they work, the heavier their workload. Add in the heat of the summer and all of that heavy streaming, gaming, and browsing can cause real damage to your phone’s internal components. Battery drain, spontaneous shutdown, and actual internal melting are all possible when a phone overheats.
The experts at ZAGG Phone Repair recommend the following tips to avoid this hot mess and keep you and your phone cool this summer.
Avoid sunburning your phone. Keeping your phone close at hand on the beach or on the deck is handy, but the direct sunlight and heat can wreak havoc on its performance and lifespan. When your phone absorbs light and heat, it gets progressively hotter, minute by minute. Keeping it out of direct light and heat is the safest way to avoid a meltdown of the Central Processing Unit – literally!
Offload those unused apps. Who doesn’t have apps that look good upon download but are never used? Letting them run in the background not only drains the battery but keeps the heat building up in your phone. You can easily turn off, remove, or offload unused apps. On the iPhone, it’s as easy as going into Settings, scrolling down to iTunes & App Stores, and swiping to enable Offload Unused Apps. This retains the data but removes the apps, and if you reintall the apps – voila! Your data comes back with it. In the meantime you will save battery life and also decrease the heat required to keep those all unused apps humming in the background.
Cut the glare without the heat. In addition to the battery drain and internal heat caused by running those background apps, cranking up your phone’s brightness will make your battery have to labor harder and harder. Buying a glare screen will let you use your phone in the brightest sun and still see the screen clearly – a big win win.
Airplane mode – it’s not just for flying. If you’re not actively streaming, surfing, or searching, putting your phone in airplane mode is a smart move. You can still enjoy the basic functionality but at the same time allow the battery to ease up and cool down your phone. Another alternative is simply to turn your phone off if you know you won’t be using it for any period of time while swimming, sunning, or surfing (the other kind!). Sound impossible? It’s easier than you think and will guarantee your phone a restorative cooling off period.
Case in point. If your phone is hot to the touch, your case is playing a role and trapping that heat. Removing the case will allow the phone to breathe and utilize its heat vents without being blocked by the case. Your phone will cool down more quickly without the case – but be sure to handle with care since it is much more vulnerable to damage when not protected!
Store devices separately. If you have a bag, backpack, or briefcase where you stow your various devices (phone, tablet, computer) on the go, take care during the summer months to store them separately. One phone on its own can overheat and lose functionality in hot weather or sunlight, and if stacked or nestled with other electronic or mobile devices in close quarters, it’s even more likely to overheat. Keep them apart to keep them cool.
Avoid the icy/hot syndrome. If you find that your phone is hot to the touch after time in the sun or in a hot car, you might be tempted to try and cool it down by putting it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. Not a great idea! Sudden changes in temperature will do more harm and no good. Either temperature extreme can strain the Central Processing Unit components, and if moisture develops it can shut down your phone for good. Moderate temperatures are always best, so reserve the freezer for the ice cream.
ZAGG Phone Repair can help with phone repairs of all kinds as well as provide preventative protection, with locations in Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Sarasota, Florida, as well as mobile technician and mail in service. ZAGG is committed to helping you prevent damage before it occurs, and this summer that means maintaining a fully functional phone by playing it cool.