When the iPhone 4S overheats, it displays a written warning that reads: “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it.” Many iPhone owners get a little worried when they see this message and its accompanying yellow exclamation point graphic, but usually the problem is usually an easy fix.
My own iPhone 4S recently started displaying the overheating error during a long car ride while simultaneously playing music from an online service and tethering a 4G connection to my laptop. This is consistent with a problem that many users had after upgrading to iOS 4.3.1, which had issues with constant streaming data access according to blog Tuaw.
4G access creates a much more significant draw on the phone’s resources than other forms of Internet access, and in most cases, recurring overheating issues occur when you ask your iPhone to access 4G or 3G data for an extended period of time. Here are a few steps to take that will help you avoid the problem.
1. Only access the Internet through a single program at a time. If you read the Internet on your phone while listening to music and downloading email attachments, you’ll run the risk of seeing heat errors.
2. Connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot whenever possible. This will take some of the strain off of the iPhone’s mobile Internet chip without limiting your access to the Internet. You can turn Wi-Fi on or off in the iPhone’s Settings menu.
3. Close apps when you aren’t using them. If you’ve never closed iPhone programs before, it’s a pretty easy process. Go to the home screen. Now, double-tap on the Home button to bring up a bar with running processes. You can hold your finger on any of the icons for a few seconds to cause it to wiggle, then click the little red minus sign to close it. Alternately, you can restart your iPhone to close everything at once.
4. Use unapproved apps sparingly. My overheating error occurred when I used Tether, an app that allows the iPhone to function as a Wi-Fi hotspot. It’s not an Apple-approved app, and it occasionally causes problems with the iPhone if used for hours on end in conjunction with other Internet-based software.
If you use these programs or if you’ve jailbroken your iPhone 4S, remember to give your iPhone a chance to rest every few hours, particularly when tethering.
4. Don’t plug your iPhone in while using it. If you’re using the 3G/4G chip constantly with your iPhone plugged into a power source, you’ll run a serious risk of overheating.
Most importantly, pay attention to your iPhone. If you ever feel it start to warm up, give it a chance to rest. The device can sustain serious damage if it passes its temperature threshold regularly, so play it safe by touching it occasionally to make sure that it’s at room temperature.
Have any tips or questions about overheating iPhones? Post below.