Why Your Phone is Overheating and How to Keep It Cool

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We’ve all experienced that heart-stopping moment when our phones become slow or even unresponsive from overheating.
Whether it’s exposure to direct sunlight or you’ve simply been streaming videos for hours on end, there are plenty of reasons your phone might get too hot. 

In this article, the gadget experts at Protect Your Bubble explain why phones overheat and what you can do to cool them down when it happens.

Protect Your Bubble does not guarantee that any steps detailed in this guide will fix your device(s). Any steps followed are done so at your own risk; Protect Your Bubble is not liable for any damages arising from any action or decision taken from reading this content. Damage or breakdown occurring before the mobile phone insurance policy start date is not covered.

Why Does My Phone Keep Overheating?

There are many reasons your phone may overheat, due to overuse or even where you keep it. Some of the most common causes include:

• Using Too Many Apps: Apps use memory space, meaning your phone needs to work harder to manage multiple tabs. If you use too many at once, it can cause a phone to overheat.

• Streaming and Gaming: Intensive tasks like video streaming and gaming can be demanding on the phone’s CPU, often leading to overheating.

• Poor Ventilation: Faulty or clogged ventilation ports can cause poor air circulation, leading your phone to rapidly overheat as its internal fans struggle to cool it down.

• Hot Days or Environments: A particularly sunny or humid day can cause a phone to overheat, especially when exposed to direct sunlight.

• Software Issues: Software issues, like poorly optimised apps, memory leaks and out-of-date system updates, can make your phone run inefficiently and overheat.

• Battery Problems: Overcharged or ageing batteries can cause internal problems that lead to overheating.
If you spot any of the issues above, follow the tips below to cool your phone to prevent further damage.

How To Cool Down a Phone

When a phone overheats, it’s important to take steps to cool it down to protect its internal components, including:

• Closing Any Active Tasks: If your phone is overheating, limit any open tasks, especially resource-intensive activities like streaming or gaming, until it cools.

• Keeping It Cool: It may sound obvious, but keeping the phone in a cool environment, like a kitchen counter surface or cool wooden table, can speed up the rate at which heat leaves the device.

• Restarting the Device: Restarting a device can refresh and reset applications that may not be performing efficiently, which can help the phone cool.

• Checking Battery Health: While not a quick fix, monitoring battery health and replacing faulty batteries can prevent your phone from overheating. It’s recommended you do this through the device’s manufacturer, or a reputable high street retailer such as iSmash or Pocket Geek Tech Repair. Some repairs may void any warranties or insurance you have in place. Make sure you check with your provider beforehand.
To monitor the health of a phone battery, go to Settings > Battery > 'Battery Health & Charging’ for iPhone, or ‘Settings > Battery’ for Android.

How To Cool Down a Phone Fast

If you’re worried your phone is dangerously overheating and don’t have time to try the tips above, below are some options to cool down your phone faster:

• Remove the Case: If your phone is in a protective case, remove it to increase the speed at which the heat dissipates.
• Close Unused Apps: Close any background apps that are still running to reduce CPU load.
• Turn off Non-Essential Features: Deactivate other background processes like Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi.
• Reduce Screen Brightness: Lower brightness or enable adaptive brightness to lower the CPU load.

How to Keep a Phone Cool While Charging

Charging resistance can be a problem, especially in older phones with worn batteries. This can often result in a phone getting hotter while plugged in.

Below are some top tips to keep your phone cool while charging:

• Use an Approved Charger: Use a manufacturer-approved charger designed for your phone’s battery. This should make the charging as efficient as possible.

• Avoid Fast Charging: Try to use standard charging when possible. Fast charging may be tempting in a rush, but it’ll generate more heat while doing so.

• Use a Cool Surface: Place the phone on a cool surface, like a ceramic kitchen counter or a cold wooden table. This should help any heat generated to dissipate quickly.

• Limit Usage: While charging, it is recommended to avoid using the phone. The increased CPU demand could lead to more heat while charging.

How To Fix An Overheating Phone

Even by following the tips above, your phone may continue to overheat occasionally. For a more permanent solution to an overheating phone, try some of these tricks:

• Check for Software Updates: Keeping your phone’s system updated can help prevent overheating. Updates fix bugs and inefficient system settings that could be causing your phone to overheat.

• Replace Batteries: As batteries age, their charge resistance grows, generating more heat while charging and losing charge faster. Replace older batteries as per the manufacturer's instructions.

• Clear Ventilation: Clearing your phone’s ventilation ports can help reduce heat. Over time, air filters get clogged with dirt particles. These can be removed using a compressed air canister or a soft brush.

• Contact Your Insurance Provider: If the overheating is caused by accidental damage to key components, it’s worth contacting your insurance provider and reviewing the terms and conditions; you may be covered by your policy. 

Protect Your Bubble mobile phone insurance* covers you against accidental damage and mechanical breakdown outside the manufacturer’s warranty.

If your device is outside the manufacturer’s guarantee, you may look to claim on your insurance, but as with most insurance, an excess will be payable. Whether overheating issues are covered under Protect Your Bubble’s policy is assessed on a case-by-case basis in line with our full policy Terms and Conditions. Deliberate damage or cosmetic damage, such as dents or scratches that do not affect the functionality of the device, are not covered. An excess is payable for each accepted claim. 

We also offer optional loss and theft cover, and you can insure up to three items for £15.99 per month**, without loss cover.

* Underwriter Assurant General Insurance Limited. Gadget age restrictions, T&Cs and excesses apply. Customer UK 18+. 

**Price correct at time of publication and is subject to change.


 

FAQ's

Phones can overheat while charging due to issues such as high energy consumption, CPU overload from background applications and resource-intensive tasks. Batteries can also degrade and create resistance, leading to excessive heat buildup.

High temperatures can impact phone processor speed. This is a safety measure designed to prevent damage when overheating. It can also lead to slower app loading times and general lag.

No, it is not recommended to use ice directly on a phone to cool it down. This is because moisture can damage internal components. Damage incurred whilst attempting to cool your phone with ice would not be covered by your Protect Your Bubble phone insurance policy. Instead, it’s best to place the phone on a cool, dry surface like a cold wooden table or ceramic kitchen counter until it cools naturally.