Do Phone Cases Cause Overheating?

31 Aug 2021
Do Phone Cases Cause Overheating

Most phones, like the iPhone, can regulate their temperature. They shut down if they get too hot. 

Don’t be concerned about your phone case - we’ve got you covered. 

In this article, we go over the reasons why your phone might be overheating. We also provide tips on how to prevent your phone from overheating.  

Can Phone Cases Cause Overheating? 

Phone cases are, ultimately, made to protect your phone from damage. Depending on their material type and design manufacture, heating up varies.

Phone cases have the potential to retain heat. Typically, they contribute to the heating of your phone by trapping heat. This hinders how the heat is normally released from your phone.

How? This is regarding Heat Conductance. Phone cases that are poor conductors (insulators) of heat, contribute to heat build-up and overheating.

Phone cases have been seen as a contributory factor to overheating of phones. But, overall it is not seen as the culprit of overheating your phone. 

What Phone Cases Can Cause Your Phone to Overheat? 

Leather cases

Do cases cause phones to overheat

When we imagine leather, we automatically think of warmth or heat. Rightly thinking, leather phone cases can retain a lot of heat. As these are insulators of heat, your leather phone case can cause overheating. 

Plastic Phone cases

Plastics by nature are typically poor conductors of heat. They can affect the cooling mechanism of your phone and lead to overheating. The most popular plastic phone case is the Polycarbonate type. 

Polycarbonate (PC) cases

PC cases are a good buy, they are tough and provide good shock absorption. In the case, you accidentally drop your phone, rest assured it won't crack. 

The downside is that these cases are poor heat conductors. Resulting in heating of your phone. Despite this, they remain attractive on the market. 

PC and Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) phone cases available on this site are great. They are also the best anti-radiation phone case.

Silicone/ Rubber cases 

Silicone cases are good shock absorbers. They are made to cover all the delicate surfaces of the phone. In doing so they offer great protection against impact. 

They are usually waterproof. Silicone and Rubber phone cases do retain heat. 

They can potentially contribute to the heat build-up in your phone.

Generally, though, the premium quality phone cases don't overheat. An eg. is the affordable Burga Phone Case, which won’t cause overheating. 

Magnetic Phone cases

There is no evidence that Magnetic phone cases cause overheating. Though not the most durable of cases, these phone cases are the best buy. Especially for protecting your iPhone from falls/ collisions. 

Wondering, are magnetic phone cases safe for phones? Well, yes, these phone cases provide adequate phone protection. They are also not known to pose a risk of overheating. Some are even made weatherproof. 

Curious to know, can a phone case drain your battery? and do phone cases affect wireless charging? Well, the Magnetic Phone cases don’t. Overall, it’s No for most types of phone cases except the Metal ones. 

Your magnetic phone case may affect the sensor in your phone, though. 

Metal cases

Metal phone cases are good heat conductors and do not cause overheating. 

Do Metal phone cases interfere with the signal? Yes, because metals eg. aluminum, are heavy materials and thick, they block signals. 

Why Do Phones Overheat?

Lithium-ion batteries are heat sensitive and are susceptible to overheating. The CPU and System on Chip (SOC), control and configure the phone. They are also susceptible to overheating.

Overcharging your battery and overuse is a no-no. It can cause your lithium-ion battery to overheat and short circuit.

We all love to multitask but running too many apps at the same time is not wise. This and using outdated/ heavy apps can provoke strain on your battery/ CPU. This can cause overheating of your phone.

Binge use of gaming and video streaming is also harmful to the CPU. It can cause burnout and malfunctioning of the CPU and SOC.

Screen brightness is also important. If set too high for prolonged periods it can cause overheating. 

Another reason is insufficient space on your phone. Junk files can burden your phone’s processing unit causing it to overheat.

Malware infections can cause complications in the CPU causing overheating.

Heated Temperatures, far above 30°C, will cause the phone to overheat. Same with Overexposure to a heated environment eg. direct sunlight. Both of which lead to battery aging. 

Faulty phone software or hardware can also result in overheating your phone.

Do cases overheat phones

How to Prevent Your Phone from Overheating?

Don’t Overcharge

As already mentioned, never overcharge your battery, as this causes overheating. This also affects the way your phone works and shortens its lifespan. 

Also, always charge your phone on a firm surface - this prevents overheating. 

Don’t Overuse

It’s always good to monitor how much you use your phone. Close all apps not being used. Also, update apps regularly. Outdated apps cause your phone to malfunction and increase heat build-up.

Turning on the Power-saving mode helps control your battery life. The Power-saving mode is very handy, especially when streaming videos. It also helps when using your phone’s camera function/ flashlight.

Monitoring your phone’s Screen Brightness and Resolution settings for optimal use is also key.

Clean out all junk or unnecessary files on your phone. This greatly helps your phone to work well. It also reduces the burden on the battery life and your phone’s functioning.

Be careful not to visit or download apps etc. from suspicious sites. This prevents malware! A good suggestion is to use High-quality Phone Anti-virus Protection Software.  

Don’t Leave Your Phone In The Sun

Leaving your phone in the sun/ direct sunlight can cause your phone to overheat. This can quickly damage your phone’s Central Processing Unit (CPU). 

If your phone is overheating from exposure to the sun, move it quickly into a cooler environment. Let it rest. Switching it off is best, or turning onto airplane mode. 

Summary of What to Do if Your Phone is Overheating

  • Remove your phone case
  • Turn the phone off or switch to airplane mode
  • Allow it to rest in a cool, shaded area 

The Burga range of phone cases is excellent. An example is the PC + TPU premium quality hybrid. Highly durable, they offer the best cell phone battery case protection at Affordable prices. 

No need to be concerned, your phone case won’t cause overheating. So long as you follow the tips provided, you can be sure of this.

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