iPhone or iPad Overheating? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• Setting up, restoring from a backup or installing a software update
• Wireless charging
• Games, camera apps and other graphics-intensive or processor-intensive apps, or streaming high-quality video
• Heat from a hot car or direct sunlight, especially during long navigation, gaming or camera use
• Charging inside certain styles of cases
• Damage to the iPhone or its battery

Step-by-Step Solutions

Start by checking whether the warmth is normal, then follow the step that matches what you see on the screen.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check whether the warmth is normal

   Your iPhone or iPad can feel warmer during some tasks, and that is normal.

   Your device might feel warmer when you do any of the following:

   It cools when the process is complete or when you finish the activity. If your device doesn’t show a temperature warning, you can keep using it.

   • Set it up for the first time
   • Restore it from a backup
   • Complete a software update, particularly to a major release
   • Charge it wirelessly
   • Use graphics-intensive or processor-intensive apps, games or features, including camera apps
   • Stream high-quality video
2. 2

   Step 2: If a temperature warning appears, let it cool down

   Above a certain temperature, your device shows a temperature warning screen.

   To use your device again as quickly as possible, turn it off, move it to a cooler place away from direct sunlight, and let it cool down.

   Good to know

   An iPhone showing the temperature warning might still be able to make emergency calls.

3. 3

   Step 3: Know what your device limits when it’s hot

   Your iPhone or iPad has built-in protections and changes how it works to bring its temperature down.

   If the inside of your device gets hotter than its normal operating range, it tries to regulate its temperature to protect its internal components. You might notice these changes:

   Some features might be temporarily disabled, and in extreme conditions your device might become temporarily disabled.

   • Charging, including wireless charging, slows or stops
   • The display dims or goes black
   • Cellular signal might weaken as the radios enter a low-power state
   • The camera flash or other camera features might be temporarily disabled
   • Some apps or features run slower, with lower frame rates or longer processing times

   Good to know

   If you’re navigating, your iPhone might show “Temperature: iPhone needs to cool down.” and turn off the display. You still hear turn-by-turn directions, and the display lights up as you approach a turn.

4. 4

   Step 4: If you see Charging On Hold

   Charging pauses when your device is too hot or too cold, and it resumes when the temperature returns to normal.

   With iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and later, a Charging On Hold message appears on the Lock Screen and when you open Settings and tap Battery. It says charging will resume when your device returns to normal temperature, and it means your device is temporarily too hot or too cold to charge.

   To get charging going again as quickly as possible, move your device to a cooler place away from direct sunlight. If you’re using it, lock the screen or put it to sleep.

   Good to know

   On iPhone, charging resumes automatically when the battery returns to a safe temperature range. These protections work with a cable, MagSafe Charger or other wireless chargers, and they can’t be turned off.

5. 5

   Step 5: Take off the case and keep it ventilated while charging

   Certain cases can generate excess heat while charging, and Apple says to keep your iPhone in a well-ventilated area.

   Charging inside certain styles of cases can generate excess heat. If your device gets hot when you charge it, take it out of its case first.

   Keep your iPhone, the power adapter and any wireless charger in a well-ventilated area when in use or charging. Don’t sleep on them, or put them under a blanket, pillow or your body, while they’re connected to power.

   Good to know

   When you use a wireless charger, remove metallic cases and keep metal objects such as keys, coins or jewelry off the charger, because they may become warm or interfere with charging.

6. 6

   Step 6: Keep it out of hot cars and direct sunlight

   Heat around your device can change how it works and can permanently shorten battery life.

   iPhone and iPad are designed for use where the surrounding temperature is between 0° and 35° C (32° to 95° F). Store your device between -20° and 45° C (-4° to 113° F), and don’t leave it in a car, because parked cars can get hotter than that.

   Avoid leaving your device in direct sunlight for a long time. Also avoid using GPS tracking or navigation in a car, playing a graphics-intensive game or using the camera for a long time in hot conditions or direct sunlight.

   Good to know

   Temperatures above 35° C (95° F) can permanently damage battery capacity, and charging in high temperatures can damage it further.

7. 7

   Step 7: If an iCloud restore pauses

   A restore from an iCloud backup can pause when your device gets too hot.

   If your device exceeds a certain temperature while restoring from an iCloud backup, you see a Restore Paused message saying that restoring from iCloud will resume when your device cools down. The pause keeps your device within an acceptable operating temperature, and the restore resumes when it cools down.

Frequently Asked Questions

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