If your Apple iPhone 3G or 3GS has been misbehaving during the recent sunny weather it may be because you’ve been using it in temperatures of over 95°F (35°C).
The iPhone can be stored in temperatures a little higher, up to 113°F (45°C) but beware, temperatures in cars can easily reach 140°F, even in the UK.
If you do use your iPhone at or above these limits you will find battery-life shortened and the iPhone may stop working altogether.
This is normal were the temperature inside the iPhone has gone beyond these limits; the iPhone will attempt to regulate its internal temperature to protect the components of the phone from damage.
Symptoms of these attempts include:
- dimming of the iPhone display
- weak mobile signal
- the iPhone will not charge or stops charging
- the most obvious signal of all is the temperature warning screen shown below.
If you think your iPhone is affected then simply turn off your iPhone and put it somewhere cooler, away from direct sunlight.
Think ahead, if you place it on a desktop in the shade remember the sun moves and it could end up back in direct sunlight again! Don’t put it in a drawer, the heat will be trapped and it will take longer to cool down. Find somewhere open, where the air can get to your iPhone, away from the sunlight.
Although the iPhone can be stored at -20°C we don’t recommend sticking in the freezer for half an hour!
An important point - even if you get the “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it” message you may still be able to make emergency calls.
