How to Prevent iPhone Overheating: 6 Tips That Work
iPhones that overheat can see negative impacts on battery life, performance, and device longevity. Overheating can be caused by charging, intensive use, running multiple apps simultaneously, exposure to hot environments, or performance issues.
The good news is that most iPhone overheating is preventable with proper awareness and care. Learn how you can identify and avoid overheating triggers with the tips below.
Primary Causes of iPhone Overheating
When you can pinpoint the cause of your iPhone's overheating, you can prevent its recurrence and protect your phone’s long-term performance and safety.
Too Many Apps Running
Having several apps up and running on your phone at once consumes a massive amount of your phone’s resources, forcing your processor to work harder. Each active app generates a small amount of heat, but together, the cumulative effect can create a significant increase in phone temperature.
When those apps are also energy-intensive, such as social media apps or email apps that consistently update, it compounds the issue, and your phone’s computer system may struggle to manage everything simultaneously.
Check your active apps and close out ones you aren’t currently using to reduce the temperature and cool your phone down. If the apps have also drained your battery, consider using a portable power bank to charge your iPhone, even when you’re on the go.
Direct Sunlight and Environmental Heat
Your phone’s ideal operating range is between 32°F and 95°F. When it’s exposed to direct sunlight for too long or subjected to high temperatures, such as those found in saunas or car dashboards, it can quickly raise the phone’s surface temperature above 100°F.
Using an iPhone in these conditions can permanently shorten battery life. The colour of your phone case also plays a role, as dark phone cases tend to absorb more heat than light-colored cases.
Ambient heat makes it harder for your phone to dissipate internal heat. By removing your phone from a hot temperature environment, you allow it to cool down more quickly.
Software Glitches and Overload
When you haven’t updated your apps or your phone software is experiencing glitches, you can create infinite loops of power consumption, causing your phone’s processor to run at full capacity. Glitches can cause your phone to continue trying to bypass issues, drain battery power, and increase the phone’s temperature.
Outdated software isn’t just inefficient; it can be detrimental to the rest of your phone’s operational capacity. Set your phone to install updates automatically to avoid unnecessary glitches.
App Usage and Performance
Certain apps use more power and generate more heat than others, which may be contributing to frequent battery draining and iPhone overheating. To learn more about your own usage patterns and the performance of certain apps, check your iPhone’s battery settings to see which apps consume the most power.
You’ll likely see apps for gaming, video streaming, editing, social media, or GPS navigation as your most power-hungry.
You can avoid using these apps simultaneously, close them out when not in use, or try to reduce the time spent on the apps to manage temperature increases. Use Apple’s Screen Time feature to track and improve your own personal usage patterns.
For even more support, consider using third-party apps like CoconutBattery to gain a deeper understanding of your phone’s battery health and quality.
iPhone Charging and Battery Care Tips
The more you take care of your phone during charge/discharge cycles, the better your battery health will be, and the less likely your phone will be to overheat. Use these tips to find the right charging accessory and optimize your battery’s charging process.
Only use certified charging cables and adapters - Unverified cables can drain the battery and slow down charging. You may notice that your battery charges slowly or overheats during charging cycles. These are signs that you should cease using that cable and look for a certified Apple charger or adapter.
Remove phone case while charging - If your phone heats up while charging, remove the phone case to allow the heat to dissipate more effectively.
Use the Optimized Battery Charging setting whenever possible. Enable this setting to prevent overcharging, which can cause overheating and degrade battery quality.
Pay attention to your phone when using a portable power bank or charger to prevent any potential issues. If optimized battery charging mode is not enabled and you’re using your phone while it charges, monitor the charging progress and unplug it once your phone reaches a satisfactory battery level.
Charge to 80% instead of 100% whenever possible. This slight difference can reduce stress on the battery while still providing you with enough power to get through the day.
Use chargers with battery protection features. A charging adapter or iPhone power bank, such as the EcoFlow RAPID Magnetic Power Bank (10,000mAh), can offer special features like “Healthy Charging Mode” to safeguard your battery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does My iPhone Keep Getting Hot?
Your iPhone may become hot for several reasons. It can be related to intensive app usage, environmental factors, processor burnout, or battery heat generated during charge/discharge cycles. It can also be a combination of these factors, compounding the issue. As phones age, they become less efficient, which can cause them to produce more heat. If you can’t identify another cause, it may be time to upgrade to a newer phone.
How Do I Reduce My iPhone From Overheating?
You can reduce phone overheating by closing unused apps, disabling background app refresh for non-essential apps, lowering your screen’s brightness, updating apps and iOS software, and turning off GPS services when not in use. Other tactics, such as restarting the device, removing the case, or relocating the phone to a cooler environment, can also be helpful.
Final Thoughts
iPhone overheating isn’t a critical issue, but when it occurs frequently, it can lead to long-term problems with your battery health and longevity. Fortunately, most overheating can be prevented by adopting certain habits and using the right equipment.
Practice proper charging, update your software regularly, and use accessories like the EcoFlow RAPID Magnetic Power Bank (10,000mAh) to provide optimal charging conditions. Taking these small steps today can help you avoid costly repairs and frequent replacements, ultimately saving you money and frustration in the long run.