Apple has issued a warning to iPhone customers regarding iPhone 3G and 3GS devices overheating.Sporadic reports have hit internet blogs and gadget sites this week regarding overheating issues with new iPhone 3GS models. Reports from The Telegraph suggest that dozens of users have reported overheating issues. According to some owners the device becomes so hot that it's too hot to pick up and the casing on white 3GS models has turned pink for some.
Several posts to Apple's iPhone discussion forums appear to confirm these early reports. According to PC World, one of their own writers claims "I became aware the handset had become very hot. Very, very hot -- not just on the back, but the entire length of the front face, too".
French blog Journal Du Geek posted an image of a white iPhone 3GS earlier this week showing that the back of the device had discoloured to pink due to excessive overheating.
Apple hasn't officially responded to the overheating claims but earlier this week the company posted a support article warning users if the interior temperature of the device exceeds normal operating temperatures, you may experience the following as it attempts to regulate its temperature:
- The device stops charging
- Display dims
- Weak cellular signal
- Temperature warning screen appears with the message "iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it" (see image below)
Apple claims leaving the device in a car on a hot day or using it in direct sunlight for long periods of time can cause the temperature warning. According to the company using battery heavy applications such as GPS and listening to music in direct sunlight will trigger the warning.
Thanks to member MightyJordan for the news tip
The 3gs probably just doesn't have adequate cooling for the newer components. But like I said, even my 3g has been noticeably warmer after use for a while now.
The solution is either to turn off push, or delete and recreate your email connections and it'll use the wifi instead of just defaulting to the GSM even if wifi is available.
Worked for me.
I wonder how long it'll be before one of these explodes in someone's pocket?
Apple made the things too thin, they can't cool efficiently. so of course they're going to overheat in this weather. Hell, they even build specific "cooldown" warnings into it, clearly because they KNEW it will get hot.
You do realize that basically every OS has a warning like that build in?
I've never seen windows say this out front and loud like that... heck windows systems just overheat and the processor goes into overheat move and clocks back to cool down...
I wonder if Apple will come up with an "iFridge" to help keep iPhones cool?
You can bet on some third party working on that right now... lol
Man, I leave my N82 and Zune in my car in Texas summer heat all day - not a single issue ever.
And last Saturday I swear my Samsung phone and iPod Touch 1G were 110 degrees Fahrenheit at least while they sat under my seat in my motorcycle (turns out some of the heat from the engine goes into the storage). No warnings whatsoever.
Damn Apple, learn to spend more on building something to withstand conditions. Either that or fix your screw-ups.
They are just blown away by aesthetics... nothing else matters to most apple users.. the Pros know why they want an apple device.. but the average user just bases it on looks..
^....practice what you preach and RTFA....
Last edited by techbeck on 02 Jul 2009 - 15:47
Leaving it in a car in sunlight I completely agree with as it could get freakin hot in there but under normal sunlight please.
I had mine give the temperature warning a couple of weeks ago, it was in the sun for about 30 mins..the temp was 30°F, which is too hot for me not alone my iPhone.
:facepalm: Who wrote this (useless) KB article? Do something about the hardware, rather then expecting people to stop using their phones because the outside temp is too hot.
That doesn't mean it's a good idea to use it at those extreme temps... That's just the extreme limit before failure is very likely. At lower temps the device could still fail due to heat. At about 130 degrees F your skin burns. 60C is what, like 140? You would need to stop using it long before it got to that temp regardless.
I wonder if the temperature sensor is in all iphones?
I wonder how my cousin manages down there with hers.
I guess this is a no go for people expecting to buy iPhones here.
Hopefully, they are savvy enough to read about this before buying. That is, until Apple figures something out.
Those recommendations from Apple are ridiculous, but I understand that they can't do nothing more about it right now.
$700 is a couple bucks to some people.
Today in the 30C+ heat I was using my TYTN II as a wifi router whilst playing music and it got warmish but nowhere near so hot you can't touch it!!!
and also...facepalm:p
this is just ridiculous.
I NEVER had any problem with any WM,nokia or SE device I ever owned:p
Now make cooler laptops as well (not just apple, everyone!
Get my point? Apple and its OS and engineering has historical problems with overheating. They dumped PowerPC because they overheated too much, but they continue to overheat Intel and now ARM. Is not the processor, is what they do with it that overheat, and is the overall design of the device that makes it overheat. They are focusing too much in looks and little in engineering and efficiency.
+1
They have over tweaked the processors and thought they would get away with it. I think that is the reason for the overheating. How would they fix the overheating? Stop tweaking the processor and cool it down a few notches. I had so many issues with my Iphone 3G that I went on 4 of them returned. I have a brand new one now unused. I should have sold it before it dropped in price.
The first 2 would drop calls, freeze and overheat. The rest would just drop calls and NO I do not lay under the sun watching videos. If I did want to lay on the beach and watch videos and talk on the phone then I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT. I should not have to read some darn warning or guidelines on how to use a Portable Device.
CRAPPLE - to the person who used that word here is correct. Laptops are well designed but horrible on heat and performance.
Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!
Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.