You know that feeling when you get into a car that's been baking in a parking lot all afternoon? Your phone feels it too. And unlike you, it can't roll down a window.
Here's the thing most people don't realize: heat is one of the biggest killers of phones, laptops, and tablets. Not drops. Not water. Heat. Once temperatures climb past about 95 degrees, your device's battery starts aging faster, performance gets sluggish, and in bad cases the hardware itself can be permanently damaged, according to Fast Company.
The good news? Protecting your gadgets from summer heat costs nothing. It just takes a few habits. Let's walk through them.
Rule number one: never leave devices in a hot car
This is the big one. On a 90 degree day, the inside of a parked car can hit 130 degrees or more in under an hour. That's hot enough to warp a phone battery, cook a laptop, and void your warranty in the process.
If you absolutely must leave a device in the car, put it in the trunk or under a seat, out of direct sunlight, and keep the stop short. But the real answer is: take it with you. Your phone should go where you go, just like your wallet.
Keep it out of direct sunlight
Even outside of a car, direct sun is rough on electronics. A phone sitting face-up on a patio table in July can overheat in just a few minutes. Dark-colored phones heat up even faster.
- At the pool or beach: tuck your phone in a bag, under a towel, or in the shade. Never leave it lying out on a chair.
- In the garden or on a walk: keep it in a pocket rather than clipped to your waistband in the sun.
- Near windows at home: that sunny windowsill where you charge your phone? Move the charger somewhere shaded.
Watch what you ask your device to do in the heat
Some activities make your phone generate a lot of its own heat. Combine that with a hot day and you've got trouble. The biggest offenders, per Tom's Guide:
- GPS navigation on the dashboard. Your phone is working hard AND sitting in direct sun behind glass. If you use your phone for directions, keep the vents blowing on it or use a mount away from the windshield.
- Video calls and streaming outdoors. Save the long FaceTime with the grandkids for inside.
- Charging in the sun. Charging creates heat on its own. Always charge indoors, and if the phone feels warm, take the case off while it charges.
Whatever you do, do not put it in the fridge
This one sounds helpful and it absolutely is not. If your phone overheats, the instinct is to cool it down fast. But putting a hot phone in the refrigerator or freezer causes thermal shock, which can crack components and damage the battery. Fridges are also humid, and that moisture can condense inside your device, as Euronews warns.
If your device overheats, here's the right way to handle it:
- Turn it off or close your apps.
- Take the case off.
- Move it to a cool, shaded spot, ideally an air-conditioned room or near a fan.
- Let it cool down on its own. Slow and steady is what the battery wants.
Give your laptop room to breathe
Laptops cool themselves with little fans and vents, usually on the bottom or sides. In summer, they need all the help they can get.
- Use a hard, flat surface. A desk or table, not a blanket, couch cushion, or your lap. Soft surfaces block the vents.
- Dust the vents. A can of compressed air (a few dollars at any store) and a couple of short bursts into the vents can noticeably improve cooling. Do this once or twice a year.
- Listen to the fan. If your laptop's fan is roaring constantly on a normal day, it's struggling. That's your cue to clean the vents or move to a cooler room.
The takeaway
Treat your devices like you'd treat a pet: never leave them in a hot car, keep them out of direct sun, and give them shade and airflow when they're struggling. These habits cost you nothing, and they can add years to the life of a phone or laptop battery.
Stay cool out there. Both of you.
Sources: Fast Company, Tom's Guide, Euronews.
Written by Lonnon Jensen. Read more about the author.