A guide to iPhone overheating: Why your iPhone can get excessively hot, and how to fix it

Steven John

Jun 19, 2019, 21:41 IST

A guide to iPhone overheating: Why your iPhone can get excessively hot, and how to fix it

Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Your iPhone can get excessively hot for a number of reasons.

If you're wondering why your iPhone is getting hot, it may be a sign that your iPhone is in need of repairs.
It's not uncommon for an iPhone to grow warm to the touch, and a warm phone is not necessarily a sign of a problem.
An iPhone that grows consistently or excessively hot may indicate an issue that needs to be addressed so your phone doesn't suffer damage.
A hot iPhone could indicate issues with either its software or hardware, and in the case of the latter, you will need to have the phone assessed by a professional.
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Last summer, I started having problems with my iPhone 6. Apps were running slowly, the camera sometimes refused to take pictures, and the phone grew excessively hot at random. Also about this same time, a little discolored spot appeared near the bottom of the screen.

When the sluggish performance and frequent heat finally annoyed me into action, I took my iPhone to an Apple store and had it checked out at the Genius Bar. It took the Apple employee about ten seconds to issue a diagnosis: a faulty battery was to blame for all the many ills.

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A faulty battery can cause frequent overheating in your phone.

I got a replacement phone and got on with my life, now back up to speed and without my phone heating up my pocket all the time.

Why an iPhone can get hot, and how to fix it

If your iPhone regularly feels hot to the touch, you may well have a battery issue, too. Or it could be some other hardware issue.

If your iPhone gets hot based on damaged or malfunctioning hardware, you will need to get it repaired or replaced; make the call after an appointment with a pro, and note that Genius Bar appointments are free. (Though, of course, actual repairs are not.)

Keep in mind that an iPhone simply growing warm isn't a concern. Unlike computers, iPhones have no fans to cool them down, instead dispersing heat out through their metal frames.

A hot phone, on the other hand, is an issue; it's a sign of an already faulty device or one very much at risk of damage caused by excessive temperatures. And alongside faulty hardware may be faulty software… or user behavior that merits some change.

If your phone has recently begun overheating, consider uninstalling apps you got shortly before you noticed the heat issues; they may be corrupted and straining your iOS system.

If that doesn't work, you can try backup your phone to iCloud and then do a factory reset. For info on that, check out our article, "How to reset an iPhone to its factory settings."

Still no luck? Head to the Apple store.

And if you need to cool down your phone to avoid damage, remove the case, unplug the charger, and turn the device off. Then put it somewhere cool that's out of direct sunlight, but never blast cooled air at the phone, as cooling it too rapidly can create condensation that might damage or destroy the iPhone. (FYI, don't use the fridge or freezer, either.)