Feeling hot, hot, hot? Here's how to stop your phone overheating so you can carry on shooting and playing
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
Many places around the world (the UK included) are currently experiencing soaring temperatures, and the latest heatwave is making it difficult to use our devices as we normally would. Summer is a time when we typically want to be out capturing low-light landscapes, portraits of friends, holidays and lifestyle shoots, but even the best camera phone can overheat quickly in direct sunlight.
As we face the hottest temperatures on record this week, many of us will be wondering how to protect our tech items from overheating and facing long lasting damage. Fortunately, some clever experts have shared their best advice for keep your phone and other devices cool in this heat. Let's cool it and take a look!
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
1. Remove your phone case
Keeping your phone in one of the best phone cases is a great way to protect it from damage, however, a case can be a form of insulation and will keep in any heat from your phone, increasing the risk of your phone overheating. Taking your phone case off will let heat dissipate quickly and keep your phone cooler. Naturally, phone cases are important in the way of protection to your phone, but even taking it off for a few minutes in a safe environment can do your phone the world of good.
(Image credit: KristinaJovanovic via Getty Images)
2. Take your phone out of your pocket
Whilst it can be useful to keep your phone in your pocket, pockets are small spaces and they end up pressing your phone to your skin, meaning your phone will take in a lot of your body heat. If you don’t have a bag to keep your phone in when you’re on the go, a looser pocket such as an oversized shirt pocket can also be a good place to keep your phone.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
3. Change your phone’s settings
There are a few changes you can make in your phones settings that can reduce the battery and energy that your phone is using and subsequently keep your phone cool. Firstly, you should turn off any data settings when you don’t need it, or even go one step further and put your phone on airplane mode when you’re not using it.
This can save your phones battery which is closely linked to your phone’s temperature. Another setting you can change is your phones brightness. Turning down the brightness will reduce the amount of battery being used and subsequently lessening how much your phone heats up.
(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
4. Don’t overuse your phone
Some bits of software – particularly gaming and video apps – can use up a lot of battery on your phone and warm it up considerably. If you’re already in hot weather, it would be wise to avoid using these apps unless absolutely necessary – even if that means finding shade or a cooler spot to use your phone, it will make a big difference to your phone’s temperature.
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(Image credit: Lauren Scott)
5. Keep your phone out of the sun
It may seem obvious, but preventing your phone from overheating is far easier than repairing your phone from overheating. Simple things such as keeping your phone in a cooler room or moving into the shade can go a long way in terms of protecting your phone. Next time you’re out and about, or even if you're in your garden, be conscious of where you’re leaving your phone and make sure it’s in a shady or cool spot. And lastly, don't keep your phone too near to naughty puppies like in this shot, but that could be a whole other tips post...
Lauren is a writer, reviewer, and photographer with ten years of experience in the camera industry. She's the former Managing Editor of Digital Camera World, and previously served as Editor of Digital Photographer magazine, Technique editor for PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, and Deputy Editor of our sister publication, Digital Camera Magazine. An experienced journalist and freelance photographer, Lauren also has bylines at Tech Radar, Space.com, Canon Europe, PCGamesN, T3, Stuff, and British Airways' in-flight magazine (among others). When she's not testing gear for DCW, she's probably in the kitchen testing yet another new curry recipe or walking in the Cotswolds with her Flat-coated Retriever.
