What to do to avoid your smartphone overheating in a heatwave

Another component that generates heat on your phone is its display, especially when at full brightness. When your phone is being used in bright sunlight, it will kick into a so-called High Brightness Mode (HBM) that consumes more power and generates more heat.

To toggle the Auto-Brightness setting off, head into Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text on iPhone, or Settings > Display on Android.

You can then manually turn the brightness down using the drop-down Control Centre/Quick Settings menu without your phone fighting against you and turning it back up.

Turn it off as much as possible

Using your phone is guaranteed to generate heat, so in the event that your phone becomes uncomfortably warm to the touch, turning it off for a while will maximise the cooling process.

Otherwise, consider activating Aeroplane mode for a while. This will switch off heat-generating elements like Wi-Fi, mobile connectivity and Bluetooth. It’s also possible to turn these off separately in your phone’s Control Centre/Quick Settings menu if you need one or more to remain active.

Never put your phone in the fridge

When your phone becomes too hot to touch, it might be tempting to try to cool it down as quickly as possible. You might see some recommendations to place the phone in your fridge. Do not do this.

Questions of hygiene aside (do you really want your mucky phone anywhere near your fresh food?), there’s a chance this could actively damage your phone. Sudden changes in temperature can be bad for phones, while the rapid cooling process could conceivably cause condensation to form within the handset.

Gradual, natural cooling is a much safer idea. Find the coolest spot wherever you are, follow the above guidance, and leave your phone there for a spell. If you want to help it on its way, regular cooling fans can be a big help in drawing heat away from a phone.