Android Phone Overheating? Causes and Permanent Fixes
Overheating can throttle performance, cause random shutdowns, and accelerate battery wear. The goal is not just to cool the phone once, but to identify what is generating heat and stop it at the source. Here are the most reliable fixes.
What “normal” heat looks like
- Slight warmth during fast charging
- Warmth during gaming or video recording
- Temporary heat in direct sunlight
If your phone becomes uncomfortably hot during light use, or heat persists when idle, something is wrong.
Top causes of overheating
- High CPU load from apps or background services
- Poor signal strength causing constant radio searching
- Charging while using heavy apps
- Camera, GPS, or hotspot left on
- Malware or adware
- Old battery health
Fix 1: Identify the heat source in battery usage
Go to Settings > Battery > Battery usage. If one app is dominating usage, that app is your first suspect.
Fix 2: Close camera, GPS, and hotspot
Turn off location, hotspot, and Bluetooth if not needed. Hotspot use is one of the fastest ways to overheat a phone.
Fix 3: Stop charging while gaming or filming
Charging adds heat. Gaming or filming adds heat. Doing both at once often triggers throttling. Charge first, then play.
Fix 4: Reduce screen brightness and refresh rate
High brightness and high refresh rate increase power draw. Drop brightness and set refresh rate to Standard temporarily to test.
Fix 5: Switch off 5G in weak coverage areas
If you are in a building or area with poor 5G, the phone will constantly search and switch bands. Use LTE to reduce heat.
Fix 6: Remove heavy cases temporarily
Thick cases trap heat. Remove the case and test whether temperatures stabilize.
Fix 7: Update your apps and system
App bugs can cause runaway CPU. Update everything, including Google Play system updates if available on your device.
Fix 8: Run a Safe Mode test
Boot into Safe Mode. If overheating stops, a third-party app is the cause. Uninstall recent apps and anything with aggressive ads.
Fix 9: Check for malware or adware
If heat spikes during idle, you may have adware. Remove suspicious apps, especially free cleaners, battery boosters, and unknown APK installs.
Fix 10: Evaluate battery health
Older batteries produce more heat and can cause performance issues. If your phone is over two to three years old and heats easily, battery replacement may help.
Fix 11: Factory reset if heat persists at idle
If your phone overheats while idle even after Safe Mode checks, back up data and reset. Persistent idle heat can indicate deep software corruption.
Conclusion
Overheating is usually caused by apps, radios, or charging behavior, not “bad hardware.” Isolate the cause using battery usage and Safe Mode, then fix the trigger rather than treating symptoms.