10 Reasons Why Your Phone Is Overheating

Read below and find out why your phone is overheating – the most common causes

Several factors can cause your phone to overheat, including high external temperature and battery problems. When a phone overheats, it slows down, and in some instances, it may shut down until it’s back to normal temperature. Let’s look at some of the factors causing your phone to overheat.

What Causes Your Phone To OverHeat?

• A phone’s internal temperature is based on the temperature of its environment. Battery drains, slow performance and even a total shutdown can occur if the phone gets excessively hot. If it is forced to shut down due to overheating, it will not restart. On the other hand, it is normal for a phone to feel warmer after playing a game for 10-15 minutes.

Therefore, warm should not be interpreted as hot. But if it is hot to touch, there is an underlying cause that should not be ignored. Here are some reasons that may be causing your device to overheat.

Faulty Apps

• Faulty apps are commonly responsible for overheating your phone. For example, sometimes, a new app that is not compatible with your phone causes it to overheat. In other cases, the updated version of an app may be responsible for overheating your device. Although automatic app updates are handy, sometimes they can be problematic.

Solution

When an app is a culprit behind overheating, there are two things you that can do to resolve the issue:

• Uninstall the app that is causing the problem
• Check for an update

Once you have uninstalled the app, restart your phone and see if it overheats again.

Prolonged Camera Usage

Prolonged periods of using a phone’s video camera can cause it to overheat. However, this may not always be the case and may depend on some other factors including:

• Resolution and frame rate
• The brightness of the screen
• Extended periods of camera usage

Make sure your phone camera is only used when required and keep an eye on the resolution and screen brightness to prevent this issue.

Exposure To Direct Heat

• Sometimes the environmental factors are the culprits behind the overheating. When a phone is left in the direct sunlight for too long it will overheat. A phone that is mounted on a car’s dashboard on a sunny day will also overheat.

It is therefore advisable to keep your phone away from direct sunlight or other sources of heat. Try to use the phone in the shade when you are required to use it outside.

Material Of The Phone Case

• If you always keep your phone in a case then this may be one of the reasons behind overheating. Most of the phone cases are manufactured using plastic or leather. These materials keep your phone insulated by keeping the heat in and cold out.

During high-performance tasks, if you notice the temperature of your phone rising, remove the phone case. Your device needs to radiate the heat away and a case made of insulating material prevents that.

Frequency Of Usage

• The frequency with which you use your phone may also be responsible for overheating it. When you are constantly using your phone, the battery is working overtime. This raises the temperature of the device.

Additionally, if you leave your phone on charging even when it’s fully charged, it could also be problematic. Overcharging can cause the battery and in turn your device to overheat.

Faulty Components

• Sometimes defective components such as the battery, processor, and charging port can cause a phone to overheat. If the heat is coming from the back of the phone, you most likely have issues with the battery.

On the other hand, a faulty charging port or cable causes the bottom of the phone to become excessively warm. Try replacing the cable. If the issue is still not fixed, you will have to get your charging port repaired.

Overcharging Your Phone

• Overcharging can lead to overheating, especially when the battery is old. If you have an older device, avoid charging the battery above 90%. This will keep the battery healthy. Also, a phone should not get too hot while charging.

If this happens, you have the following options:

• Replace the charger and the cable
• Replace the battery if possible

If you have tried replacing the cable and adapter and the problem is still there, take your phone to an expert and get it repaired.

Using Animated Wallpapers

• If you use animated wallpapers and widgets or your screen brightness is always full, you are putting excessive load on your phone’s processor. This will increase the temperature of your phone and cause it to slow down.

It is, therefore, wise to let your phone adjust its brightness automatically to match the environment in which it is being used. Using a static background will lighten the load on the processor and help in keeping the temperature normal.

Overuse Of Wi-Fi And Bluetooth

• Overuse of services such as Wi-Fi, mobile internet, and other online services can overheat your phone. Constantly keeping the Bluetooth on can also overheat your phone. Apps that run in the background are continuously using resources such as processors, Wi-Fi, or mobile data.

This can cause your phone to overheat. It is advisable to check the apps that are draining the battery. Toggle unrestricted data usage to disable internet access.

Streaming Videos

• Another practice that can overwork your phone’s processor is watching YouTube or Netflix for several hours. When you stream content your phone has to load video data. This means the display will be kept active for prolonged periods. Thus causing your phone to heat up.

Tips to Cool Your Phone Down

If your smartphone slows down due to overheating, here is what you need to do:

• Start by removing the phone’s case.
• Disable all the connectivity by switching the airplane mode on.
• Move your phone out of the direct sunlight.
• Decrease the screen brightness.
• Direct a fan at your phone. This will likely bring the temperature down.

Tips To Prevent Phone Overheating

Once your phone is back in working order, you need to know how to prevent the problem from occurring in the future. To stop your phone from overheating again, follow the tips mentioned below:

• Switch to battery saver mode.
• Remove junk files and malware by cleaning up your phone.
• Limit the use of the camera.
• Use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS only when needed. Disable these services when they are not in use.

These tips will not only prevent your phone from overheating but also make the battery last longer.

If you have tried all the solutions and you still can’t tackle the issue, contact us at 435-752-5301. Let our trusted technicians at Tricked Out Accessories take care of your worries. We offer all sorts of smartphone repairs, cleaning, and replacement services. Our stores are located in Utah and Hawaii.