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Apple Reveals Maximum Temperature iPhones Can Reach Before Overheating
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With a summer heatwave well and truly underway, many people will notice their phones struggling as much as they are - a dramatic message regularly popping up on hot days to tell us the device is simply too overwhelmed, and needs to go and lie in the shade for a bit to cool down. It's very relatable.
It's hardly surprising, given that smartphones aren't designed to withstand particularly high temperatures.
According to Apple, a range of 0°C and 35°C is best for iPhones, meaning a device may 'change its behavior' to regulate itself if it goes outside of those parameters.
Apple also warns that using a phone in 'very hot' conditions can permanently shorten battery life - arguably one of the biggest threats to a smartphone user.
Apple explains on its website: "Use iOS devices where the ambient temperature is between 0º and 35ºC (32º to 95ºF). Low- or high-temperature conditions might cause the device to change its behavior to regulate its temperature.
"Using an iOS device in very cold conditions outside of its operating range might temporarily shorten battery life and could cause the device to turn off. Battery life will return to normal when you bring the device back to higher ambient temperatures.
"Using an iOS device in very hot conditions can permanently shorten battery life."
Of course, air temperatures don't always correspond with those of physical objects, meaning that an iPhone may reach its maximum heat level even if the figure on your weather app looks relatively mild. While it may be a balmy 25ºC summer's day, your device may feel like it's hotter than the surface of the sun.
However, there are a number of ways to help keep your phone cool to protect its battery life and to ensure you can keep using it throughout the day.
Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, Apple advises avoiding leaving your phone in direct sunlight for extended periods - after all, it's not like it can slap on the sun cream or jump into a pool to cool down like we can.
The tech giant also says phones shouldn't be left in hot cars, explaining: "Don't leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range."
Using some of your device's features in hot weather is something else Apple says 'might cause the device to change performance and behavior'.
Because of this, it suggests not 'using certain features in hot conditions or direct sunlight for an extended period of time, such as GPS tracking or navigation in a car, playing a graphics-intensive game, or using augmented-reality apps'.
Similarly, TIME also recommends stopping using your phone altogether in particularly hot weather, or popping it onto airplane mode to help cool things down.
But however hot it gets, TIME says you shouldn't be tempted to put your mobile into the freezer... Yep, presumably this is a trick someone's tried before.
The outlet says: "Rapid temperature shifts are also bad for your phone. One reason for this is condensation: water is more likely to become trapped inside your phone, causing problems, if you put it somewhere like a freezer when it's very hot.
"A better bet is to turn off your phone and leave it in a cool area for a while so it returns to room temperature at a more natural rate."
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