Prevent your laptops and smartphones from overheating

Check the temperature
While it is perfectly normal for computers and smartphones to heat up thanks to battery heating, there is, of course, an upper limit to the amount of heat these devices can set before they start overheating.

The general guideline for laptops is to keep it running below 122°F (50°C), with more room for maneuver for newer processors. If your laptop feels like it’s running too hot and has started to show performance issues, use a free temperature monitoring tool to see if your laptop is in danger of overheating. You’ll know if your laptop is overheating if you see the telltale signs.

Some smartphones offer built-in temperature sensors that can tell you if your phone or battery is heating up too much and many smartphones will turn off automatically if your phone gets too hot.

Apple recommends an ideal temperature zone of 62 to 72°F (16 to 22°C) for iPhone to work well and describes ambient temperatures above 95°F (35°C) as harmful temperatures that could permanently ruin battery capacity.

MacBooks work best if the temperature stays between 50°F and 95°F (10° to 35°C).

To store your iPhone or MacBook, you can keep it at temperatures between -4o and 113°F (-20° to 45°C).

Keep your laptop or smartphone away from direct sunlight and hot cars
Be careful where you leave your gadgets. Anyone who’s been in a closed car on a hot day can tell you it’s too hot, and our skin isn’t the only thing that hates the heat.

If you leave your phone or computer in direct sunlight or bake in a hot car, even touching it can burn your hand. It gets worse if you’re playing music, taking a call, or charging, as the battery is already sweating.

Turn off the device in those high-heat areas and try to use them only in the coldest tone. One option is to cover it with a shirt or sit with it under a tree. If you’re in a car, try pointing the air conditioning in its general direction.

Wait for the use of the laptop or hot smartphone
When you switch from a hot zone to a warmer one, wait until your laptop or smartphone has cooled down a bit before you turn it back on. Ideally, wait until the device resumes its normal range of thermal operation.

Turn off apps and features with more battery charge. Not only features like GPS and 4G/5G or the increased screen brightness tax the battery life of your laptop or smartphone, but also make the battery warmer.

Similarly, use the device in its battery-saving setting (“energy saving”) to automatically use less battery and reduce battery heat.

Some devices have what is called an airplane mode that can stop streaming instantly on all radios, which means it will disable Wi-Fi, GPS and your cellular connection. While this mode prevents phone calls and Internet access, battery usage drops sharply and gives the device time to cool down.

Use a cooling bracket
A portable cooling stand is a big investment. These brackets not only draw heat from your laptop, but also place your laptop ergonomically.

Put your laptop in a cooling stand if it’s getting too hot. It’s not really a big deal if you’re already using your laptop on a desktop because the cooling bracket will barely change the way it’s positioned.

Turn off your handset or smartphone when you’re not using it
When it’s too hot, maybe the best thing you can do is turn off the device, re-energating energy for when you really need to use it.

Some devices automatically switch off when they get too hot, so turning off all the power of each component is one of the fastest ways to cool your phone or laptop.

After 15 minutes of being in a cooler space, you can turn it back on and use it normally if it adapts mainly and is within the recommended thermal operating limits.