Cold weather can ruin your phone – Here are ways to protect it

January 3, 2018

Cold weather causes many problems for many people across the world. It causes icy, dangerous roads, frozen pipes, and life-threatening situations if you get stuck outside.

Have you ever gone out and your car didn’t start? The life was sucked out of your battery and it just won’t turn over. In some places, it’s so cold people have heaters to keep their engines from freezing overnight.

But the cold also affects our tech.

Why you need to protect your phone

Yes, even our cellphones have trouble in extreme conditions. Think about it, when it’s really cold out, you wear gloves and wool socks to keep your phalanges nice and toasty and so does your phone.

There have been several reports that Apple’s new iPhone X gets cold feet and will stop working. If you look at the fine print in the user guide, Apple says their phones are designed to operate in temperatures between 32 degrees F and 95 degrees F.

At the extremes, your phone’s battery can struggle, the display might stop working, or even the glass could break.

What you can do

1. Protect the battery. Lithium-ion batteries have a liquid inside that can freeze and that means no juice. So put it in your pocket next to your body to keep it warm or in a handbag at the very least.

2. If you need to use your phone out in the cold, you can get special cold weather cases that protect them. Lifehack – Try one of those hand warmer packets, it will also keep your fingers warm as well. Just don’t let it overheat!

3. If you can, turn off your phone. When they aren’t turned on they can sustain much colder temps, down to -4 degrees F.

4. Don’t charge your phone in extremely cold temperatures. The battery is already strained by the conditions so if you start charging, it can do even more damage.

These tips apply if you are in cold weather. But don’t be fooled, the heat can cause major issues too. At some point, your phone will turn off with a heat warning. So keep them off the dashboard or under a towel when by the pool. Something we see all too often in Arizona!

Why your phone’s battery charging slows down during hot summer months

Did you know your electronics feel the heat, too? Well, maybe they don’t feel the heat, but they’re adversely affected by it. Here’s what you need to know.

Tags: Apple, Apple iPhone, battery, lithium-ion batteries, phone, tech