SAN ANTONIO – It’s not just you. The relentless summer heat can leave you feeling drained. Same for your cell phone. So, if your phone’s been running more slowly or the battery drains more quickly than usual, it could be the hot temperatures.
“It can cause major performance issues, reduce speeds,” said Kelly Yarger with BatteriesPlus. “Your phone could even unexpectedly shut down and, in some cases, actually not turn back on.”
Exposure to heat can cause permanent damage to the lithium battery.
Many phones flash a warning on the screen saying, “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it.”
“The ideal operating temperature for phones is roughly 32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit,” Yarger said.
Ninety-five degrees is practically a cool front compared to recent weeks.
So what can you do to protect your phone? The obvious answer is to keep it out of direct sunlight, especially when it’s hot.
But Yarger says you shouldn’t leave it behind in the car, where temperatures soar. And, he says, your pants pocket on a hot day isn’t a great idea because body heat will add to the problem. Instead, he suggests carrying it in a handbag or backpack.
Another no-no?
“Try not to stack electronics on top of each other,” he said.
That can generate more heat.
If your phone feels warm to the touch, it’s even hotter inside. To cool it down, move it out of direct heat, close your apps, lower the brightness, put it in low-power or airplane mode and remove the case for a bit. The case can trap heat. The idea is to reduce the work the battery has to do.
The easiest thing is to turn it off for a while.
What you do not want to do with an overheated phone is put it on charge or in the fridge for a quickie cooldown. That can create condensation and damage the phone, Yarger said.
“If you are using your phone excessively and it’s hot, you feel it’s warm, I’d get off the phone for a while,” he said.