There are over a dozen ways your mobile phone could be serving you on a daily basis. It could be for making calls (of course), sending emails or instant messages, browsing, coding, snapping pictures or more. And in all these tasks, your mobile phone, obviously working hard, gets warmer. But when your mobile phone gets significantly hot – then it is a cause for concern. There must be a way to keep your mobile phone temperature down. Otherwise it could malfunction.
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Effects of High Temperature in a Mobile Phone
If you do not strive to keep your mobile phone temperature down, your device might develop any of the following issues:
- Shut down abruptly
- Experience serious battery drain. You may even need to change your battery. Note that this may not always be possible for you, if you use a modern phone with a non-detachable battery. Unless a phone repair expert does it for you.
- The Central Processing Unit of your phone may melt down, in extreme cases of heat.
- Your phone may not restart. In which case you need to take your phone to an expert for repairs.
Why is My Mobile Phone Heating Up?
There are a number of reasons why keeping your mobile phone temperature down suddenly becomes a challenge. What could be causing your phone to overheat? Here are some common causes of overheating in a mobile phone:
- Direct exposure to sunlight, or leaving your phone in an abnormally warm place. Your mobile phone feels ‘uncomfortable’ just as a human being would, in extreme temperatures. Phones are designed to dissipate heat, not absorb it.
- Several apps are open and running in the background. They are collectively using your phone’s resources without releasing them. This includes the memory, CPU and battery power.
- Overcharging your phone. Leaving your mobile phone plugged in for an extended period long after it is full is quite damaging. Ideally, it is recommended that you should make it a habit to charge your phone to just 80 to 90% of its capacity. This can help to prolong your phone’s battery life.
- Prolonged use of your phone. Having made use of your phone for hours without a break is a prime cause of overheating.
- Your phone’s display brightness is too high
- Wi-fi, Bluetooth or cellular connection has been on and working for very long
- Your phone’s GPS/location service has been on and working for a prolonged period
- You have played too many games back-to-back without a break
- Presence of malware, or malicious apps on your phone
- App incompatibility. Some apps do not work well with your phone. Or an updated version of an app you have been using becomes problematic.
- Your phone’s protective case can also absorb heat, since it is usually made of plastic which is an insulator. Even leather cases may have heat absorption issues.
- Prolonged or intense use of your phone’s mobile camera
- Poor-quality or faulty phone charger; or the charging port of your phone is problematic.
Ways of Keeping Your Mobile Phone Temperature Down
Keep your Mobile Phone Out of Direct Sunlight
Your mobile phone needs to be kept in a cool environment as much as possible. Ensure that you do not expose your phone to direct sunlight. If at all you did, then remove the phone as quickly as possible and put it away in a cool shade. A typical example would be exposing your phone to the sun while it is mounted on the car dashboard. An air-conditioned room or environment can also help to cool down your phone. If your car’s air conditioning system is functioning, put it to good use.
Turn on Airplane Mode
You are advised to put your phone in Airplane Mode when you enter an environment with poor or low network signals. This will stop the phone from constantly searching for a connection. That alone could make your mobile phone run at a higher temperature. Wait till you enter an environment with sharper signals before putting off Airplane Mode.
Switch off Bluetooth, Wi-fi, GPS or Cellular Data (when each service is not needed)
Your phone’s Bluetooth, Wi-fi or cellular data should be switched off when they are not in use. Otherwise, your mobile phone will keep searching for a connection, or for devices to connect to.
Use a Good Quality and Compatible Charger
Ensure that you use a compatible and high-quality phone charger from a reliable phone manufacturer for your mobile phone. Also watch out in case your phone charger develops a fault, in which case you should discontinue using it. Your phone’s charging point may also be an issue. If you discover the charging port has developed a fault, take it for a repair.
Lower the Screen Brightness
Turning your phone’s screen brightness higher will only make the phone burn more energy and become hotter. So you should reduce the screen brightness. You can also shorten the screen timeout duration, to prevent the screen from staying active for prolonged periods.
Also consider getting an anti glare screen protector for your phone. It will help you to see your phone’s screen clearly in the daytime without increasing the brightness.
Close all Unused Apps in the Background
Make it a habit to close all unused apps on your phone, rather than leaving them to run in the background. To check for open apps on an Android phone, tap the menu icon at the bottom of the screen. That is, the hamburger symbol (or three horizontal lines). On an iPhone, you can slowly swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal running apps. Proceed to swipe each app upwards to dismiss or close it.
Regulate Your Mobile Phone Camera Usage
Ensure you use your camera only when it is needed – especially to record videos. It should not be used for an extended period of time. Also check that you are not using a very high resolution.
Scan your Phone for Possible Malware
Malware is an ever-present threat to your mobile phone, and it can come at any time. Thus, you should have a reliable and updated antimalware app installed on your device. And of course use it regularly. Also beware of dangerous or malicious apps. Apps that behave suspiciously – for instance, consuming too much of your battery power – should preferably be removed.
Update your Phone’s Apps
If any app does not face compatibility problems on your mobile phone, ensure you regularly update your phone’s apps. But for such problematic apps, you are advised to delete them. Most app updates come with bug fixes that can lower their power consumption on your phone.
Separate Your Phone from other Electronic Devices
It is best to separate your digital devices from one another during storage. That includes while placing them in a bag, or carrying them around. There is the tendency for all the devices to overheat while in close contact with one another.
Blow Direct Airstream on Your Fan
A quick strategy to cool off your overheating phone is to place it in direct airstream from a fan. You can also use a hand fan, or place the phone where there is enough natural breeze. But never in a fridge or freezer. Putting your phone in places where there are extreme temperatures should be avoided by all means (whether hot or cold).
Remove the Phone’s Case
An overheating phone needs immediate relief. To release the heat so it can cool down fast enough, you can remove its case. But that works if the case is removable.