We’ve all held a warm phone before. But has your mobile device ever gone a step further? By this, we’re referring to a full-blown overheat—those times when your phone powers itself off entirely.
There’s no denying it’s a scary and frustrating experience. But have you ever wondered what actually causes your phone to overheat? It’s definitely something worthy knowing since you can learn how to fix the issue in the future.
So, today, let’s explore all the reasons your phone could be overheating. And, in the process, we’ll also discuss some tips for cooling your mobile device and prevent overheating in the future. So read along with us for some fantastic mobile tips!
Why Does Your Phone Get Hot?
Sadly, this question lacks a simple answer. In all honesty, your phone could overheat for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it’s something obvious, like leaving your phone in a heated car. But other times, the answer will require you to dig through your mobile device’s contents. Here are some of the more common reasons your phone will overheat:
- Left in direct sunlight / hot environment — We discussed this one a bit already. But common sense already explains why this could cause your phone to overheat. If your phone is sitting in a hot room, then the phone itself will inevitably get hot as well.
- Too much gaming — Anything that requires intense or high graphics will cause your phone to heat at a faster rate. Also, remember that mobile phones lack the cooling capabilities of console games and PCs. So keep that in mind if you’ve been playing any mobile games for extended periods of time.
- Bad connection – If you’re in an area with poor connection, your phone spends more time searching for a stable network. As a result, the energy used will heat your battery.
- Too many applications open — Mostly speaks for itself, but the more applications your phone runs at once, the more energy it uses. Thus it’s common for your phone’s battery to get hot from this.
- Faulty battery / Charger cable — check the back of your phone. If it feels hot, there’s a really good chance it’s your battery causing it to overheat.
- Malware— Yep even malware can cause your phone to overheat. Remember, these developers aren’t the least bit concerned about your phone’s health. So long as the malware extracts your data, the developer is happy. Thus, malware can push your smartphone’s CPU past its limits.
- Too Stuffy of a Case — Sometimes your cases will suffocate your phone, preventing any ventilation.
Keep in mind that the above list is far from anything exhaustive. But it should give you an idea of what you’re doing that could be causing your phone to overheat. So, the next time your phone gets excessively warm—check if you’re doing any of the above.
How to Prevent Your Phone From Overheating
To state the obvious—overheating is bad for your mobile device. So, once you’ve diagnosed the cause of your phone’s heat issues, it’s time to take action! Here are some tips to follow to cool your phone and keep it from reheating.
Inspect your battery every now and then
It’s never bad practice to check up on your battery—even if the back of your phone doesn’t feel hot. For the most part, you’ll want to check for any leaks or damage. If you find them, replace your battery immediately. This is one of the major causes of an overheated phone.
Remove any unused apps
Purging your phone of unused apps does much more than free some space. Instead, note that many of your phone’s apps operate in the background. Doing so really works your CPU chip—heating your phone in the process. So, if you don’t need them, get them off your phone and get it cooled.
Limit your gaming time
Mobile games might comprise a hefty chunk of today’s gaming market. But that doesn’t mean you need to play them as frequent as you would a console game. We already mentioned above that cell phones have far less cooling options than gaming consoles. So with this in mind, overheating is much more of an issue—especially when you play on your mobile device for hours on end.
This doesn’t mean you need to break your gaming habit altogether. Just make sure you aren’t spending excessive amounts of time on your phone building your Clash of Clans village. Instead take a break every now and then. Your phone will thank you.
Turn off GPS/Wifi/Bluetooth connections you’re not using
There’s not real reason to have any of the above features active if you’re not using them. Simply put–you’ll save quite a bit of energy and battery power from turning them off. As a whole, GPS, wifi, and Bluetooth all act as additional heat sources–so it makes sense that they would heat your battery quickly. To quickly disable all three of these functions, you can set your phone to Airplane mode. Again, this is only advised if you don’t actually plan on using these features.
Lower your brightness/turn on auto-brightness
Generally speaking, your phone’s screen emits a lot of heat. So the brightness only contributes to the problem. Auto-brightness features will adjust from the lighting in the area. In other words, you won’t use more brightness than your screen actually needs.
Use an App to prevent overheating
You’d be surprised at the amount of apps that will help you reduce your phone’s heat levels. For Android, check out Greenify, cooler master, and Cooling Master apps.
Cooling your Phone
When you first notice your phone overheats, start by putting it in a cool place. And no—we don’t mean a freezer or fridge. This can result in moisture entering your mobile device—which will only make problems worse. Instead, remove your phone from any heated places. So keep it away from other running electronics and out of sunlight if possible. Also, consider removing the case for some extra ventilation. We get why you’d be reluctant to do this—no one likes scratches on their phones. But at the same time, this isn’t permanent—your phone just needs time to release any built up heat. Of course, another option to the above is buying a cooling case. It’s not uncommon to find carbon fibre cases on the market. So shop around and see if any fit your phone and tastes.
Wrapping up
At the end of the day, overheated phones can be dangerous. This isn’t just about your mobile devices safety either. Instead, overheating can cause burns and injuries to you as well. So remember to keep a close eye on your phone’s heat. If you notice it rising to excessive levels check our guide above. In no time at all, your mobile device will reach that nice, functioning temperature.
