How to protect your phone from cold weather

Whether you’re embarking on a long-awaited ski trip or living in an area experiencing extreme weather, protecting your phone from the cold can be crucial to protecting its battery life and overall device health.

Direct exposure to extreme cold as well as overheating is not something ideal for your phone in the long run, but with simple preparation you can ensure that your device is safe from damage and battery drain. Here’s everything you need to know to protect your device.

How can cold affect your device?

Using your devices outside in very cold or very hot weather can have a detrimental effect on them, particularly in terms of their battery life. If you use your device this winter for an extended period of time in very cold conditions, its battery life may be significantly reduced and it may also turn off. In some cases it can also stop charging completely.

The operating range for your device’s ideal ambient temperature conditions will of course vary, but is generally between 0° and 35°C. But don’t worry if you don’t know your phone isn’t working in these conditions; Typically, you receive a warning when the device becomes too hot or too cold.

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This winter, be sure to protect your phone and other devices from extreme weather conditions to limit battery life and general health issues. Here are some precautions you can take to protect your phone from the cold.

Limit direct exposure

The most effective way to protect your phone from the cold this season is to limit direct exposure to extreme conditions like snowstorms or subzero temperatures. I’ve always had good luck simply protecting my phone in cold weather by keeping it in a warm pocket in my jacket or carrying it in a dry bag.

However, it’s not realistic to always keep your phone in a warm, dry bag or stay in a vehicle when you’re outside in this weather, so if you’re out and about in the cold with your phone, you can use a simple phone accessory to protect it from the elements.

You can easily find thermal phone cases (as well as pouches) on several e-commerce sites that can protect your phone from extreme cold conditions. These are useful for any trips you might take that involve winter sports, but it’s also something you might want to look into if you experience extreme weather fairly regularly. Additionally, you can ensure that your phone’s screen is protected from snow water damage by using a reliable screen protector when you take your phone out of your pocket or protective pouch.

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Take an external battery with you

Exposure to freezing weather can drain your battery life, so it’s always best to be prepared if you’re going out in the cold for the day. Fully charging your phone before going out is a good precaution, but to cover all your bases, make sure you invest and carry a good power bank to keep your phone from dying.

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There are several options you can consider depending on your budget and needs, but keep in mind the type of device you are going to use them for. In this case, an efficient portable power bank may be the most suitable option.

Take advantage of low power settings

In addition to limiting your phone’s direct exposure to extreme weather conditions, enabling a simple setting can prevent unnecessary battery drain. Enabling Low Battery mode (or Battery Saver) on your devices helps extend battery life by limiting things like background activity, visual effects, and automatic downloads. On most devices, you can easily add and access this setting from your Control Center or Quick Settings.

You can also use iPhone shortcuts or a third-party automation app like IFTTT to set up location-based automation to trigger Low Battery or Battery Saver mode when you go out.

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Use a reliable weather app to prepare

Finally, an easy way to prepare yourself and your phone for the cold is to stay up to date with the weather forecast using a reliable weather app. While using your phone’s native weather app may be sufficient, you can also explore third-party weather apps tailored to your specific needs.

Credit: Nathaniel Pangaro / How-To Geek | Apple

In this case, you can check out apps like AccuWeather or OpenSnow to receive accurate snow alerts and hyperlocal information that you might not get from other weather apps. For easy access, you can also configure weather widgets for the home or lock screen.

If your phone continues to experience battery issues or other problems even after taking precautions to protect it from extreme weather conditions, it may be a hardware problem, such as a faulty battery. In this case, take it to the service center of its brand or to independent authorized repairers for consultation.