It's been a broiling hot summer in Florida, and the oppressive blanket of heat and humidity isn't going away yet. On Aug. 12, 64 of Florida's 67 counties were under a heat advisory, with more days of "hazardous heat" forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
Floridians are sweltering under heat indices (real feels) of 105 to 110 degrees, day in and day out.
It's not good for your phone, either. Extreme heat can cause your phone to overheat and shut down to protect itself, possibly when you need it most.
A few simple habits can help extend the life of your device.
Many Floridians and visitors love the sun, but phones don't.
Keep your phone in the shade or in a loose pocket. If you're on the beach, use it sparingly and keep it in your shadow, under a fold of your towel or under a shirt. If you're shooting pictures or video in direct sunlight, remember to let your phone rest somewhere shady when you can
In your car, keep your phone off your car's dashboard and out of direct sunlight if you're using a GPS app or hands-free communication, even if your interior seems cool.
If Floridians know anything, it's just how hot dashboards (and steering wheels, and seats) can get, very, very quickly.
Apple recommends keeping your phone stored between -4 degrees to 113 degrees, which is a pretty impressive range. But the temperature inside your car can reach 125 degrees within minutes.
If you must leave your phone in your vehicle, make sure it's covered or in the glove compartment, but really try to avoid leaving it in there at all. It gets hot in there.
Anything that stresses your battery should be reduced or avoided to give your poor phone a fighting chance.
Turn your brightness down to the lowest setting you can deal with. If you have automatic brightness turned on, toggle it off.
Close unnecessary apps, especially power-hungry ones like intensive games or apps that refresh in the background such as Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Don't use your phone as a mobile hotspot.
Turn on Airplane Mode. If that's impractical, at least deactivate Bluetooth until you can get to the shade.
Turn on Low Battery Mode (iOS) or Power Save Mode (Android).
Use recommended chargers. Some users have reported that cheaper third-party off-brand chargers can cause their phones to heat up quickly.
For the paranoid and/or accident-prone among us, this is crazy talk. But that hard plastic, metal, or silicone case may be preventing heat from escaping the battery or other internal components. Taking it off can help your phone cool down more quickly.
If you're out in the sun on a regular basis and you must have a case, look for one designed to dissipate heat more quickly.
It's tempting to pop your hot phone into the fridge to cool it off. Don't do that.
Lowering your phone's internal temperature too quickly could damage it from shock to the components or from moisture building up inside.
Instead, cool it slowly. Get it out of the sun, put it in front of a fan or your car's air conditioner vents, rest it near something cold like the side of your iced drink, or just turn it off and place it in the coolest place nearby.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida's best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Why your phone is overheating in Florida heat wave. 5 things to do