Simple Steps to Keep Your Phone from Overheating

Summer is here, and while that means warm evenings and walks on the beach or in the park, it also means your phone might be at risk of heat damage.

Extreme temperatures can have a big impact on your phone’s internal components. A phone getting too hot can cause data loss or corruption, and repeated exposure to heat could permanently slow down your device. Heat can even cause battery leakage, potentially putting your personal safety in danger.

If you find your device getting too warm and slowing—or even shutting—down, try the following steps to keep your phone from overheating:

Remove the phone’s case. A plastic or leather case can keep heat locked in around your phone, making high temperatures even hotter.

Take it out of your pocket. Keeping your phone in a pocket adds body heat to the external temperatures it may already be struggling with. Let it breathe!

Move it out of direct sunlight. An obvious, but often overlooked solution—keep your phone in the shade to avoid baking it in powerful sunlight.

Switch on airplane mode. It’s not just external temperature that can cause a phone to overheat. If you’re playing games or making lots of calls, your phone will be working harder and generating more heat as it does. Put it in airplane mode to disable these heat-intensive activities.

Direct a fan at your phone. A cooling breeze from a nearby fan can help dissipate built-up heart and reduce the phone’s operating temperature. But don’t put it in a fridge, freezer, or cooler!

Reduce the display brightness. Your phone’s screen generates heat, and the brighter you keep it, the more heat it produces. Turn down the brightness.

Just as your body needs sunscreen (or even air conditioning) to stay safe, your phone also needs a little extra help to work efficiently during the hottest days of the year. Try these simple steps to keep your device cool, and connected, this summer.