Placing the phone in a pocket may cause serious damage
Many people put their smartphone in their pocket without realizing the risks involved, and in this context, an expert warned against putting the smartphone in the pocket, pointing to the possibility of ignition affected by high temperatures.
A smartphone with a lithium-ion battery and a lithium-polymer battery, under the influence of high temperatures, can catch fire even when it is put in a pocket, Denis Kovikov, director of the Russian SafeNet Regional Engineering Center, affiliated with the National Technology Initiative, told Sputnik.
“Some types of batteries can catch fire or swell when exposed to high temperatures, even in your pocket,” Kovikov said. If your mobile device is powered by a lithium-ion or lithium-polymer battery, which is the most common type of battery, you may experience thermal surge which can lead to spontaneous combustion of the battery.”
The expert recommended carefully monitoring the screen brightness level, and adjusting the internal settings, saying: “Turn off Bluetooth and GPS, and cancel the automatic updates of the application. And turn off the Wi-Fi module, otherwise the device will constantly search for an available network to connect, which will also contribute to its overheating.”
In order to protect the device from heat, the expert advised to keep the devices away from direct sunlight, and not to use thick protective covers that prevent the passage of air, in addition to reducing the number of applications running simultaneously because this will raise the temperature of the device, in addition to using the original chargers.
In the event of the device overheating, the expert advised to remove the protection covers, if present, to stop the work of applications that need the Internet, and to put it in a cool place.