Your iPhone is just like you, it really doesn’t like the cold

Newsflash: it is set to turn super cold this weekend.

According to the Met Office biting temperatures and even snow are set to hit the UK over the next few days. Oh so festive, but oh so fffreezing.

Aside from having to throw on an extra layer and having to whack the thermostat up a couple of degrees, bitterly cold temperatures can result in an unexpected and super annoying side effect – stopping your mobile phone working.

When your iPhone gets too cold, the results can range from the mildly irritating to the truly disastrous.

On one end of the scale, when the temperature dips, your phone might not be able to detect your touch on the screen. See we told you, annoying!

But that’s nothing to what can happen on the other end of the scale, when the cold weather could mean the battery of your handset will deplete much faster, and if it gets really cold could just switch of altogether. See we told you, disaster!

Thankfully those clever bods at phone re-cyclist Envirofone have tried to shed some light on why our iPhones seem to hate the cold as much as we do.

Turns out, there’s actually a technical reason behind the problem – the battery. Apparently all iPhones use a type of battery called Lithium-Ion, and while these battery types have their advantages they do not cope well in the cold.

According to Apple iPhones and other iOS devices operate most efficiently when the ambient temperature is between 0ºC and 35º C. So iPhones are actually designed to shut down automatically under certain conditions, such as extremely cold temperatures.

So, now we know that the cold can actually kill our iPhone, what can we do to stop it happening?

Envirofone recommends keeping your phones in your pockets and snuggly bags, avoiding exposing them to the cold unless absolutely necessary. Sure it’s tempting to check your phone to distract yourself from the icycles forming in your TopShop Chelsea boots, but if you want to keep your phone working, that Instagram scroll will have to wait.

And just like we wouldn’t go out without a coat, don’t send your iPhone into the world without a case.

Richard Mavers, director of group marketing and online strategy at Envirofone, said: “People often speculate about whether or not the cold really does affect the iPhone’s battery. Now we know it does, it is important to avoid subjecting your iPhone to extremely cold conditions. Minimise the use of your phone outside when temperatures drop, and keep it warm in a pocket or bag where possible.”

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