Drivers up and down the nation have been warned over using phone holders in their car during the coming weeks, or risk causing severe damage to their vehicles and devices
Brits using phone holders in their cars for navigation apps like Google Maps have been urged to act quickly to avoid a potentially costly and dangerous safety risk.
As the UK experiences heatwave after heatwave, with another intense heat spell slated for the end of July, experts from phone comparison and recycling specialists Compare and Recycle have warned that extreme temperatures and direct sunlight can cause serious, lasting damage to these devices. The warning comes after weather maps released by the Met Office show more scorching highs are expected this month – with the mercury expected to reach 31°C in the southeast of England by Tuesday, July 29,
Smartphones are generally designed to function safely at temperatures up to about 35°C. However, when this threshold is surpassed, it can lead to potentially hazardous issues. These include the phone’s battery overheating or swelling, which in some cases could start a fire.
Other risks include permanent damage to the phone’s screen and processor, unexpected shutdowns, reduced performance and accelerated deterioration of internal components. When the temperature outside is 30°C, the interior of a vehicle can reach 50°C within half an hour.
This rapid rise is caused by the greenhouse effect — sunlight passing through windows heats the surfaces inside, but the heat cannot escape easily, causing the temperature inside to be far higher than outside. So placing a phone on the dashboard also exposes it to intense heat, greatly raising its internal temperature to dangerous levels.
Head of marketing at Compare and Recycle, Antonia Hristov, said: “Using your phone for any task generates heat, and when it’s in direct sunlight — especially mounted next to a windscreen where the glass creates a greenhouse effect and intensifies the heat — it can quickly exceed safe operating temperatures going beyond the recommended 35°C, which even phones with advanced cooling systems struggle with.
“An overheating battery doesn’t just pose a risk of damaging your device; it can also pose a safety risk. When temperatures soar outside, we recommend attaching your phone using a holder that clips onto the air-conditioning vent, keeping the phone cool.”
The expert advises using Apple or Android Car Play instead, which allows you to store your phone in a ‘shaded and cool spot’ in the car while you’re driving. “You can even remove your phone case or switch on airplane mode while driving to help with cooling,” she added.
So with the prospect of searing temperatures hitting parts of the UK in less than a fortnight, taking simple precautions with your phone while driving can prevent costly damage and reduce the risk of fire.
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