As we work more from home and are enjoying the sun, our daily devices can struggle when it gets really hot. We love a good heatwave whilst we warm up but our devices are probably warming up just as much. It’s important to keep smartphones, laptops, tablets etc cool so they work as well as possible.
1. Keep it out of the heat
As obvious as this may be, keeping your devices in the shade away from direct sunlight to reduce overheating – especially that message that pops up on your iPhone too. Working from home means we have the luxury of choosing to be outside or inside when working but electrical devices don't perform optimally in hot conditions so we can help to prolong their use with this trick.
2. Mind the Case
We all know that protecting your device is important to keep it from scratches and bumps but in hot conditions, this is essentially exacerbating its overheating. Your phone case may be trapping some of the heat so especially if you are just relaxing or WFH, you can give your phone a little break from its case. If you are the protective kind, try switching to either silicone or plastic cases which deal with the heat a lot better.
3. Be aware of the charging spot
Plugging your devices to charge generates heat and charging under blankets and/or pillows will result in your device being hotter than usual so placing it on a cooler surface is always helpful. Even charging during the evening whilst it is cooler compared to daytime will aid in longer battery life. You can read more about prolonging your iPhone battery’s health in our previous blog post here.
4. Offload unused apps
Some apps you have open on your device can cause your internal components to work overtime and therefore, result in your phone overheating. So getting into the habit of closing down those power-hungry apps and web browsers when not in use can give your device a break and not push it past its limits.
5. Keep it outside of pockets
Similar principle to trick 3 about charging spots. Keeping your phone in closed areas means there is nowhere for the heat to travel but within the vicinity of your device. This is a very easy trick but difficult to follow so use the others before getting to this one.
6. Adjust the settings
There are some useful settings you can change to make sure your device doesn't heat up too much if you are in direct sunlight. The higher the brightness, the more the battery gets used, so this is the first setting to get down as low as you can, which you can adjust by switching off the automatic setting on your phone or laptop. If you’re not using your data, keep it off. Turning off these features can save battery, which is pretty closely linked to phone temperature. Or, to troubleshoot entirely, switch off your phone or laptop. This will allow the device to close down any intense processes or functions that are causing it to heat up and give it a minute to slow and cool down before rebooting the device.
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