A severe heatwave has tightened its grip across large parts of Europe, including the UK. Among other challenges, the deadly heatwave has caused smartphones and other electronic devices to overheat. As a result, many are putting their devices in fridges and freezers to cool them down. But experts say the situation is an important reminder for smartphone users everywhere. According to a report by BBC, Jamie Farnell, who runs Shropshire Phone Repairs, in Wem, said that he was getting “flooded” with repairs of devices with “internal moisture damage”. Farnell believes the damage is a result from smartphones being put in fridges and freezers.“We used to see people putting their phones in rice, which is another common misconception,” he told the publication. “When they get wet you shouldn’t put it in rice it doesn’t really do anything.”“Now people are seeing these tips where people are putting phones in the fridge or freezer, but it’s not safe to do it. If you put it in, there is a risk of moisture that can get in the phone and then when it does dry out the moisture or the condensation turns into water,” Farnell stated before adding that it was an issue he was seeing from customers “both young and old”.
Why putting your overheated smartphone in fridge can damage it
Putting your phone in the fridge/freezer may sound like an immediate solution, but it tends to cause “internal condensation”. What it implies is that the device is getting damaged because of moisture inside the device’s screen and logic board. One of the immediate and noticeable impacts of putting smartphones in the fridge is the swollen batteries. “Their phones [were] glitching, freezing, stopping working and batteries were expanding,” Farnell said, adding “We will tend to see the effects of this heat in a few days”.“I can guarantee that there’ll be a lot of people in the shop with swollen batteries or phones that just aren’t turning on. We will then ask the question and nine times out of 10 they’ll say that they’ve tried to cool it down [by putting it into the fridge],” he said.
What to do when your smartphone overheats
Most smartphones are equipped with lithium-ion batteries that may swell because of overheating. Smartphone users can follow the measures mentioned below in case of overheating:
- Keep your phone away from direct sunlight
- Turn it off
- Do not overcharge the device
- Avoid intensive apps like games, streaming, or high-intensity videos
- Lower your screen brightness
- Turn the device on to Airplane Mode or turn off Bluetooth and GPS to give the processors a break
