Tip of the Week: Keeping a Smartphone Cool

Smartphone users know how hot their devices can get, seemingly without reason, and how unnerving that can be. No wonder—these heat levels can damage the device itself. This means it is very important to try and control its temperature as best you can. We’ve put together some tips to help you keep your phone from overheating.

What Makes My Phone So Hot?

There are a few reasons that your phone may be throwing off so much heat. You may even be able to figure out where the heat is coming from based on what part of the phone is hot. For instance, an overheating battery may present itself through the back of your device getting hot. If the bottom of your phone gets hot as the device is charging, you might have a problem with the charging port. Other areas on the phone suggest other underlying issues.

The temperature of your phone is also influenced by what you’re doing with the device. Some applications—especially mobile games and streaming services—demand a lot of processing power. Your settings may also ask too much of the CPU. Whatever the situation, the harder your phone works, the more heat it will generate.

Software bugs and (to a lesser degree) updates can also lead to excess heat. Some malware infections will also generate this heat, as a phone’s resources are co-opted to support the malware’s goals and processes. These goals could include using the phone to mine for cryptocurrency, or simply installing ransomware.

Whatever the reason, you need to make sure that you prevent your device from overheating. Here are a few tips to help you control the temperature of your device.

Keeping a Smartphone Cool

For starters, let’s briefly go over the science behind temperature.

Temperature, or heat, is just energy. Energy seeks an equilibrium, so it naturally moves from higher concentrations to lower concentrations. When you feel “heat”, you’re feeling that energy moving into you, and when you feel “cold”, it’s that energy flowing out of you. Higher temperatures average out amongst colder temperatures. This will be important to keep in mind for these tips.

Tip: Don’t Keep It Someplace Hot

So, as your phone heats up as it operates, this heat should dissipate into the environment… but, if the environment is too hot, this heat won’t have anywhere to go. A case on your phone will only exacerbate this issue further. So, if you’re concerned about heat, keep the phone someplace cool and give some thought to keeping it out of the case.

Tip: Think About How You Would Cool Off

A quick dip in a pool notwithstanding, many of the methods that you would use to beat the heat can work quite effectively when cooling off your phone. Keeping it in a cool place and turning on a fan can make a huge difference. There are even peripherals available that allow you to air condition your mobile device if you so wish. It’s important that these temperatures don’t change too quickly, too, as this could allow moisture to accumulate inside the device.

Tip: Adjust Your Settings

There are also a few steps that you can follow to help reduce the processing that your phone performs, as this processing contributes to the heat generation of the device as it draws upon the battery and CPU. Reducing the brightness of your screen, turning off data when it isn’t needed, and turning on airplane mode can help to cut back on the resources the phone expends. Avoiding process-intensive tasks, like games or photo editing, can also help avoid overheating.

It is also important to remember that an overheating phone could be a sign of a bigger issue, so if the problem continues, you’ll want to call in technical support for advice.

With any luck, these tips will help you to keep your phone cool. For more tips and best practices, subscribe to our blog!