Has your
cell phone started getting unusually hot? Does your mobile phone feel like it’s
about to burn a hole in your pocket? Does your phone get so hot that it powers
itself off? Then you are in the right place. This guide describes some common
reasons as to why this can happen and best of all how you can try to fix it.
Before we get started – cell phones get warm
Now
cell phones can get warm. Smartphones are electronics after all, so if you are
a new smartphone owner and are concerned about your warm cell phone then your
phone might be ok, but cell phones shouldn’t get
HOT. If your cell phone it getting hot and your concerned that your cell phone
might be overheating to the point of becoming damaged or causing damage to
something or someone else, especially yourself, then you’re in the right place
and you should certainly try to figure out what is causing this to happen and
how you can stop it from happening any more.
Also,
before we begin, please note that this article is geared more towards trying to
fix smartphones that are running on the popular Android Operating System BUT most of the advice found throughout
this guide can be applied to just about any smartphone that’s getting hot or
overheating regardless of its Operating System or software that it runs on.
Where does your cell phone seem to be getting
Hot?
The
first thing that I recommend you try to do is pinpoint the area of your phone
that seems to be getting hot.
It
might not necessarily be an issue with the phone getting hot. It could be the
battery or the charger that’s having or causing problems. So where does your
phone seem to be getting hot?
Back of the cell phone getting hot
When
your phone starts to get warm does it seem to be the whole phone or does it
seem to be mostly on the back area where the battery sits? Perhaps it’s not the
cell phone that’s overheating but the battery within the cell phone.
If
the back of your phone seems to be heating up, especially where the battery
sits, then take few seconds. Replacing a defective battery is going to be much
more affordable and less troublesome then trying to repair or replace a cell
phone that’s overheating.
So
check out that article and if your battery passes the battery test and seems to
be functioning properly then you can come back to this guide to review some of
the other possible causes as to why your cell phone is overheating and of
course some possible solutions on how to fix it.
Bottom of the phone gets hot
Is
the phone getting warm towards the bottom where you plug in the charger? Is
your cell phone only getting warm while being plugged into the charger? If so
then there might be an issue with the charger itself. Make sure to try a
different charger, preferably one approved by the manufacture of your cell
phone, to see if your phone continues to heat up.
If
a new charger fixes the problem then you can dispose of your previous charger
and enjoy your working cell phone. If it’s not the charger then you might have
to check a few more things.
Getting hot on the back above the battery
compartment
If
the back of the phone seems to be getting hot and it’s not exactly where the
battery sits then there is a good chance that the cell phone itself is
overheating. If this is the case then there can be a few reasons which can be
read in the tips listed below.
Cell phones heats up by the speaker
If
the part of your cell phone that you hold up to your ear is getting hot, then
not only is this a major annoyance, irritation, and health concern (you don’t
want to burn yourself after all) it can also indicated a high possibility that
there is an issue with the cell phone itself. See the cell phone
troubleshooting tips listed below for some possible causes and better yet some
possible solutions.
Cell phones screen seems to be too hot
Cell
phone screens can get warm of course but if the touch screen or display screen
is getting too warm or even hot then this is another indicator that there is an
issue with the cell phone itself, and you should consider the advice listed
below.
How to fix a cell phone that keeps overheating
Now
that we have narrowed it down to the phone and not necessarily an issue with
your phones battery or its charger it’s time to discuss what you came here for
in the first place; how to fix an Android that’s overheating.
Below
is a list of the most common reasons and best resolutions that you can use to
combat overheating on your cell phone.
To many things running
Things
on a cell phone are like things in life. They can certainly pile up over time
and at times even seem overwhelming. If your cell phone has started to
unexpectedly get warm or hot then chances are good that your cell phone has
processes, such as applications, that are running in the background and you
don’t even know that they are running. Some of which might even start running
as soon as you power on your phone.
To heavy of a load for too long of a time
Android
phones are awesome! No doubt about it ;) and what makes them so awesome is what
you can do with them. You can play games, watch videos, listen to music,
capture pictures, watch movies, search the web, send messages and believe it or
not Android cell phones can even be used to make phone calls. All of these wonderful
things in one single device and all in the palm of your hand.
All
these things are what Androids are good for and they do them very well. Like
all things though there are limits to what even an Android can do and for how
long it can do it effectively. Here are a few things that Androids do well but
after a while might cause them to start to overheat.
Heavy streaming
Watching
videos and other media content is another one of the things that make
smartphones so great. Watching a movie when traveling can make the time it
takes to get to your final destination go by a lot faster. Watching movies and
playing videos constantly however can certainly require more work from the
phones processor and not only can it consume a lot of power but it can cause
things to get warmer over time as well, especially as our standards for media
consumption moves to a more clearer picture with a higher definition. How long
will it be until the first 4k Android cell phone screen is released?
Combine
the load of playing a video with the load of a data connection when streaming
content along with other processes running in the background (heck you don’t
want to miss any calls or texts right) and over time your phone might start to
get a little warm.
Heavy gaming
The
Android App store has a pretty wide selection of some pretty fun and
entertaining games and more and more applications are being created and
released every day. Some of these games and applications require more
processing power than others depending on the complexity of the app and when
you add this required processing power with lengthy usage then things can start
to heat up a bit.
You
got to try to remember that many games may require other resources from your
phone as well. Many apps require a data connection which means that your phone
not only has to run the game but also an internet connection through mobile
data or Wi-Fi data, it might require access to your contacts list or friends
list from a social network such as Facebook… that’s another resource etc. etc.
They can add up quick and of course the higher the load the harder your phone
has to work and the hotter it may get.
Bad battery
If
the battery itself isn’t heating up then the problem is less likely your
battery that’s causing the problems but if your battery is old or
malfunctioning (even if it passes the battery test mentioned above) then you
might want to consider replacing the battery. You might also consider taking
your battery out of your phone (if your phone has a removable battery) to check
and make sure that it’s not bloated or warped. If your battery is misshaped or
does not sit flat on a flat service then there is a really good chance that
it’s defective and should be replaced.
Hot in the pocket
If
your cell phone seems to start overheating when it’s in your pocket then take
it out of your pocket to let it breath a little. Think about it… when you’re
walking somewhere in the cold and the wind is blowing and you’re not wearing
gloves where do you often put your hands? In your nice warm pockets :).
Probably not the best example but perhaps your phone just needs a little air to
breathe. This isn’t always possible at school or at work but if you are not
really supposed to check or use your phone somewhere can you choose to suffer
from some separation anxiety instead so that you don’t have to your phone
inside your nice cozy pocket? Could you instead keep it in a backpack, locker,
or hidden in a protective case on your waist? It might just give your phone
what it needs to breath and cool off a bit.
It’s hot in this Armor
Protective
cases are one of the best investments that you can make for a cell phone. They
help keep your phone well protected and can certainly help save the phone from
an accidental fall or accidental damage. While I do recommend investing in a
good case for your smartphone you may want to try using your phone outside of
the case for a little while to see if the phone continues to overheat or if it
helps prevents the phone from getting hot.
Other Possible Reasons
Other
less common but possible reasons a cell phone can get hot.
Water Damage
Do
you listen to music from your cell phone while taking a shower? Do you keep
your cell phone in a sweaty pocket all day? Or has your phone simply had an
accident where it was exposed to liquid? Power issues and overheating are
common problems that a water damaged cell phone can experience.
You
might want to try and locate the LDI (Liquid Damage Indicator) sticker(s) on
your phone to just make sure that your cell phone is not experiencing any side
effects of moisture or liquid damage. Your phone might have moisture damage and
you might not even know it.
No rest
When
was the last time your cell phone got to rest for a few minutes? Does your cell
phone remain turned on constantly throughout the day then remains on and
plugged into a charger all night? It might just need to be powered off to rest
for a little bit.
As
Androids get used apps and processes can start to run and continue to run until
they are manually stopped or the phone reboots (which was mentioned above) but
being constantly powered on can also cause minor software problems which can
often be solved by simply restarting the phone, so I thought I would add this
little tip to the list.
Disable unneeded functions and features
This
suggestion kind of goes hand in hand with too many things running at once but
if you have an animated wall paper with 10 different widgets such as a clock
widget, a weather widget, a favorite contacts widget, an alarm widget, a
calendar widget, a music widget, etc. then these things are going to be running
all at once, are going to be causing your phone to work harder, and could be
causing your phone to heat up a bit. If you are not sure what widgets are then
you are not alone Chances are your Android smartphone has some widgets on its
home screen(s) and you didn’t even know it.
Over clocking
If
you don’t know what over clocking means then you can likely disregard this
little piece of advice all together but a smartphone is just like a computer.
If you have manipulated or customized the software on your Android smartphone
to get it to go faster or run differently then heat might be the price you have
to pay to do so. Unlike a PC though you can’t simply add a fan or heat sink to
your cell phone to try and keep it cool.
Just
remember that if you choose to overclock your Android and as a result it’s
getting hot, heat can lead to a shorter life span for your electronic and can
even result in hardware damage depending on how hot your phone is getting.
Outdated software
Outdated
software is not likely the culprit for your phone heating up but I thought that
I would add this to the list as updated software can help a cell phone run
smoother which can cause less strain on your phone and might help to lower its average temperature.
Hardware
Much
like the possibility of liquid or moisture damage if a piece of the phone
itself has become damaged then that piece may need to be repaired or replaced
in order for your cell phone to function properly again; in this case for your
phone to stop overheating.
Try
to think back to when your mobile phone started to get hot. Can you remember
anything happening to the phone around that time that could explain this
problem? Was the phone dropped accidently? Are there any signs of physical
damage on the device? If so then this might be the culprit and fixing it might
be more of a challenge as the damaged piece that’s causing the phone to heat up
would have to be located and repaired or replaced.
Software
Just
like a possible hardware issue can you remember downloading any new
applications or programs etc. around the time that your phone started to get
hot? If so then you may want to locate that application and disable it or even
temporarily uninstall it just to rule out the possibility that it’s not that
app that’s causing mischief.
This
should go hand in hand with checking your running applications, which was
mentioned earlier. If you notice that a certain application is running every
time that your phone starts to heat up and you have to force stop or force
close that application to get your phone to cool off then you might need to
decide if it’s worth it to continue to use that application. You might want to
rule out that application completely by temporarily uninstalling it. If you
uninstall it and your phone seems to stop getting hot then you will have
located the issue and you could try re-installing it to see if a fresh copy
helps but if not you might need to decide to keep that app (or apps) off your
phone.
If
you have done everything that you can think of to try and get your cell phone
to stop heating up and it’s still getting hot then you might also want to
consider backing up all of your phones important information and then
performing a hard reset on the unit. A hard reset or factory data reset removes
all user data from the phone and puts the phone back to like new condition.
This can help rule out the possibility that something found its way onto your
phone and is causing problems as the reset would help remove that “something”
(whatever it may be) from the phone. The only catch is that it removes all of
your other information as well.
What NOT TO DO when your phone is overheating
Do
NOT put your cell phone into the fridge or worse a freezer. Exposing your cell
phone to extreme temperatures coupled with moisture is just a bad idea all
around and I definitely don’t recommend it for any reason.
Phone is still getting HOT!
If
you have tried ALL of the suggestions in this article then chances are your
cell phone is experiencing a hardware malfunction or another issue that cannot
be resolved through standard troubleshooting and at this point you will likely
need to look into your possible repair or replacement options. Luckily if your
cell phone is still less than a year old and doesn’t have any physical or
liquid damage it is highly likely that your cell phone is still going to be
covered under the manufactures warranty. If so then your cell phones
manufacture may be responsible for the repair or replacement of your unit.
Leave us a
comment if you have any questions
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