How Can I Save My Phone’s Battery When it’s Cold?

Using your iPhone in extreme temperature settings during the peak of winter or summer can have an effect on the iPhone’s battery life. You might have noticed your battery percentage go down extremely quickly while using your iPhone outdoors in the winter. This is due to the physical strain on the battery and can be remedied with a few simple tricks. Here is a brief collection of your favorite iPhone battery tricks for the winter!

Why does the iPhone’s battery life suffer during winter?

To put it simply: Lithium-ion technology works best when used in comfortable temperatures. The colder your battery gets, the higher the internal resistance and the lower the capacity of the battery will be. When dealing with temperatures around 14 degrees fahrenheit (or -10°C), the chemical reaction needed for a li-ion battery to produce electricity, is severely limited. As the iPhone’s case is made of aluminum, heat and cold are transferred to the very core of the device in an efficient manner. This can be of advantage when the device is overheating, but also of disadvantage in the cold winter months.

How you can protect your iPhone in the winter

To ensure maximum battery life in the winter, we’ve compiled our favorite tricks to maximize the time you’ll get out of a single charge in the following list.

Keep your iPhone warm

The iPhone loves a temperature range between 20 and 22 degrees celsius, which equates to roughly 70 degrees fahrenheit. It is at this temperature that the design of the components and first and foremost the battery works best.

Use an insulating iPhone case

Putting your iPhone into a case that is made of insulating material will help. Try an iPod sock or a case that is made of wool and other materials containing extra air, this will help in keeping it nice an warm.

Carry the iPhone close to your body heat

Placing your iPhone in the innermost pocket of your jacket, close to your torso, will ensure that most of your body heat can reach it and keep it warm. Placing the iPhone in the pockets of your pants will instead lead to temperature loss and impact the battery life negatively.

Use a headset for making calls

Rather than taking your iPhone out to place a call, try using the voice control and use a headset. This allows you to keep your phone inside the jacket and again avoid temperature loss.

Do not charge the iPhone while cold

We recommend letting your iPhone’s battery acclimate to room temperature before charging it. Once you come back from the bitter, cold wilderness, have your iPhone recover on a desk or someplace warm but not too warm. Then charge it. But please, do not place it on a heater or similar apparatuses, as this might potentially cause a fire hazard or damage the device. Patience is key.

Use touchscreen-enabled gloves in the winter

Did you know that there are special gloves lined with conducting fiber, which you can use to operate your iPhone even while wearing them? The capacitive touch screen requires a small amount of static electricity to pass from the skin on your fingers to the electronics, which is why regular gloves won’t work. This is more of a tip to keep your hands warm and cozy while still being able to check your phone for Twitter and Facebook updates.