I live in the UK and when a heat wave hits it can get surprisingly hot and humid for a country not known for its heat, and my iPhone has taken the brunt of that recently.
My home’s small garden gets most of the sun during the day, so there’s constant heat and sunshine while I listen to podcasts or scroll through Twitter or TikTok.
However, while I was working on my MacBook Pro in the garden, I forgot that my iPhone was getting the full power of the sun on the glass table next to me, and the music suddenly stopped. I thought I was getting a call, and it wasn’t until I held the phone that the temperature warning popped up.
Granted, it’s not just an iPhone that can suffer from extreme heat – there are Android devices and Windows laptops that also need to be operated at a lower temperature. But when moments like these happen, there’s a handy method to remember to keep the sun from damaging your electronics – something I’ll do next time.
How to keep your device cool like I didn’t
Apple claims that a good temperature for an iPhone is around 32° to 95° Fahrenheit / 0° – 35° Celsius. It’s safe to assume that my iPhone was already hot due to the apps I was using at the time, and the heat from the sun only made it worse for the device.
First, don’t do what I did and then suddenly put it on a shelf in the fridge. While this will certainly cool the device, it can take it too far in the opposite direction or lead to condensation and water vapor building up inside.
Instead, turn off your device and take it out of a case if it’s in one. Place it in a cool area that has plenty of airflow and simply wait.
We use our smartphones every day in some way, and while we manage them through their software to keep apps running well, for example, it also helps keep them at the right temperature.
While we are currently experiencing warmer weather in the UK, around the world there are other places that will be heading towards this as the months go by. So make sure you keep your device at a cool temperature and never put it in the fridge like I did.