Has your cell phone started getting unusually hot? Does your mobile phone feel like it’s about to burn a hole in your pocket? Does your phone get so hot that it powers itself off? Then you are in the right place. This guide describes some common reasons as to why this can happen and best of all how you can try to fix it.
Before we get started – cell phones get warm
Now cell phones can get warm. Smartphones are electronics after all, so if you are a new smartphone owner and are concerned about your warm cell phone then your phone might be ok, but cell phones shouldn’t get HOT. If your cell phone it getting hot and your concerned that your cell phone might be overheating to the point of becoming damaged or causing damage to something or someone else, especially yourself, then you’re in the right place and you should certainly try to figure out what is causing this to happen and how you can stop it from happening any more.
Also, before we begin, please note that this article is geared more towards trying to fix smartphones that are running on the popular Android Operating System BUT most of the advice found throughout this guide can be applied to just about any smartphone that’s getting hot or overheating regardless of its Operating System or software that it runs on.
Where does your cell phone seem to be getting Hot?
The first thing that I recommend you try to do is pinpoint the area of your phone that seems to be getting hot.
It might not necessarily be an issue with the phone getting hot. It could be the battery or the charger that’s having or causing problems. So where does your phone seem to be getting hot?
Back of the cell phone getting hot
When your phone starts to get warm does it seem to be the whole phone or does it seem to be mostly on the back area where the battery sits? Perhaps it’s not the cell phone that’s overheating but the battery within the cell phone.
If the back of your phone seems to be heating up, especially where the battery sits, then take few seconds to visit how to check if the battery on an Android smartphone is overheating. Replacing a defective battery is going to be much more affordable and less troublesome then trying to repair or replace a cell phone that’s overheating.
So check out that article and if your battery passes the battery test and seems to be functioning properly then you can come back to this guide to review some of the other possible causes as to why your cell phone is overheating and of course some possible solutions on how to fix it.
Bottom of the phone gets hot
Is the phone getting warm towards the bottom where you plug in the charger? Is your cell phone only getting warm while being plugged into the charger? If so then there might be an issue with the charger itself. Make sure to try a different charger, preferably one approved by the manufacture of your cell phone, to see if your phone continues to heat up.
If a new charger fixes the problem then you can dispose of your previous charger and enjoy your working cell phone. If it’s not the charger then you might have to check a few more things.
Getting hot on the back above the battery compartment
If the back of the phone seems to be getting hot and it’s not exactly where the battery sits then there is a good chance that the cell phone itself is overheating. If this is the case then there can be a few reasons which can be read in the tips listed below.
Cell phones heats up by the speaker
If the part of your cell phone that you hold up to your ear is getting hot, then not only is this a major annoyance, irritation, and health concern (you don’t want to burn yourself after all) it can also indicated a high possibility that there is an issue with the cell phone itself. See the cell phone troubleshooting tips listed below for some possible causes and better yet some possible solutions.
Cell phones screen seems to be too hot
Cell phone screens can get warm of course but if the touch screen or display screen is getting too warm or even hot then this is another indicator that there is an issue with the cell phone itself, and you should consider the advice listed below.
How to fix a cell phone that keeps overheating
Now that we have narrowed it down to the phone and not necessarily an issue with your phones battery or its charger it’s time to discuss what you came here for in the first place; how to fix an Android that’s overheating.
Below is a list of the most common reasons and best resolutions that you can use to combat overheating on your cell phone.
To many things running
Things on a cell phone are like things in life. They can certainly pile up over time and at times even seem overwhelming. If your cell phone has started to unexpectedly get warm or hot then chances are good that your cell phone has processes, such as applications, that are running in the background and you don’t even know that they are running. Some of which might even start running as soon as you power on your phone.
Take a moment to review How to view running applications on an Android cell phone for more information on this topic. You might just be surprised at what you find.
To heavy of a load for too long of a time
Android phones are awesome! No doubt about it 😉 and what makes them so awesome is what you can do with them. You can play games, watch videos, listen to music, capture pictures, watch movies, search the web, send messages and believe it or not Android cell phones can even be used to make phone calls. All of these wonderful things in one single device and all in the palm of your hand.
All these things are what Androids are good for and they do them very well. Like all things though there are limits to what even an Android can do and for how long it can do it effectively. Here are a few things that Androids do well but after a while might cause them to start to overheat.
Heavy streaming
Watching videos and other media content is another one of the things that make smartphones so great. Watching a movie when traveling can make the time it takes to get to your final destination go by a lot faster. Watching movies and playing videos constantly however can certainly require more work from the phones processor and not only can it consume a lot of power but it can cause things to get warmer over time as well, especially as our standards for media consumption moves to a more clearer picture with a higher definition. How long will it be until the first 4k Android cell phone screen is released?
Combine the load of playing a video with the load of a data connection when streaming content along with other processes running in the background (heck you don’t want to miss any calls or texts right) and over time your phone might start to get a little warm.
Heavy gaming
The Android App store has a pretty wide selection of some pretty fun and entertaining games and more and more applications are being created and released every day. Some of these games and applications require more processing power than others depending on the complexity of the app and when you add this required processing power with lengthy usage then things can start to heat up a bit.
You got to try to remember that many games may require other resources from your phone as well. Many apps require a data connection which means that your phone not only has to run the game but also an internet connection through mobile data or Wi-Fi data, it might require access to your contacts list or friends list from a social network such as Facebook… that’s another resource etc. etc. They can add up quick and of course the higher the load the harder your phone has to work and the hotter it may get.
Bad battery
If the battery itself isn’t heating up then the problem is less likely your battery that’s causing the problems but if your battery is old or malfunctioning (even if it passes the battery test mentioned above) then you might want to consider replacing the battery. You might also consider taking your battery out of your phone (if your phone has a removable battery) to check and make sure that it’s not bloated or warped. If your battery is misshaped or does not sit flat on a flat service then there is a really good chance that it’s defective and should be replaced.
If your battery is defective or malfunctioning and you have had it (and your phone) for less than a year then you might be able to get a free replacement battery by filing a warranty claim. I don’t know about you but free is always in my price range. If your phone is a little older and no longer covered under warranty then you might be able to find a great deal on a new replacement battery online from stores like Amazon or eBay.
Ventilation
Hot in the pocket
If your cell phone seems to start overheating when it’s in your pocket then take it out of your pocket to let it breath a little. Think about it… when you’re walking somewhere in the cold and the wind is blowing and you’re not wearing gloves where do you often put your hands? In your nice warm pockets :). Probably not the best example but perhaps your phone just needs a little air to breathe. This isn’t always possible at school or at work but if you are not really supposed to check or use your phone somewhere can you choose to suffer from some separation anxiety instead so that you don’t have to your phone inside your nice cozy pocket? Could you instead keep it in a backpack, locker, or hidden in a protective case on your waist? It might just give your phone what it needs to breath and cool off a bit.
It’s hot in this Armor
Protective cases are one of the best investments that you can make for a cell phone. They help keep your phone well protected and can certainly help save the phone from an accidental fall or accidental damage. While I do recommend investing in a good case for your smartphone you may want to try using your phone outside of the case for a little while to see if the phone continues to overheat or if it helps prevents the phone from getting hot.
Other Possible Reasons
Other less common but possible reasons a cell phone can get hot.
Water Damage
Do you listen to music from your cell phone while taking a shower? Do you keep your cell phone in a sweaty pocket all day? Or has your phone simply had an accident where it was exposed to liquid? Power issues and overheating are common problems that a water damaged cell phone can experience.
You might want to try and locate the LDI (Liquid Damage Indicator) sticker(s) on your phone to just make sure that your cell phone is not experiencing any side effects of moisture or liquid damage. Your phone might have moisture damage and you might not even know it.
No rest
When was the last time your cell phone got to rest for a few minutes? Does your cell phone remain turned on constantly throughout the day then remains on and plugged into a charger all night? It might just need to be powered off to rest for a little bit.
As Androids get used apps and processes can start to run and continue to run until they are manually stopped or the phone reboots (which was mentioned above) but being constantly powered on can also cause minor software problems which can often be solved by simply restarting the phone, so I thought I would add this little tip to the list.
Disable unneeded functions and features
This suggestion kind of goes hand in hand with too many things running at once but if you have an animated wall paper with 10 different widgets such as a clock widget, a weather widget, a favorite contacts widget, an alarm widget, a calendar widget, a music widget, etc. then these things are going to be running all at once, are going to be causing your phone to work harder, and could be causing your phone to heat up a bit. If you are not sure what widgets are then you are not alone and you can read more about widgets at what is a widget on an Android and how do I use them? Chances are your Android smartphone has some widgets on its home screen(s) and you didn’t even know it.
Overclocking
If you don’t know what overclocking means then you can likely disregard this little piece of advice all together but a smartphone is just like a computer. If you have manipulated or customized the software on your Android smartphone to get it to go faster or run differently then heat might be the price you have to pay to do so. Unlike a PC though you can’t simply add a fan or heat sink to your cell phone to try and keep it cool.
Just remember that if you choose to overclock your Android and as a result it’s getting hot, heat can lead to a shorter life span for your electronic and can even result in hardware damage depending on how hot your phone is getting.
Outdated software
Outdated software is not likely the culprit for your phone heating up but I thought that I would add this to the list as updated software can help a cell phone run smoother which can cause less strain on your phone and might help to lower its average temperature.
Hardware
Much like the possibility of liquid or moisture damage if a piece of the phone itself has become damaged then that piece may need to be repaired or replaced in order for your cell phone to function properly again; in this case for your phone to stop overheating.
Try to think back to when your mobile phone started to get hot. Can you remember anything happening to the phone around that time that could explain this problem? Was the phone dropped accidently? Are there any signs of physical damage on the device? If so then this might be the culprit and fixing it might be more of a challenge as the damaged piece that’s causing the phone to heat up would have to be located and repaired or replaced.
Software
Just like a possible hardware issue can you remember downloading any new applications or programs etc. around the time that your phone started to get hot? If so then you may want to locate that application and disable it or even temporarily uninstall it just to rule out the possibility that it’s not that app that’s causing mischief.
This should go hand in hand with checking your running applications, which was mentioned earlier. If you notice that a certain application is running every time that your phone starts to heat up and you have to force stop or force close that application to get your phone to cool off then you might need to decide if it’s worth it to continue to use that application. You might want to rule out that application completely by temporarily uninstalling it. If you uninstall it and your phone seems to stop getting hot then you will have located the issue and you could try re-installing it to see if a fresh copy helps but if not you might need to decide to keep that app (or apps) off your phone.
If you have done everything that you can think of to try and get your cell phone to stop heating up and it’s still getting hot then you might also want to consider backing up all of your phones important information and then performing a hard reset on the unit. A hard reset or factory data reset removes all user data from the phone and puts the phone back to like new condition. This can help rule out the possibility that something found its way onto your phone and is causing problems as the reset would help remove that “something” (whatever it may be) from the phone. The only catch is that it removes all of your other information as well.
If you have reached this point in troubleshooting then you might find how to backup and reset an Android smartphone helpful with this process. You can read more about hard resets and how they affect Android smartphones in this Hard Reset FAQ guide as well.
What NOT TO DO when your phone is overheating
Do NOT put your cell phone into the fridge or worse a freezer. Exposing your cell phone to extreme temperatures coupled with moisture is just a bad idea all around and I definitely don’t recommend it for any reason.
Phone is still getting HOT!
If you have tried ALL of the suggestions in this article then chances are your cell phone is experiencing a hardware malfunction or another issue that cannot be resolved through standard troubleshooting and at this point you will likely need to look into your possible repair or replacement options. Luckily if your cell phone is still less than a year old and doesn’t have any physical or liquid damage it is highly likely that your cell phone is still going to be covered under the manufactures warranty. If so then your cell phones manufacture may be responsible for the repair or replacement of your unit. If you would like to read more information about this then you might find how to file a warranty claim on a cell phone helpful. If your cell phone is no longer covered under warranty and your cell phone is still getting hot then you may need to look into some of these other options.
Thanks for reading
Thank you for visiting the site and for reading this guide on how to try and fix an Android cell phone that keeps overheating. I hope that it has given you an edge in resolving this annoying and troublesome issue with your mobile phone.
If you did enjoy the article or if you found it informative or helpful then please let me know that you liked it by pressing the Facebook Like or Google + buttons or by sharing it with others by linking back to this article in some way shape or form. Feel free to also leave a friendly remark in the comment section below.
Thanks again for reading, I hope you and your cell phone can stay cool and I hope you have a wonderful day.
28 thoughts on “Cell phone getting hot? Here’s the fix.”
cell phone @ ear
I read your article. As an old dog, it would take me a century to figure out all you posted. I was on my Samsung note 2 with my cousin. Her dad died & we spoke for about 1 hr. I had my phone up to my ear. Suddenly I realized my ear was burning, the phone was HOT, & pain in the ear. I immediately hung up, & put a cold finger in my ear to get the “heat” to stop. 3 days later & I still have an ache in that area. Can a phone that gets hot like that present a problem with damaging tissue? Where should I go to register this issue to make sure it is logged somewhere. Obviously, the phone co. is not the one – but is Samsung someone I should contact? Phone #:
I appreciate your help with this. I’m considering getting to a doctor to get this documented.
Thank you
Samsung Galaxy Overheating: Internal Speaker
Hi Miriam,
Sorry to hear about your ear, your hot speaker, and your cousins dad.
As far as your cell phones speaker, if this is the one and only time that your phone has gotten hot like that then it might not necessarily indicate a problem with the speaker and it could have just been overworked being utilized non-stop for over an hour. Keep an eye on it. If this starts to happen frequently then the speaker itself might be defective and will likely need to be replaced. If this was a onetime occurrence and only from that extended use then I probably wouldn’t worry about it too much.
If you burned your ear and it bothers you to the point of concern then you might want to seek the advice of a trained medical doctor for their opinion.
As far as getting this incident reported… This issue would be covered under the manufactures warranty as the speaker itself may have malfunctioned. You could contact Samsung to report the issue and if you’re concerned you could inquire as to your cell phones current warranty status and see if you could send the phone to them to have them take a look at it and if necessary replace that specific piece of hardware. The Samsung Note 2 has been around for a while (technology wise anyways) so if your specific cell phone is over a year old or has signs of physical or liquid damage then it will no longer be covered under warranty and Samsung will no longer be obligated to repair it.
If it does turn out to be a problem with the speaker though and your cell phone is no longer covered under the manufactures warranty then you could try taking your cell phone to a local repair shop for repair or even order the part online and try to repair it yourself (depending on your technical skills that is).
This type of thing can occur on ANY cell phone which is why I included it in this guide but it is good to report these types of things to the manufacture so that they can track such issues and make sure that it doesn’t become a common problem amongst newer devices. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has been around for a while and that exact problem doesn’t seem to be a known issue and doesn’t seem to be overly common for that device. From my experience the Note 2, and most of the other Samsung Galaxy series smartphones, seem to be really good phones with a good proven track records.
If you do wish to report the incident though then you can find the contact telephone number for many smartphone manufactures listed HERE.
I hope that helps Miriam and I hope that your ear gets better soon if it hasn’t already. Thanks for visiting the site and I hope you have a wonderful day.
I too have the Note 2…
I too have the Note 2 and have had it for a WHILE. It does like to heat up. I find that there are some apps that you can download to clean it to cool it. Clean Master helps. Not trying to advertise just telling you what works for me.
My Sony xperia z1 is over heating
I recently bought a new şony xperia z1 about a month or so ago. The phone is good on the software side with lollypop 5.0.2. But my phone has been overheating from the date I got it. It heats up on the upper back side of the phone. I tried many things to fix it but the problem persists. Playing games and answering calls is just impossible due to the glassy material of the phone which transfers heat all over the phone…
What about microwaves
I was on a call, and all of the sudden, my cellphone got hot like crazy….but it wasn’t only the phone that got hot…I felt heat going all the way up my hand (as was holding it), as if my hand was inside a microwave oven, and my hand felt different for hours afterwards. Right after the call, the cellphone cooled off. I’ve read elsewhere that the microwaves from a cell phone can produce significant heat, especially if the phone is straining for a connection. I’m surprised that this isn’t mentioned in the article as one of the causes of a cell phone getting hot.
Huawei Ascend Y300 OVERHEATING even when TURNED OFF
My phone is overheating when I put the battery in and I don’t even turn on.
Very informative article
Very informative article. My Sony Xperia M Dual is getting hot. Even though my battery is misshapen I feel that its warm more around the upper part, around the speaker.
Very informative
Thank you! This article really helped me determine the cause of my note 4 over heating. It is a month old and I was worried it was defective. However I believe it was due to all the running apps! Thanks 🙂
Samsung Galaxy J5 Overheating
Just two days after purchasing my new Samsung Galaxy J5 it started overheating on its screen area. I never had this experience when I used my Lenovo A889 before it was stolen.
Overheating Note 2
I bought this phone at the time of its release and its been great for this whole time but I got into gaming (clash of lords 2) and this game requires data use also. Being this game is newer than the phone and is a large program, I am not surprised it gets warm BUT it gets hot at the ear speaker after 5 minutes of use and the battery gets a workout. Though the battery does not get hot, it will go from 100% to 92% in 5 to 7 minutes of playing that game. Side note I do use clean master and it helps but not much. Question, if I want to play this game, will I have to buy a new phone or do I have options? One more thing, now that I have started to have this problem with that game, I am starting to have that issue with other apps too…
Retrieving info from phone memory
My phone is a Nokia N-97. Just recently, it shut down and the person who repairs phones says that my phone’s hardware is all screwed up and may not work well even if repaired. I have some very important phone numbers in the phones memory. Is it possible that the numbers from my phone can be retrieved safely?
Recovering lost telephone numbers
Hi Injie,
In order to even make an attempt at recovering those phone numbers you will need to be able to turn your phone back on. If your phone will not power on then recovering that information may not be possible.
If you can get your phone to power back on then there is a good chance at recovery so long as the information that you require hasn’t been corrupted.
My phone is overheating on the top back side
I dropped my newly bought Samsung A5 in water on the 8th of September 2015. After quickly wiping off all of the liquid it seemed to be working but after a while it started failing whenever I would press an option on the touch screen.
According to suggestions on the internet I left my phone in the rice and waited about 3 days. When I charged my phone after 3 days it was still the same and the touch screen didn’t work very well. I brought the phone to the Samsung repair Center for help, and they said that the warranty wouldn’t be useful, and therefore I had to pay 150.000 mnt to change the touch screen plus a service fee of 60000 mnt. I came back after 5 days as they required and they said my phone was ok. Everything is fixed.
But now even though my phone is working correctly it gets really hot on the back towards the top. And when I speak on the phone my ears are aching.
I really don’t know what to do?
The Repair Center people said that I need to change the whole motherboard if it is getting too hot! Obviously they asked me to pay another 260 260 000 mnt for the board.
Please feel free to comment and suggest.
Tuul
Ace 4 lite heating up
An excellent article. Some great tips to ascertain why my phone heats up. Will try several of these to fix problem.
Phone getting too hot
I just bought this Alcatel Android phone yesterday! It got really hot last night. I did watch YouTube for a while. It seems to get hot when I charge it. It’s mostly hot around the charger. Both phone & charger are new.
Awesome and Informative content
After reading this am opting to replace my charger because my phone is heating where I plug in my charger.
Samsung A5
Someone accidentally sat on my phone after swimming, now the phone is dead.
My phone kept getting hot…
My phone kept getting hot around the area where the SD card is located.
Then, after reading some articles, I replaced it with another card & this fixed my problem.
Very nice article…
Very nice article and very informative, thank you for your help!
Very helpful article
My Micromax Canvas Juice 2 started overheating just a few days ago. The reason behind this may be the excess use of wifi and Youtube. Reading this article should help when trying to sort it out…
NEW TECHNOLOGY SMART PHONES
I do not trust any of them, I haven’t used one of them, that doesn’t get hot. When the little phones came out or the old giant huge dinosaur phones, they did not ever get hot. New technology sucks!!!!
Nice Detailed Post. Thank You
Nice Detailed Post. Thank You.
My hot battery fix
I have a brick ice pack (like for keeping food cold when traveling) and I put a layer of towel over it, then put my phone on top of the towel. Works great always.
Could a virus be a possible cause?
The thing is, I did all of the things mention which cause my phone to overheat, video streaming, playing games and did not even let it rest, it was okay and would not overheat, until I decided to visit the you know what kind of website using my phone, starting that day my phone began to overheat and lag, and so I started thinking that my phone may have gotten a virus. I installed an antivirus, but it detected no virus…
Very helpful ☺
Very helpful ☺
Thank youVery helpful, classic fix.
Great article
Great article
Android temp
Gets warm only SOMETIMES during charging. weird?