Don’t put your phone in the fridge, if that wasn’t already obvious

Summer heat can cause a lot of stress for some devices, especially if your phone is prone to overheating (like my Google Pixels). However, a common online cooling technique is damaging some devices.

Techspot noted that mobile repair shops in Europe have seen a steep rise in the number of people bringing in phones damaged by being put in the fridge to cool down.

Now, putting your overheating (or even just hot) phone in the fridge seems like a pretty easy solution. However, as Engadget pointed out, doing so could severely damage your device or even break it entirely.

To start, the main reason you shouldn’t do this is condensation. Essentially, when the phone is placed in a fridge, the hot air inside the device is cooled, which can cause condensation on sensitive parts. When it is taken out of the fridge and into warmer air after cooling, there is even a greater chance that the inside of the device will experience it again.

Also, if the difference between the outside temperature and the fridge temperature is extreme, there is a chance the refrigerator may be damaged by the rapid change. Known as thermal shock, this can shorten the device’s battery life, place excessive stress on the lithium battery, or even cause the screen to crack.

If you do want to cool your phone down without storing it with your leftovers, there are a few other ways that aren’t as extreme. These include removing your case, thermal pouches, and even portable cooling fans that can be attached via MagSafe.

Now, as someone who repairs devices as a hobby, condensation on devices is way more common during extreme temperature shifts (such as moving from overheating to the fridge), so don’t worry about it during temperature changes like in the winter.

If your phone does happen to overheat (which has happened to me plenty of times), the solution I usually use is to remove the case, set it down on a relatively cool surface (like a kitchen counter), and leave it be until it has cooled down to a safe temperature. Enjoy the time away from your phone.

Source: Engadget