It is common for today’s smartphones to overheat every now and then, especially during intense activity such as mobile gaming. That’s because hardware such as the processor and GPU have to work extra hard to create the graphics for the games and carry out other instructions to keep the phone running. The harder the processor has to work, the warmer the phone will get.
An overheated phone can be very frustrating, and many have resorted to putting their smartphones in the fridge to cool them down quicker. But is this a good idea?
If your smartphone gets hot, do not put it in the fridge to cool it down. Smartphones are made of many electronic parts and metal components. A very quick and extreme change in temperature can cause condensation, which could wreak havoc with the phone’s hardware and potentially lead to damage.
You may find people online or elsewhere that claim to have placed their smartphones in the fridge and had no problems afterwards, as long as they kept the phone wrapped in plastic or something along those lines. You could try as well and have the same experience as well.
However, even if it seems to work once or twice, the damage can build up inside and it won’t be long before the phone is completely unusable.
How to deal with an overheating smartphone
The best way to deal with an overheating smartphone is to avoid the problem as best as possible. Below are a few ways in which you can prevent your phone from overheating and what you can do if it gets too hot.
Avoid direct sunlight
This is perhaps stating the obvious and should go without saying, but sometimes the obvious is overlooked. Smartphones generally generate heat, and using one in direct sunlight increases the amount of heat inside the phone.
But it’s not just direct sunlight you need to look out for, it’s indirect heat from the sun, too. For example, keeping your smartphone in the glove compartment of a car is not necessarily in direct sunlight, but the heat trapped inside the glove compartment will definitely heat up your phone.
Keep it well-ventilated
Just like any other electronic piece of equipment, smartphones need space to breathe, otherwise, they will overheat. Tight, poorly ventilated spaces such as pockets of tight-fitting jeans can heat up a phone.
Also, keep in mind the smartphone’s protective case. If it is cheap and does not have good ventilation, it can be a heat trap, too. So, it’s best you get a well-designed, good-quality cover for your smartphone.
Shut down unused apps
As previously mentioned, sometimes smartphones heat up because the CPU has a lot of things to process. Closing unused apps can help take the load off the processor and cool it down.
But simply tapping the ‘X’ in the corner to close an app is sometimes not enough. Some apps continue to run in the background even after you closed them. You may need to shut them down or disable them completely. And if you rarely use the apps, then remove them completely.
It also doesn’t hurt to update the apps you do use. Sometimes app developers will release updates that deal with or prevent overheating.
Give your phone a break
If your smartphone overheats during intensive use such as gameplay, then one way to cool it down is to give it a break. Stop the game or activity and put your phone aside for ten minutes or so before you can resume using it again.
Also, avoid playing games while charging your phone. Charging the phone does heat it up slightly. Playing games while doing so can increase the heat quite considerably. Not to say you can’t use your smartphone while charging it, but perhaps it is best to leave resource-guzzling activities until the phone is charged.
Restart the phone
If closing used apps and pausing your gameplay for a little while doesn’t help the situation, then perhaps you should restart your phone. That will obviously clear the system of any processes and apps that were causing it to overheat.
But if your phone overheats even when you’re not running any resource-heavy apps and you find yourself having to restart your device all the time, then the issue might be malware. If that’s the case, you need to get rid of it as soon as you can.
Use a phone cooler
Believe it or not, you can get a peripheral device that is designed to keep your smartphone cool. These are known as phone coolers and can keep your smartphone cool when in heavy use.
Phone coolers are basically fans that can be attached to the phone and predominantly use heat sink technology to prevent the phone from overheating. A popular phone cooler is the Ivy Mobile Phone Radiator. It provides rapid cooling and can fit a variety of smartphone models. Check it out here.
For more phone cooler options, check out this list of some of the best smartphone coolers around.
Place the phone near a fan
If spending money on a phone cooler is not for you, then a simple alternative is to place the phone near a fan. This may not be as effective as using a phone cooler, but combined with other methods, having your phone blown by a fan could help to cool it down albeit very slowly.
Conclusion
An overheating smartphone is nothing to take lightly. It could lead to some serious damage over time. It’s best to do everything you can to prevent it from getting hotter than it should be. Placing a hot phone in the fridge is not the solution to an overheating smartphone. To prolong the life of your smartphone, try the suggestions above instead.
