An overheating iPhone can slow charging, dim the screen, and drain the battery faster than normal. iPhones are built to handle some heat, but when yours gets uncomfortably warm or shows a temperature warning, it needs attention. This guide walks through the most common causes and 14 fixes that work on every recent iPhone, from older models to the iPhone 17 line running iOS 26.
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Why Your iPhone Gets Hot
Your iPhone produces heat during normal use, and a little warmth is expected. Overheating happens when something pushes the processor or battery harder than the phone can cool itself.
A few causes are behind most cases. Knowing which one applies to you makes the fix faster.
- Intensive apps and games - Gaming, video streaming, navigation, video calls, and photo or video editing work the processor and graphics chip hard.
- Charging in the heat - Charging in a hot room, in direct sun, or while running heavy apps adds heat on top of the battery's own warmth.
- Hot environments - Direct sunlight, a parked car, or a warm pocket can raise the phone's internal temperature quickly.
- Background activity - Apps refreshing data, tracking your location, or syncing in the background keep the phone busy even when the screen is off.
- Software issues - An outdated version of iOS or a misbehaving app can spike processor use until you update or close it.
- Battery wear - A worn battery below 80% capacity works harder and runs warmer than a healthy one.
What Your iPhone Does When It Overheats
iPhones have built-in thermal protection. When the inside of the phone gets too hot, iOS automatically scales things back to cool down and protect the battery and other parts.
You may notice one or more of these signs, all confirmed by Apple:
- Charging, including wireless charging, slows or stops
- The display dims or goes black
- Cellular signal weakens as the radios enter a low-power state
- The camera flash or other camera features are temporarily disabled
- Performance drops, with lower frame rates and slower response
If the phone gets hot enough, you may see a full warning screen telling you the iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it. According to Apple, a phone showing this message can still make emergency calls. When it appears, turn the phone off, move it somewhere cooler and out of direct sunlight, and let it cool before using it again.
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Quick Reference Cause and Fix Table
Use this table to jump straight to the fix that matches what you were doing when the phone got hot.
| What was happening | Most likely cause | Fix to try first |
|---|---|---|
| Hot while charging | Heat trapped by case or hot room | Remove the case and stop charging (Fixes 1 and 3) |
| Hot during gaming or video | Heavy processor load | Close intensive apps and lower brightness (Fixes 2 and 7) |
| Hot in your pocket or bag | Background activity or location use | Disable Background App Refresh and limit location (Fixes 5 and 6) |
| Hot outdoors or in a car | High ambient temperature | Move to shade and use Airplane Mode briefly (Fix 4) |
| Hot after an update or restore | Indexing and re-syncing in the background | Wait, then update iOS and apps (Fix 8) |
| Hot constantly, even when idle | Worn battery or a software fault | Check battery health and reset settings (Fixes 11 and 12) |
Cool Down Your iPhone Fast
If your iPhone is hot right now, these first five fixes lower the temperature quickly. Start at the top and stop once it cools to a normal temperature.
1. Remove the Case
Take off any case, MagSafe accessory, or attached battery pack. Cases trap heat against the body of the phone and slow down cooling.
Set the phone on a hard, cool surface like a desk rather than a couch or bed, which insulate it. Let it rest uncovered until it feels normal again.
2. Close Intensive Apps
Games, navigation, streaming video, and the camera are the biggest heat sources. Closing them gives the processor a chance to cool.
Open the App Switcher and swipe each demanding app up and off the screen. On Face ID models, swipe up from the bottom edge and pause in the middle to open the App Switcher.
3. Stop Charging
If your iPhone is hot while charging, unplug it or take it off the wireless charger and let it cool first. Heat plus charging is hard on the battery.
Use an Apple-certified or MFi-certified cable and adapter, and never charge the phone in direct sunlight, in a hot car, or under a pillow where heat builds up.
4. Use Airplane Mode Briefly
When the phone is hot and you cannot move somewhere cooler, Airplane Mode helps. It switches off the wireless radios that keep searching for signal and generating heat.
Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center, then tap the airplane icon. Turn it back off once the phone cools down.
5. Turn Off Background App Refresh
Background App Refresh lets apps update content while you are not using them, which keeps the processor working in the background. Turning it off or limiting it reduces idle heat and saves battery.
Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Tap the top option to turn it off entirely, or leave it on and disable it only for the apps that do not need it.
6. Limit Location Services
Apps that track your location constantly, especially mapping and delivery apps, keep the GPS active and add heat. Restricting location access cools things down without breaking the apps you rely on.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Review each app and switch any that do not need constant tracking from Always to While Using the App or Never.
7. Lower Brightness and Use Dark Mode
A bright display draws more power and adds heat, especially outdoors at full brightness. Dimming the screen is one of the fastest ways to cut both.
Open Control Center and drag the brightness slider down. For a lasting reduction, turn on Dark Mode and a shorter Auto-Lock under Settings > Display & Brightness.
8. Update iOS and Your Apps
Outdated software is a common and overlooked cause of overheating. Apple regularly ships updates that fix bugs and improve thermal and battery management, and the current release is iOS 26.
Update the system at Settings > General > Software Update. Then open the App Store, tap your account icon, and update any apps with pending updates. A phone may run warm for a short while right after a big update as it re-indexes, which is normal.
9. Find and Manage Power-Hungry Apps
One misbehaving app can keep the processor busy and the phone hot. The Battery screen shows exactly which apps are using the most power.
Go to Settings > Battery and review the activity by app. If one app shows high background usage or a lot of activity you did not expect, update it, force it to close, or delete and reinstall it.
10. Restart Your iPhone
A restart clears temporary glitches and stuck background processes that can cause overheating. If the screen is responsive, turn the phone off and back on normally.
If the phone is frozen or unresponsive, force restart it. Press and quickly release Volume Up, press and quickly release Volume Down, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Keep holding past the power-off slider until the logo shows.
11. Check Your Battery Health
A worn battery runs hotter and drains faster than a healthy one. Checking its maximum capacity tells you whether age is the real problem.
On iPhone 15 and later, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health. On iPhone 14 and earlier, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. If Maximum Capacity is below 80%, a fresh battery often ends chronic overheating.
12. Turn On Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode reduces background activity, mail fetch, some visual effects, and processor demand, which lowers heat as well as power use. It is a good option when the phone keeps warming up.
On iPhone 15 and later, go to Settings > Battery > Power Mode and turn on Low Power Mode. On iPhone 14 and earlier, the toggle is at Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode. On iOS 26 you can also enable Adaptive Power in the Power Mode menu, which trims performance automatically when the phone is working hard.
13. Reset All Settings
If overheating continues after the steps above, a misconfigured setting may be to blame. Resetting all settings clears these without deleting your photos, apps, or messages.
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings. You will need to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords and re-do some preferences afterward, but it often clears stubborn heat issues.
14. Get the Battery or Hardware Checked
If the phone overheats during normal, light use, or it stays hot no matter what you try, the cause may be hardware. A failing battery or a faulty component needs a professional.
Contact Apple Support or visit an authorized service provider if the battery health is badly degraded, none of the software fixes help, or you see physical damage. Stop using and do not charge the phone if the screen is lifting or the back is bulging, which are signs of a swollen battery, and take it in right away.
Keep Your iPhone From Overheating
Most overheating is preventable. Apple says iPhones are designed for use where the temperature is between 32°F and 95°F (0°C and 35°C), and to be stored between -4°F and 113°F (-20°C and 45°C).
Keep the phone out of direct sun and never leave it in a parked car, where the inside can get far hotter than the air outside. Give it breaks during long gaming or navigation sessions, charge it in a cool spot, and keep iOS up to date so the latest thermal fixes are in place.
Overheating is not unique to iPhone. If you also manage an Android phone that runs hot, see our companion guide.
Read more - Android Overheats Here Is How to Fix It
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal for my iPhone to get warm while charging or gaming?
Yes, mild warmth during charging, gaming, navigation, or video is normal because the battery and processor are working. It becomes a problem only when the phone feels uncomfortably hot, charging slows or stops, or you see a temperature warning.
When is iPhone overheating actually dangerous?
The phone protects itself by slowing down and pausing charging, so brief overheating rarely causes harm. Treat it as urgent only if the phone gets too hot to hold during light use, the screen is lifting, the back is bulging, or you smell anything burning. In those cases stop using it, do not charge it, and contact Apple Support.
Does overheating damage the iPhone battery?
Repeated high heat is the main thing that shortens battery lifespan, since heat permanently reduces a lithium-ion battery's capacity. Occasional warmth is fine, but regularly charging or using the phone in hot conditions will wear the battery down faster over time.
Why does my iPhone get hot during setup or after an update?
After a new update, a restore, or initial setup, the phone re-indexes files, downloads content, and syncs photos and apps in the background, which keeps the processor busy and warm. This usually settles down within a few minutes to a few hours once the background work finishes.
Why does my iPhone overheat in the car with navigation or CarPlay?
Navigation keeps the screen on, the GPS active, and the radios working, and a phone mounted in direct sun on the dash adds outside heat on top of that. Move the mount out of direct sunlight, run the air conditioning, and avoid charging the phone at the same time if it is already warm.
What iPhones does this guide work on?
These steps apply to all recent iPhone models, including the iPhone 17 line and earlier devices running iOS 26 or recent versions. A few menu names differ slightly by model, such as Battery Health on iPhone 15 and later versus Battery Health & Charging on iPhone 14 and earlier, and those differences are noted in the relevant steps.
First published October 15, 2025. Last updated June 4, 2026.
