Why is My Phone Overheating?

Why does your phone get hot?

It’s normal to feel your phone getting hot sometimes. After all, unlike most computers, phones don’t have fans to help with a cooldown.

But if your phone keeps overheating or it happens suddenly, you should ask why.

You can’t always tell why the issue started, but I’ll explain some of the reasons your phone temperature might be rising.

1. Direct sunlight

Sunlight can make your phone heat up. Your phone temperature issues don’t necessarily have a serious cause—it might just be during hot weather.

2. Streaming content

Streaming apps could be the reason your phone is heating up. Streaming is stressful for your phone. If you watch content for hours at a time, this means your phone might get overheated.

3. Gaming

Like streaming, gaming can use a lot of power. Your phone will probably run hot if you play graphically demanding or casual games for too long.

4. Many open apps

Lots of open apps can not only cause lagging but also considerably increase your phone’s temperature.

5. Outdated apps

Sometimes, outdated apps can use up a lot of resources—bugs and other software issues can easily cause your phone temperature to rise. App updates might repair performance problems that cause overheating.

6. Faulty battery or charger

If your phone’s battery or charger is faulty, that might be the reason your phone keeps overheating. A faulty battery or charger can heat your device even after moderate use.

Your phone’s lithium-ion battery can overheat easily. The higher the battery’s internal resistance, the more it heats up. Older batteries get noticeably warmer than their brand-new counterparts. To avoid overheating, manufacturers install positive temperature coefficient (PCT) devices into their batteries. Unfortunately, these aren’t entirely foolproof. This is why it’s essential to learn how to cool down your phone fast.

7. Using navigation apps

When you use navigation apps, your phone uses data and GPS constantly. This causes your phone temperature to increase.

8. Bad signal

Are you somewhere with a poor cell signal? Your phone is constantly looking for signal, and when that happens, it might heat up.

9. Outdoor use

If you’re outside, the screen brightness might be turned up higher than usual—especially if it’s a sunny day. This uses more battery power and causes your phone to heat up.

10. Software updates

If your phone is downloading or installing a software update, it might heat up temporarily.

In the long run, though, it’s better to keep your phone updated. Software updates can solve problems and improve your phone’s security. If you don’t install updates when they’re available, you could end up with phone temperature issues because of bugs or even malware.

11. Malware or virus

Malware can put your phone’s processor under undue strain, causing the phone to overheat. Spyware, in particular, can be extremely resource-intensive. It’s always open, monitoring you, so it can raise your phone temperature.

Worried about spyware on your Android? Clario Anti Spy can help you find and remove it.

How to check your phone for spyware:

1. Download Clario Anti Spy and subscribe.
2. Tap Spyware scan.
3. When the scan is complete, tap Review & Fix next to any issues.

Apple’s security features mean that iPhones are less susceptible to spyware. However, if your iPhone is jailbroken, you could still be at risk—after all, jailbroken phones don’t benefit from all of Apple’s security protections. If you use a jailbroken phone, you could be at risk of viruses, ransomware, and other malware.

If you want to check whether your iPhone is jailbroken, use Clario Anti Spy’s Device system check.

How to check if your iPhone is jailbroken:

1. Download Clario Anti Spy and sign up for a subscription.
2. Under Device system check, tap Scan.
3. When the scan is complete, look under the Jailbreak detector.

How to check your phone temperature

To check your phone temperature, you can try a few methods:

• Touch your phone to feel its external temperature. Does it feel warmer than usual?
• Use a third-party app to do a phone temperature check. Some apps can check how warm your phone is and alert you if the temperature rises.
• Depending on your phone’s model, you may be able to check its temperature in your Settings. For example, if you have a Google Pixel phone, you can go to Settings > Battery > Battery Diagnostics and find out whether your phone is cold, normal, warm, or elevated.

Sometimes, your phone will alert you if it’s too warm. Samsung Galaxy phones, for example, have a warning message and automatically enter a low-power mode to prevent overheating.

How to cool down your phone

So now you know your phone temperature is too high, what should you do to cool your phone down fast? Let’s talk about some ways to improve your phone’s temperature.

1. Separate your phone from your other tech

If your phone feels burning hot, move it away from other devices. You want to avoid transferring heat from other devices to your phone.

2. Fan your phone

One of the easiest ways to cool your phone down fast is to fan it—just like you’d cool yourself down in high temperatures. Fan it with your hands, or place it near a fan or cool air vent.

3. Close all the apps

If you’re using resource-intensive apps that are raising your phone’s temperature, close them. Even if you don’t think your apps are using much power, close them while your phone cools down.

4. Get the phone out of sunlight

Is your phone in direct sunlight? Move it somewhere shady and cool.

5. Switch to battery-saver mode

Battery saver mode pauses some processes so that your battery lasts longer. And, as it’s not running these resource-intensive processes any more, it can help cool your phone down fast.

How to turn on Low Power Mode on iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > Battery.
2. Tap the Low Power Mode slider.

How to turn on Battery Saver Mode on Android:

1. Swipe down from the top bar to open Quick Settings, then swipe down again. Tap Power Saving.

6. Turn on Airplane mode

Airplane mode turns off your phone’s wireless communication methods—cellular signal, Wi-Fi, data, Bluetooth, and GPS. If this is why your phone is heating up, enabling Airplane mode can fix the issue.

How to enable Airplane mode on an iPhone:

1. Swipe down from the top right of the screen, then tap the airplane icon.

How to enable Flight mode on Android:

1. Swipe down from the top bar and tap on the airplane icon.

7. Avoid sudden changes in temperature

Even if your phone temperature is very high, don’t cool it down too quickly—this could cause problems. Don’t be tempted to put it in the freezer or icebox!

8. Turn off Bluetooth

Bluetooth can use a lot of your phone’s resources. Turn Bluetooth off while your phone is cooling.

How to turn off Bluetooth on iPhone:

1. Swipe down from the top right of the screen, then tap the Bluetooth icon.
2. Tap Bluetooth, then tap Bluetooth Settings. Tap the slider to turn Bluetooth off.

How to turn off Bluetooth on Android:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the Bluetooth icon.

9. Remove the case

To help cool down your phone, remove its case. This will let air flow around it more easily.

10. Keep the screen brightness low

Having your screen brightness set too high can raise your phone temperature—a bright screen uses more battery power. Turning down the brightness may help.

How to turn down the brightness on an iPhone:

1. Swipe down from the top right of the screen and adjust the brightness indicator.

How to turn down brightness on an Android:

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen, and then swipe down again. Adjust the brightness.

11. Turn off the phone

Restarting or switching your phone off might help. While your phone is cooling, shut it down. You can turn it back on when it’s cooler.

12. Use an antivirus

We’ve already talked about viruses being a potential cause of your phone’s temperature issues.

Install security and antivirus software on your phone and scan it regularly, if you have an Android or jailbroken iPhone. Clario Anti Spy’s Spyware scan can check your Android for spyware with just a few taps.

13. Remove of junk

Your phone might have to work harder if its storage is full. Delete apps and files that you don’t need any more.

14. Update your apps

Outdated apps can cause phone temperature issues. Updating them could fix the problem.

You can see which apps need updating by going to the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) and looking for updates.

15. Reset your phone

If none of the previous solutions are working, you might be able to stop your phone from overheating by resetting it.

A factory reset will set your phone back to how it was when you first purchased it—deleting all of your files, downloaded apps, and changes to settings.

How to factory reset your iPhone:

1. Go to Settings > General.
2. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
3. Tap Reset.

How to factory reset your Android:

1. Go to Settings > General Management.
2. Tap Reset > Factory Data Reset.

16. Use the right charger

Faulty chargers can cause overheating.

If your phone is charging and feels burning hot, unplug it immediately.

You may need to replace your charger if:

• It’s very old
• It’s damaged—it might be frayed, cracked, or feels bent, or you notice burn marks
• It feels very warm when plugged in

Always use a charger from a reputable company, and check it for signs of damage regularly. Get a replacement as soon as it starts to break.

17. Charge your phone correctly

As well as using a good charger, stop your phone from overheating by following some correct charging tips.

• If your phone temperature is already high, wait until it cools before charging it.
• Don’t charge your phone in a very hot environment.
• Avoid streaming, gaming, and other resource-intensive activities while your phone is charging.

If you’re worried about your phone heating up, don’t leave it to charge overnight.

How to stop a phone from overheating

Now you’ve stopped your phone getting hot once, how do we prevent it happening in future? After all, the effects of an overheated phone can be permanent—leading to battery damage and even fires. Luckily, there are a few solutions.

Here’s how to stop your phone from overheating in the future:

• Close background apps
• Disable Location Permissions
• Remove a phone case
• Use a certified charger
• Avoid direct sunlight
• Remove malware

1. Close background apps

App hoarding can make your phone hot—and sluggish. It’s best to close the apps you aren’t using.

2. Disable Location Permissions

You would be surprised how many apps on your phone are allowed to access location services. By disabling location permissions for most of your apps, you can reduce the chances of your phone getting hot.

Here’s how to disable Location Services for iPhone apps:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
2. Tap Location Services.
3. Tap the slider next to Location Services.

Here’s how to disable location permissions for Android apps:

1. Go to Settings > Location.
2. Tap the slider to turn Location permissions off.

3. Remove a phone case

A case is supposed to keep your phone safe, but it can also prevent your phone from dissipating heat properly.

If you are comfortable using your phone without additional protection, remove the case to help bring the phone’s temperature down.

4. Use a certified charger

If your phone is overheated when charging, make sure you use a certified charger. Cheap chargers might lack a regulator that prevents a phone’s battery from overcharging and, hence, overheating.

Safe chargers certified by Apple have the MFi badge on them. Safe Android chargers bear the CE and RoHS markings on their packaging.

5. Avoid direct sunlight

Excessive tanning can be risky not only for people but also for phones. If exposed to direct sunlight, your phone will overheat in a matter of minutes.

When on a beach, keep your phone in the shade or inside a bag. Similarly, make sure not to leave your phone in a hot car.

6. Remove malware

If your phone is getting hot and the battery is draining faster than usual, it might be infected with malware.

Clario Anti Spy can help you here. If you’re an Android user, use the Spyware scan to look for spyware. And if you’re an iOS user, the Device system check can help you look for jailbreaks—which put you at more risk of malware.

7. What to do to stop your phone being hot

Extensive app permissions, spyware, and more consume a significant amount of power, which can lead to your phone overheating. Trying to conserve battery life will often help your phone stay cool.

It’s also important to avoid hardware issues and other external factors that might make your phone hot—whether that’s a faulty charger, a warm environment, or a case that doesn’t let the airflow around it.

Conclusion

Whether you’re an iPhone or Android phone owner, you’ll want to fix an overheating phone. Keeping your device at the right temperature is key to extending its battery life and overall longevity.

If you see a warning or notice that your phone keeps overheating, it might be spyware or other security issues. Clario Anti Spy can help you check for problems, whether you use an iPhone or Android.