Why is My iPhone Hot While Charging?

Like us, our phones need time to recharge and gather energy for the day ahead. Detecting your iPhone overheating while being on charge can cause users to be increasingly concerned about the lifespan of their device.

We discover why your iPhone is overheating while charging and provide superior solutions to resolve heating problems.

Issue With Charger 

With the advancement of iPhone technology, the problem of overheating is very limited to a range of iPhones. These devices are intelligently designed to manage heat absorption created by fast charging, quick charging, supercharging, and hyper charging methods. However, there are still some devices that have an issue with overheating.

If your iPhone starts to overheat while connected to a power source, this can cause significant issues to the device's battery life that can impact future usage. To resolve the overheating problem immediately, make sure you follow these steps to cool down your device.

Unplug the device from the power source > Remove the outer protective case (for users who use a phone case) > turn off your iPhone and let the heat dissipate. 

Once your phone is cooled, check over your iPhone accessories, such as the charging system. Elements such as a ruptured or low-quality lighting cable, a faulty adapter, a broken port, or internal damage to the power source can be one of the main problems as to why your phone is overheating. 

Use a different charger, lighting cable, or adapter to detect whether the fault is one of these elements. Apple charging systems have MFi (Made For iPhone) certification, meaning that any MFi lightning cable meets the Apple specifications for compatibility. 

This certification is beneficial to your iPhone as the software trusts the lightning cable while charging. However, there are multiple cheaper options for charging systems that are not MFi certified. These cables carry the same features as Apple without the additional cost and support your device while on charge.

Overcharging Your Phone

Your iPhone battery is made from lithium-ion, allowing the device to charge faster, last longer, and have a high power density. But, as your phone chemically ages, the battery life diminishes, impacting a shorter charging time. 

There is such a thing as overcharging your device. However, most modern devices have advanced technology to manage your iPhone’s battery health intelligently. Your iPhone can expertly analyse your charging habits and will wait to finish charging past 80% until you need it for the day ahead. Moreover, it is recommended that you keep your device between 20-and- 80% for optimal battery health.

Users who have an iPhone 6 onwards, IOS 13, and so on have fantastic features in the settings app that showcases battery health, Apple recommendations if a battery needs replacing, and apps that consume the most energy. 

These unique features can be found in settings> battery> battery health.

Be Careful of Surfaces 

Placing your device on cooler surfaces such as wooden desktops, bedside tables, and glass tops allow heat to dissipate quicker. In addition to this, charging your device on any surfaces with fabric is not advised as these surfaces are poor heat absorbers. 

Do not place your phone under your pillow to charge, as in a worst case scenario, a fatal battery failure could cause your device to catch fire and this could potentially become dangerous.

User-behaviour 

Occupying multiple apps, streaming high-quality videos or playing games can cause your phone to become hot to the touch, while the device is designed to handle this level of heat, if you are not happy with your phone's performance when consuming content, leave your iPhone to cooldown for some time before handling it again.

How to Cool Down Your Phone 

There are many ways to control overheating, and here are some preventive methods that could decrease heat consumption and elevate the lifespan of your device.

Update Your iPhone and Apps

Updating your IOS software can fix issues such as software bugs caused by certain apps. Keeping your phone up to date can aid in avoiding problems that can cause further damage to your device's CPU. However, we extensively recommend backing up your phone to protect your personal data from heating damage if the problem persists.

Background App Refresh

If you have multiple apps open when you switch between platforms, the remaining apps can check for updates and new content. This process can drain your battery and, with numerous apps refreshing, can cause your iPhone to heat up.

To turn background app refresh off, go to settings > general > background app refresh > turn on or off.

Closing Apps Your Are Not Using and Turn Down Your Brightness

Eliminate the workload by swiping off multiple apps you are not using. Your iPhone can then focus on one app at a time and conserve energy. 

Reducing your phone's brightness below 50% for a short period of time can eventually cool down the phone and the display screen. 

If your iPhone still overheats regularly and you believe there could be an issue with your device, contact our team or come into our store for a free diagnostic. Moreover, for more advice on overheating, check out the hangout on our online store.