 "A man holds a mobile phone which displays an overheating warning due the high temperature in the street, that says, 'The temperature of the iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it' during a heatwave in Seville, southern Spain, in July 2022. Reuters")
The world is in the grip of one of its hottest summers with temperatures crossing the 50-degree Celsius mark in several places. India was one of them as New Delhi saw the mercury touching 52 degrees Celsius last month.
The heat impacts the body in ways we cannot imagine. It also affects everyday items – among them is the one you and I cannot do without. Yes, our smartphone. From playing high-processor games to being connected to a high-speed charger, smartphones can turn toasty over the most minuscule reasons. So can you imagine what being exposed to 50 degrees can do to it?
Smartphones start acting up when they exceed the normal operating temperature (0 and 35 degrees Celsius). When exposed constantly to high temperatures the phone often slows down and in severe cases can even hangs up. However, the devices come with built-in thermal sensors, which help it to cool down.
Studies have revealed that frequent exposure to heat can reduce the lifespan of a smartphone. According to a US firm that provides phone insurance services Asurion, nearly 15 per cent more battery-related issues were observed during the the summer season than the whole of 2023, reports Bloomberg.
As several countries face a worse summer this year than in 2023, how to keep your smartphones cool.
Why do smartphones start acting up?
Smartphones can heat up because of a number of reasons including exposure to high temperatures and heavy gaming among others. Better and higher charging speeds can be another reason. Charging speeds have increased drastically these days, which means that more power is passing through the device at a given time. Due to this, it can turn hot a lot quicker and can be difficult to handle.
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More ShortsThe constant use of a phone cover can also be a reason for overheating, as the heat emitted by the device gets trapped causing the internal temperature to rise. It is advisable to remove the cover if you sense the heat is unbearable. Smartphones can also heat up if they are constantly in use.
Playing heavy games or the use of several heavy apps can lead to overheating.
When do smartphones heat up?
Just like humans, smartphones too need an ideal temperature to perform at their best. Samsung and Apple devices require a temperature range of 0 degrees Celsius to 35 degrees Celsius to give the best results while Chinese brand Xiaomi has put an upper cap at 40 degrees Celsius. When the phone is exposed to a constant higher temperature, above its allotted range, it begins to act up.
A lot of phones were affected on the Italian island of Sardinia during last year’s heatwave in Europe. “It’s only once you get to an ambient temperature of 110°F or higher (above 43 degrees Celsius), or when the device is exposed to direct sunlight on a very hot day, where the vast majority of phones will begin to run into issues,” Tom Paton told Bloomberg. Patron is the founder of Green Smartphones, an online phone-comparison platform.
How will you know if your device is overheating?
The best way to know this is, if your phone is getting difficult or uncomfortable to hold. Most smartphones have a warning temperature range issued and companies advise to stick to this. Third-party apps like AIDA64 used in Android and iOS and Cooling Master for Android also monitor the temperature of the phone.
A phone’s poor performance can be another red flag, Bloomberg quoted a smartphone expert Nicholas Bains at Asurion as saying. “Your phone is able to protect itself in the moment… But frequent and repeated exposure to high heat can have long-term effects on your phone’s performance and can permanently shorten its battery life.”
How will overheating damage your phone?
Heat can pose a major risk to the battery. “Although batteries often degrade over time, constant exposure to heat can lead to its wear and tear quicker,” Kyle Wiens, chief executive officer of iFixit, told Bloomberg. “The adhesive used for phone screens can also start to loosen once temperatures exceed its melting point.”
Sometimes a phone’s Central Processing Unit (CPU) can also be damaged due to the device operating at a temperature higher than its maximum temperature. In some extreme cases, heat buildup can result in battery combustion, which is dangerous as it can lead to a fire or explosion.
But, if nothing extreme like this happens, you will experience a loss of functionality and potentially data, as overheating causes apps to glitch or crash.
How to protect smartphones during a heatwave
Avoiding the use of the phone in the sunlight can be a good way of maintaining an ideal temperature. And if it is especially sunny outside, lowering the brightness can also help.
Phone covers can be a problem. But if you don’t want to strip your handset, there are also phone cases designed to achieve better heat dissipation by using breathable materials and increased airflow.
Charging the phone in a cooler environment can also help. Also, avoid using the phone when it is on charge. If you must use it, remove the device from the charging.
The best way to cool down your phone is to let it do so naturally. The phone does not like temperature fluctuations at all. Thus, putting your phone in the refrigerator is out of the question.
With inputs from agencies