Summertime means lots of opportunities for great photos with family and friends out in the sun, but our smartphones don’t enjoy the sunshine as much as we do. Follow these tips to protect your cell phone from overheating. 

Keep your phone out of direct sunlight and hot cars

• Leaving a phone in the heat for too long can cause damage to the battery and the phone itself. It can also potentially burn your skin if you attempt to pick it up without letting it first cool down. Find a shaded or covered area to keep your phone when out in the summer heat.

Wait to use your cell phone 

• Phones naturally heat up even when used in a normal, cool environment. Attempting to use a phone in hot conditions places additional stress on the device and can cause it to overheat or shut down. Minimize your usage to avoid damaging the phone.

Turn off unused and battery-draining apps

• Apps that run in the background can not only drain battery but can cause the phone’s cooling system to run overtime. In addition, apps that use more battery life than others can cause the phone to overheat. Make sure to close all unused apps still open and turn on the phone’s “power saver” mode.