Have you ever seen the Temperature Warning on the iPhone before, saying “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it”, appearing seemingly out of nowhere? If you’ve ever left your iPhone outdoors on a hot sunny day for too long, you probably have. And if you haven’t seen that warning, let’s try to keep it that way by heeding some simple advice.
In case you’re thinking “who cares” and wondering why overheating matters, here’s why: Prolonged exposure to excessive temperatures and heat can damage an iPhone and the internal battery (this applies to most electronics and Macs too, by the way). These things are expensive and a major part of many of our digital lives, so we want to keep them in the best shape possible for as long as possible, and avoiding heat is a good way to help an iPhone last.
To be clear, you should never see this temperature warning during any normal iPhone operating situation, it almost always requires some external heat source to cause. If you’re sitting indoors minding your own business and you see that warning, your iPhone may have some other problem and you might want to contact Apple Support to get it looked at.
How to Prevent “iPhone needs to cool down” Warning Message
There are a few simple tips to follow in order to avoid seeing the “iPhone needs to cool down” warning messages:
1: Avoid Direct Sunlight on iPhone
Even on a medium temperature day, leaving an iPhone in direct sunlight can cause the device to quickly overheat, so you’ll want to avoid leaving the device in direct sunlight.
I’ve experienced the Temperature warning simply by leaving my iPhone screen-up on an outdoor table on a fairly moderate 75 degree afternoon, so it can happen even in moderate climates if the conditions and sunlight are right.
For what it’s worth, the black / slate colored iPhone models are particularly vulnerable to overheating in sunlight due to their coloration attracting the sun
2: Don’t Leave iPhone In a Hot Car
The interior of closed cars can get extremely hot – as in cookie baking hot – on sunny and warm summer days, so even if you use your iPhone as a dashboard navigational aid, don’t leave it in the vehicle if you plan on spending some time outside of the car. This includes leaving it on a car seat or in the cupholder while you’re running errands, either bring it with you or put it somewhere that it’s not going to be subjected to sun and the full brunt of a hot day.
3: Avoid Any High Heat Sources
This seems fairly obvious, right? But how many times have you just set your phone down somewhere new without thinking twice about it? I’ve had friends leave their iPhones on closed waffle irons and right in front of heating vents, each received the temperature warning (and an extremely hot-to-the-touch device, that’s really not good). So just be cautious about where you’re setting the iPhone down, and avoid heat sources, particularly if you’re in an unfamiliar place.
Too late, I have the Temperature warning saying my iPhone needs to cool down, what should I do?
If you already see the “Temperature – iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it” message, then you need to take a moment to address the issue. Remove it from the heat source right away and try to help cool it down.
There are various ways you can cool down an iPhone, but removing it from direct sunlight or a heat source is a great place to start. To cool it down directly you can try some tricks too, whether that’s placing it on blasting AC vents in a car, putting it in front of an air fan, stuffing it in a refrigerator for 2 minutes, or whatever is reasonably safe and effective, just try to cool the iPhone down to a normal temperature to avoid any damage.
Once it cools down and you can use the iPhone again, follow the aforementioned advice to keep it cool, and avoid situations where it could be operating in an abnormally warming environment.
Finally, keep in mind that some third party cases can make overheating happen faster, and can even make it worse, by preventing the iPhone from dissipating heat as it’s built to. Thus, if your iPhone is overheating and you have that warning screen, you may want to pull off the case to help it cool down quicker. You can always put it back on when it’s back to normal again.
Do you have any experience with the iPhone “Temperature” warning? Any great ways to avoid or fix it? Let us know in the comments below!
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