Why does my iPhone X heating up so fast, overheating? [Troubleshooting Guide]

When it comes to iOS device issues, iPhone overheating emerges among the most widespread. A lot of people encountered the problem usually after installing a new update including major iOS releases. It occurred to any iOS devices even on the latest iPhone X flagship device. Aside from a faulty update to iOS, there are also other factors that can trigger an iPhone to overheat and eventually leads to rapid battery draining.

In this post, I will help you in troubleshooting or fixing your iPhone X that heats up so fast. We will look into every possibility and rule them out one by one until we can determine the cause of the problem and eventually fix it. If you’re one of the owners of this device and are currently having the same problem, continue reading as this article may be able to help you.

Before we move on, if you have other issues with your iPhone, visit our iPhone X troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues with the device. Browse through the page to find issues similar with yours. If you still need our assistance after that, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire to contact us.

What causes iPhone overheating issue?

It is normal for an iPhone to feel a little warmer especially when charging or when using it for hours. However, when you sense that your phone is so hot that it might burn your hand, that’s already a different story. It’s an indication that something is wrong with your device and that thing needs to be fixed before it gets worse. To get started, try to think of what has occurred before the onset of the problem. For example, did your iPhone X start to overheat after installing an update or adding new apps? That way, you will have at least an idea on where to start and what needs to be resolved.

In general, overheating issue on an iPhone can either be due to software malfunction or bad hardware. Many people have thought of the problem being inflicted by a damaged or defective battery on the device. While this may be true to some people, in most cases, overheating issue has been linked to software problems, particularly rogue apps and processes.

Think of it this way. Your iPhone is a smaller version of a computer. It operates like a computer does. And like a computer, your iPhone X is also powered by processor known as the A11 Bionic chip, as its core component.

Each time you input commands through taps and screen touches it also means a job for the processor to carry out. So the more commands you input, the busier the processor would become. This is the main reason why the processor (CPU) is heats up faster. Pushing the processor as hard as it can go can make it exhausted and that’s when it overheats. This is what happens when you use your iPhone for several hours straight without having a pause. But this is also possible to occur on your device even without extensive usage. Your iPhone has a lot of apps in it. If any of these apps goes rogue, there is a chance that it will remain active and running in the background. This can become worse if more apps have gone rogue and triggered the processor to work and work until it’s completely revved up. This is when you would need to determine which of your apps is misbehaving and then put an end to it.

Fortunately, software-related cases of overheating were successfully dealt with by performing some helpful workarounds and standard procedures including the ones highlighted below.

If you are here because you’re dealing with a similar issue on your new iPhone X handset, then you might as well consider reading this entire post and likewise refer to the subsequent guides on how to troubleshoot your iPhone that is overheating.

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What to do when your iPhone X is overheating?

Below are standard procedures and workarounds you can try when your iPhone X is overheating. Try to see which procedure works for you…

Close out all apps.

Closing out apps can help lighten the workload on your iPhone processor. If you think you’ve already opened several apps, then you should consider closing them now. Here’s how it’s done:

Go to the Home screen or any app screen.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and then pause. Doing so will invoke the app switcher or iOS multitasking screen.
Touch and hold on any app pane. Doing so will show a red icon with a minus sign at the top left of each app pane.
Swipe left or right to the desired app.
Then tap on the red icon to close the app.

Remove battery consuming apps from your iPhone X.

Going over to the battery usage details will help you determine which from your apps is using the most of your iPhone X battery life as this app could likewise be causing your device to get hot. Uninstalling complex apps that aren’t really necessary is extremely helpful as these apps consume a lot of power and may trigger your iPhone processor to overwork.

To do so, head over to Settings-> Battery-> Battery Usage menu, then go over with the details of battery usage for every app. If possible, uninstall the app that consumes a lot of battery power.
To uninstall an app, tap and hold any icon on the Home screen for a few seconds. When the app icons start to jiggle, find the app that you want to uninstall then tap the X on the corner of the app icon. Finally, tap Delete to confirm action.

Perform a soft reset on your iPhone X.

A soft reset or simply reboot on your iPhone X can help rectify minor software glitches that might have triggered certain apps to misbehave and might have forced the processor to work until it gets exhausted. This reset will not affect any of your iPhone data so you don’t have to worry of data losses. For starters, here’s how to perform a soft reset or reboot on your iPhone X:

Press and hold the Side (Power) button and either Volume buttons for a few seconds.
When the Slide to Power off screen appears, release both buttons.
Slide the Power off switch right.
Allow your phone to power off for about 30 seconds.
Then press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

Wait until your iPhone X boots up completely then use it as you normally do and see if the problem is fixed and your iPhone is no longer heating up like before.

ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone X that is stuck on Apple logo, infinite boot loops [Troubleshooting Guide]

Update your apps or iOS.

This is only applicable if you haven’t yet installed any apps update or iOS update on your iPhone X. Software updates usually contain system enhancements and bug fixes including a fix patch for battery draining and overheating issues. That’s why keeping your apps and iOS updated is also recommended. However, some software updates may also contain bugs that could trigger post-update issues to arise including rapid battery draining and overheating. In this case, you may opt to try to fix the problem with some applicable workarounds or wait for Apple to rollout the next software update that contains the required fix patch.

To check for software updates, go to Settings-> General-> Software Update. You will be prompted with a notification if an update is available. If there is, backup your iPhone data then follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with the update download and installation.
To check for app updates, launch the App Store and then tap Updates. Tap to Update individual apps or tap Update All to install multiple apps updates simultaneously.

Reboot your iPhone X once the updates are successfully implemented, then see if that fixes the problem.

Reset all settings on your iPhone X.

A reset on all of your iPhone X settings can be the key to resolving the underlying cause if the problem has something to do with incorrect or messed up settings. You may resort to this method if your iPhone X started to overheat after making changes to your iPhone X settings or installing new updates to apps or iOS. Some updates automatically override or change the current settings on the device, thereby resulting to various issues.

To reset all settings on your iPhone X, go to General-> Reset-> Reset All Settings. If prompted, enter your device passcode then wait for your iPhone settings to reset and restore to defaults.

As the name implies, reset all settings is a reset option that will reset all the settings on your iPhone to their default settings and options. But unlike factory reset or master reset, this reset option will not affect any files, documents, data, or apps on your phone as it only resets the system settings. Thus making backups won’t be that necessary. Even so, it is always recommended to create a backup of your iPhone for safekeeping so it would be up to you then.

Restore your iPhone X through iTunes.

If all else failed to fix your iPhone X that is overheating, then this is the time when you’ll need to consider performing a system reset or iOS restore. The problem might be too complex that it persisted after all prior procedures. And in this case, a more advanced solution is necessary. There are three types of iOS restore you can try on then. You may start with the standard iOS restore through iTunes. If that won’t work, then try a recovery mode restore using iTunes on your computer. Should the recovery mode restore still failed to fix the problem, your last resort is a DFU mode restore. This is regarded as the most in-depth type of restore you can do on your iPhone. It works by putting your iOS device into a state where it’s able to communicate with iTunes on the computer without activating the operating system or bootloader.

You may refer to a step-by-step walkthrough on how to perform a DFU mode restore on your iPhone X from the Tutorials section of iPhone X Troubleshooting page on this site.

Other options

Contact Apple Support if the iPhone overheating issue continues after performing all prior workarounds. It’s possible that the problem you are dealing with is due to a more complex software error that requires an official fix patch. Problem escalation is also recommended especially if the overheating problem instigates after installing a new iOS version of your iPhone software. It might be necessary for Apple devs to rollout a follow-up update containing a fix patch to address the issue. Also don’t forget to avail for warranties. Given that the iPhone X has just arrived on the shelf, chances are that it’s still covered by warranty. You may also contact your device carrier for further assistance on how to avail for warranties in this case.

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