When your smartphone gets hot, you might want to cool it down. That is the most dangerous thing you can do.

Under the scorching midsummer sun. I was walking around Tokyo, looking at a map to find my destination.

Suddenly, I noticed my smartphone was incredibly hot. It was so hot that it was painful to hold. The screen is hard to see in bright sunlight, and I really think using a smartphone under the summer sun is hard work.

Before long, a message appeared on the screen saying something like, "Temperature too high, camera cannot start," and the camera stopped working.

I was honestly startled, thinking, "It got that hot?" Since not being able to take photos is a real problem, I often wondered what I should do in such situations.

If it's hot, I want to cool it down quickly.
I never seriously thought about putting it in the refrigerator, but if I had had an ice pack nearby at that moment, I might have done it.
But that was the most dangerous thing to do.

When it gets hot, a smartphone intentionally slows down its operation.

A hot smartphone will have slower performance, slower charging (or it might stop charging if it gets even hotter), and the screen may dim.

This was not a malfunction.

When the inside of a smartphone gets too hot, it can damage itself, so it intentionally limits its performance while it is hot to protect itself. It is the same as a person resting in the shade on a hot day instead of pushing themselves.

So, there is no need to panic if a warning appears. The smartphone is just saying, "Let me rest for a bit."

The worst thing you can do is cool it down suddenly.

If it's hot, you should cool it down, right? That's what I thought, too.

But putting it in the refrigerator, applying an ice pack, or submerging it in water to cool it down suddenly is something you must not do.

If you cool it down suddenly, water droplets can form inside the smartphone.
The same thing that happens when the outside of a cold drink glass gets wet with condensation in the summer happens inside the smartphone.

It was only hot on the outside, but because I cooled it down suddenly, the inside got wet, and that would have really broken it. What I did with good intentions would have been the primary cause of its destruction.

All I do now is remove the case and let it rest in the shade.

So, what should you do?

Remove the case, place it in the shade, turn off the power, and wait.

Cases tend to trap heat. That is why you should remove them. Then, place it in a cool spot away from direct sunlight, turn off the power, and leave it alone for a while.

You don't need ice, a refrigerator, or the strong breeze of an electric fan. Don't rush; just wait for the heat to dissipate naturally. That is all. Whether it is an iPhone or an Android, the steps are the same.

Usually, after a while, it will be usable again as normal.

Things I stopped doing before it gets hot.

If you don't let it get too hot in the first place, you won't have to panic. These are the things I am careful about.

Do not leave it in a car in the summer or near the windshield. The temperature inside a car gets much higher than you might think.

Do not watch videos while charging. Both charging and watching videos put a load on your smartphone, so doing them together makes it easy for heat to build up.

Do not keep looking at maps for a long time under strong sunlight. Let it rest in the shade from time to time.

By the way, I wrote before about the "charging habit" that it is better not to use up the battery to 0%.

I was charging after the battery died. That was what was wearing out the battery.

Today, I will stick to just the topic of "heat".

Well then.

I learned that smartphones also have a hard time in the summer.

When it gets hot, don't force it. Don't cool it down suddenly in the refrigerator. Take off the case and let it rest in a cool place.

It was just like a human. If you let it rest properly, it will come back to normal.

Just knowing this makes you feel a little more at ease, doesn't it?

If you read to the end, I would be happy if you could click the ♡ button.

If you have any "how do I do this?" questions about smartphones or AI, please ask me on LINE. A greeting with just a sticker is also very welcome. ▶ https://lin.ee/OEZd5DD

Author: Sate. | Smartphones and AI for those in their 50s and beyond
30 years in the IT industry. 20 of those years were as a technical writer writing manuals.

I translate and resolve the "fuzziness" and "vague fears" about smartphones and AI for those in their 50s and beyond, using gentle language.