iPhone and Android meltdown warning: You must follow important advice this week

Your first thought amid the staggering temperatures the UK will experience this week is probably how you’re gonna keep yourself cool. But did you realise it’s also important to ensure gadgets such as your Apple iPhone or Android handset don’t overheat too? Extreme temperatures can lead to tech such as your smartphones, tablets and laptops getting permanently damaged.

Apple’s iOS operating system itself sends out warnings when the handset gets hotter than a certain set temperature.

Users will only be able to make emergency calls with Apple itself advising: “To resume use of your device as quickly as possible, turn it off, move it to a cooler environment (away from direct sunlight) and allow it to cool down.”

Samsung also warns that its phones could switch off completely with the company issuing advice including taking it out of their case.

But what can you do to make sure you don’t get to this point in the first place?

With this week’s UK heatwave about to hit large parts of the country, mobile experts at Uswitch have given some handy tips to keep your device cool and performing at its best despite the sizzling weather.

In a guide online for keeping your tech safe during hot weather, Uswitch said: “Our daily devices can struggle when it gets really hot. It’s important to keep smartphones, laptops, tablets, routers cool so they work as well as possible.

“We’re all really dependent on our gadgets, whether we need them for work or leisure. The last thing we need is a sunny day ruined by heat-related device damage”.

If you want to make sure your phone stays safe here are a few things you need to do during the hot weather…

MOVE YOUR PHONE! – While it might seem obvious, it’s important to make sure you don’t leave your phone in hot places such as your car, or expose it to direct sunlight for too long. Apple, for example, says iPhones operate best below 35C, so if you’re out and about try to make sure your iPhone isn’t directly exposed to the sun

CHANGE THOSE SETTINGS – Ensuring your phone is running in low battery mode can help ease the drain on resources during hot weather. This will help the phone from overheating as it’s working overtime to run at max settings. You can also turn your phone on flight mode when you don’t need to use it to help ease the drain on resources, and turn down the screen brightness and volume too

GET RID OF THE CASE – Removing your phone from its case can help stop it from overheating while you’re out. Just made sure you don’t drop your phone while the case isn’t fitted. Which brings us onto the next point…

DON’T POCKET IT – Having your phone in your pocket and close to your body can help heat it up more, due to the temperature your body generates. If you can put it in a bag or when you’re able to on a table in a well-ventilated room

STOP SNAPPING – The sunny weather may make you want to take lots of pictures and videos. But having your phone out exposed to the sun, and constant picture-taking, can lead to overheating

CHILL OUT – You may think it’s OK to quickly cool your phone in the fridge or freezer if it overheats. But this can lead to condensation building up in your handset which is dangerous. Instead, if you need to put your phone safely in front of a fan if you have one to hand or keep it in a dark, cool spot out of the way of sunlight. And if all else falls…

TURN IT OFF – Turning your phone off and leaving it off for awhile can help with overheating. You will likely just need to give it a break for a few minutes before you can turn it back on to go back to scrolling, tweeting or whatever it is you were doing beforehand