Troubleshooting an iPhone 11 overheating: What’s making your iPhone hot

Smartphones normally heats when from extensive and prolonged usage. The same thing happens when the phone is charging. In normal cases, the phone will get back to its normal temperature level after giving it some time to rest. Hence, there’s no need to worry. But if your iPhone heats up so fast and keeps exceeding the normal operating temperature level, it’s more likely overheating.

Overheating is one of the common issues faced by many iPhone owners after a new iOS update is implemented. In these cases, overheating emerges among other post-update problems. Tackled in this post is a relevant issue on the iphone 11. Read on to find out what to do if your iPhone 11 is overheating or heating up so fast following the iOS 13.2.3 update implementation.

Troubleshooting an iPhone 11 overheating

Performing the following procedures will help eliminate software-related factors that might have triggered your iPhone 11 to heat up so fast or overheat after the recent iOS update. Any of these methods should address the problem unless hardware damage is present on your phone. 

Why is iPhone 11 Overheating?

Before you can fix the overheating issue, it helps to understand what’s causing it. Here are the most common culprits:

  • Charging While Using Your Phone
  • Using processor-intensive apps like games or video streaming
  • Direct sunlight or hot environments
  • Poorly designed or faulty cases trapping heat
  • Outdated software and apps
  • Defective battery

Now that you know what’s making your iPhone 11 hot, here are some effective ways to cool it down:

Clear all background apps then restart your iPhone.

Apps that went rogue after the update are usually those that were left open or suspended during the update. Hence, it’s imperative to end all background apps before installing an update. In case you forgot to do this on your iPhone, then you’ll need to clear them out right now. Any of these apps might have caused processor exhaustion, which is often tied to overheating issues. So here’s what you should do then:

  1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen then stop when your finger reaches the middle and pause until the app cards/previews show up.
  2. In the app switcher, swipe sideways to navigate through the cards or previews.
  3. Swipe up on the card preview to force close individual apps.
clear background apps

After clearing all background apps, restart your iPhone to dump junk files cached on your phone’s internal memory and system folders. Just follow these steps:

  1. Simultaneously press and hold the Side and Volume Up buttons for a few seconds.
  2. Release both buttons when the Slide to Power off bar appears.
  3. Swipe or drag the bar to turn your device off.
  4. After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Side button and then release when the Apple logo appears.
Restart iPhone

See if that stops your iPhone from heating up so fast or overheating. If not, then you have to try other means to eliminate other possible triggers and fix your iPhone.

ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone 11 that randomly crashes and gets stuck on black screen after iOS 13.2.3 update

Install all pending app updates on your iPhone.

Aside from background apps, outdated apps can also trigger occurrence of similar symptoms from an update. It’s possible that some of your apps are no longer able to meet the minimum system requirements after the recent iOS update was implemented. When this happens, the apps may no longer be able to work properly on your device and instead triggers adverse system symptoms including overheating. Thus, installing pending app updates can also be the key to resolving the issue. Just follow these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on the App Store icon to open the application.
  2. Tap on Today tab at the bottom. 
  3. Then tap on the user profile icon (Apple ID header) on the top right corner of the screen. You should see the account details. 
  4. Scroll down to the Available Updates section. 
  5. To update individual apps, tap the Update button next to the name of each app.
  6. If multiple app updates are available, tap on Update All to update all apps at once.
Install pending apps

Reboot your iPhone when it’s done installing all app updates. Doing so will ensure that all new software changes and in-app bug fixes are properly implemented.

Turn Off Unneeded Features

Disable location services, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and mobile data when you don’t need them. The less your iPhone has to work, the cooler it will run. You can toggle them off in Settings or by swiping down from the top right of your screen.

Use Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode restricts background activity to conserve battery life. Less background activity means less strain on the processor and lower temperatures. Enable it in Settings > Battery.

Low Power Pode

Stop Charging at 100%

Don’t leave your iPhone 11 plugged in after it hits 100%. Continued charging generates excess heat. Charge to full, then unplug.

Update Software

Outdated apps and iOS can cause glitches that lead to overheating. Install the latest iOS updates. Updates often include bug fixes that resolve overheating issues.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

Update iOS

Reset all settings on your iPhone

Settings that aren’t properly configured can also cause some conflicts and may trigger some apps and system functions to act up. When this happens, there’s a tendency for any of these apps to make the processor exhausted and thus, your iPhone overheats. In this case, resetting all settings on your iPhone can help. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down and tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  4. Tap Reset, then select Reset all settings from the given options.
  5. Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
  6. Confirm action by tapping the option to reset all settings on your device.
Reset All Settings

Performing this reset doesn’t affect any saved data on the internal memory, so nothing will be deleted from your iPhone storage. However, you will need to re-enable necessary features, particularly those that are disabled by default.

Disabling location services and relevant features when not in use can also help prevent your iPhone from heating up so fast. 

ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone 11 that won’t charge or charging very slowly after iOS 13.2.3 update

Factory reset your iPhone 11 that’s overheating after the recent iOS update.

This reset is often need to deal with major system issues including post-update symptoms inflicted by stubborn iOS bugs. If you wish to troubleshoot further and eliminate complex system errors, then your next option would be a factory reset. This will wipe everything from your iPhone system and then restores the factory default settings. With that said, back up all your important files and then follow these steps to factory reset your iPhone 11 through settings:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down and tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  4. Tap Erase all content and settings from the given options.
  5. Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
  6. Confirm action by tapping the option to erase and reset your iPhone.
Erase All Content and Settings

You can also use iTunes to manually erase your iPhone 11 on a computer. 

Restore your iPhone 11 in iTunes (recovery mode restore).

Software issues that could not be dealt with by a factory reset often requires more advanced solutions like a recovery mode restore. Doing so will put your iPhone in a recovery state and then use iTunes to repair any damaged system components from the recent update. If you’re willing to proceed, don’t forget to back up all your important data to a dedicated directory or folder on your computer using iTunes. Once you have secured the backup file, follow these steps to put your iPhone 11 in recovery mode and instigate iOS restore:

  1. Connect your iPhone to a computer using the original USB cable or Lightning cable that came with it.
  2. Open iTunes on your Windows and/or earlier Mac computer or Finder app on your Mac running macOS Catalina.
  3. While your device is connected, quickly press and release the Volume Up key. 
  4. Then quickly press and release the Volume Down key.
  5. Next, press and hold the Side button until the Connect to iTunes or recovery mode screen appears. Do not release the button if you  see the Apple logo as you’ll need to boot your phone in recovery mode.
  6. Shortly after you see the Connect to iTunes screen, you will be prompted with the next instructions via message prompts.
  7. If prompted to Update or Restore your iPhone in iTunes, select Restore to erase your device and restore it from a recent iOS backup saved on your computer drive via iTunes. 

Major system issues are usually resolved after performing a recovery mode restore unless the underlying cause is hardware-related. 

Avoid Direct Sunlight

Heat is the enemy of electronics. Keep your iPhone out of extended direct sunlight to prevent solar heat gain.

Turn Off Auto-Brightness

Auto-Brightness raises brightness based on ambient light. Manually lower brightness to reduce power draw and heat production.

Use a Cooling Fan Accessory

Clip-on cooling fans attach to your iPhone and keep temperatures low during intensive use. They’re inexpensive and provide active cooling.

What to do if your iPhone 11 is still overheating?

Some power components of your iPhone might have obtained some sort of physical or liquid damage and that damage triggered your iPhone to heat up so fast or overheat. If the hardware is to blame, opting for service is imperative. That said, take your iPhone to the nearest Apple service center in your place so that an authorized technician can scrutinize it and fix whatever damage is present. If your iPhone is still under warranty, then you better contact your iPhone provider or carrier to avail for warranty instead. 

ALSO READ: Common Power Issues you could encounter on your iPhone 11 after updating to iOS 13.2.3

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