How To Keep Cold Weather From Hurting Your Smartphone
With our recent spell of winter weather, have you noticed your smartphone behaving strangely? It turns out your phone has a bit of a Goldilocks syndrome. It likes the temperature to be just right.
I knew that you shouldn’t leave your phone in the car on the hot summer day. It will shut itself down until it’s cooler. I’ve made that mistake a couple of times. Now I’m learning that smartphones don’t like to be too cold either.
If your phone gets cold, it may glitch to regulate its internal temperature. I’ve always thought that cold was better for electronics, hence the fans in computers. Guess not.
It’s not so much the phones themselves that are fickle about the temperature as it is their batteries. According to Sciencing, lithium-ion batteries are easily affected by the cold and have to work a lot harder in freezing conditions. Apple recommends that iPhones be kept between 32º to 95º F.
Here are some ways you can protect your phone when you head out into the cold this winter:
- Turning off your phone to protect the battery
- Moving your phone to an internal pocket so body heat keeps it warm
- Invest in a phone case with insulation
- Carry a portable charger, and use it to keep the phone warm
- Don’t leave your phone in the car
It’s bad enough that I have to go back and forth with my wife and kids over the thermostat setting in our house. Now I’m going to be hearing about it from Siri. I mean, Goldilocks.
