Very hot iPhone or iPad: what is the reason and what to do?

hot iPhone

In these hot summer days it is somewhat common for some users to find a strange screen on the iPhone or iPad, with a warning sign about the temperature. Or else you realize that the device is overheating for no apparent reason.

Due to several requests, the iPhone Blog decided to clarify some reasons for warming up the iPhone and iPad and explain what to do when this happens to you.

iPhone or iPad getting too hot

There are some factors that sometimes make the device overheat. This is normal as long as it is not something permanent, that it stays for days with a high temperature (in this case, it can be a hardware problem and it is necessary to take it in a technical assistance). If it happens only once in a while, it is part of the operation of the device, mainly in a tropical country like Brazil. Some uses may cause the appliance to become more heated. For example:

– Use of GPS navigation applications: TomTom, Sygic, Waze, Google Maps and any other that uses the real time location function on the device.

– Games that require a lot of graphics processor: the device can heat up a lot in applications with stiffer graphics, like Infinity Blade and Real Racing 3.

– When charging the battery in the outlet: it is normal for the device to heat up a little while charging.

All of these examples above are normal and planned by Apple and are part of the device’s security system. The outside of the device acts as a cooling surface which transfers heat from inside the device to the cooler outside air. That is, by heating outside it is cooling inside.

Apple recommends operating the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad at a temperature between 0Âş and 35ÂşC. Anything that escapes this can shorten battery life or cause other security devices of the system to work, so that it tries to regulate the temperature itself, such as lowering the screen brightness, weakening the cell phone signals, Wi- Fi, bluetooth and GPS (to consume less energy), disable the camera flash and stop charging the device, if it is connected to USB.

Also for security, Apple has programmed the system to block all functions if its temperature exceeds 45ÂşC. When this happens, the warning below will appear.

Temperature safety warning

When the device gets too cold or too hot, the system activates a device that blocks all functions, until it returns to a more acceptable temperature. All of this for user safety.

iHot“The iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it”

The image above appears and makes it impossible to use the device, which causes a momentary panic in many users who never saw the warning and think the device has broken. Most of the time it happens with people who forget the device in the car, even for a few minutes. Using GPS with the device in the sun in a car with no air conditioning on can also be a cause of overheating.

In this case, the only solution is to wait for the device to cool down, naturally. Do not try to speed up the process by placing it in the refrigerator or in front of the air conditioning outlet, as thermal shock can damage internal circuits. After a few minutes in the fresh air, the device returns to normal.

Final tip: in warmer regions, attention to temperature must be doubled. Avoid leaving it in your pants pocket if it feels too hot, or storing it in bags or backpacks that are out in the sun. Airy environments are always the best place for any electronics, especially our iPhones, iPods and iPads. ?

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