Leaving your iPhone in your car during Cold/Hot weather- permanent damage?

Question

Leaving your iPhone in your car during Cold/Hot weather- permanent damage?

I plan to buy an iPhone once my Verizon service runs out, but I need to leave my phone in my car for 8-10 hours every day. (NOT doing so is impossible; long story.)

I'm wondering if anyone else has to leave their phone in cold/hot weather like this and how the iPhone operates. I'd expect the iPhone be slow till it heats up/cools down, but I'm concerned about permanent damage.

I've seen the youtube video of a guy putting the iPhone in the freezer for a 1/2 hour, but little else. I'm in DC, so it doesn't get horribly cold (maybe down to single digits on real bad days), but it gets pretty hot in the summer--about 100 or so.

How does the iPhone hold up in the winter and summer? Particularly when you leave it in your car. Any help would be great.

iMac, 24inch, Mac OS X (10.5.1)

Posted on Jan 18, 2008 5:52 PM

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Answer 1

Goshia

Level 4

1,400 points

Jan 18, 2008 7:10 PM in response to Transmogrifier

Real bad idea leaving a phone in a car, car temps car reach 160 degrees with no problem during the summer and easily well below zero depending on you location. I do this type of testing all the time for Ericsson the cellural equipement.

Storage: temperature means temps while the phone is off, this specification is mostly for transportation/shipping.

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Answer 2

Jan 19, 2008 11:27 AM in response to GMGuinn

I have this same problem, it has to stay in the car during work days...I have not found a soloution, I was actually looking around for some kind of climate controlled "enclosure" that I could leave it in during the days..

A few tips that I practice, always on hot days, stick it under your seat and always leave the windows cracked, this makes a HUGE difference. On very cold days..... not to much to do, if it's sunny I wrap it in a dark cloth and stick it on my dashboard for the sunlight to warm it, keep the windows up.

fortunatly cold is not as bad as the hot 🙂

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Answer 3

Tamara

Level 6

13,744 points

Jan 18, 2008 7:05 PM in response to Transmogrifier

I'm in FL and the longest I've left my phone in the car is about 2 hours in the summer and I made sure to park in the shade and not turn the phone back on until the car & phone both cooled down. I tend to be a bit on the paranoid side when it comes to my electronics though.

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Answer 4

Nathan C

Level 5

6,266 points

Jan 19, 2008 7:57 AM in response to Transmogrifier

Transmogrifier,

Nonoperating temperature refers to the temperature range it can be stored, or kept in, while turned off without causing damage. Locking the screen is not the same as being turned off.

Hope this helps,

Nathan C.

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Answer 5

Jan 18, 2008 6:24 PM in response to Transmogrifier

Environmental requirements

* Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
* Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
* Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
* Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

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Answer 6

Jan 18, 2008 6:26 PM in response to Transmogrifier

The specs for the iPhone indicate the following environmental requirements:

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Matt

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Answer 7

Tamara

Level 6

13,744 points

Jan 18, 2008 6:29 PM in response to Transmogrifier

If you have to leave the phone in your car for 8 to 10 hours a day, the iPhone may not be the best choice for you. I'm sure a day here or there isn't so bad but leaving the phone in a very hot car in the summer probably won't do the electronics any good.

If you still want to get the phone, I'd suggest getting a freebie ATT phone for your work days. If I recall, you can take the iPhone sim and use it in regular ATT phones and then put it back in the iPhone when you're able to carry that phone.

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Answer 8

Jan 18, 2008 6:38 PM in response to Tamara

Thanks for the tech specs everyone--but I've seen those and they're not that helpful. For example, what, exactly, does non-operating temperature mean? Does that mean I can store it to -4 and it will be fine once it heats back up?

Anyone with experience doing this? Tamara, many thanks--have you ever left your phone in the car?

Message was edited by: Transmogrifier

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Answer 9

Jan 18, 2008 7:13 PM in response to Goshia

Thanks--that's really helpful. But is there something particular about the iPhone that would make it more susceptible to this weather? I have the Razor now (two years old) and it handles both the cold and heat well. Occasionally it's slow to restart as it heats up/cools down, but that's it. Is the iPod touch screen made of different material?

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Answer 10

MobileDev

Level 3

565 points

Jan 19, 2008 8:22 AM in response to Transmogrifier

I doubt it's any better or worse than other devices, most of which have the same range operating temps in their specs.

There are two main considerations: the LCD and the battery. LCDs get slower in freezing temps and lose contrast. LCDs turn black in very hot temps. In either case, it's best to let the unit come to more normal temps before using. With its high-transfer-rate aluminum back, that should be fairly quick.

The battery is more fragile in a way. High temps can take a real toll on battery life. (Just another reason why removable batteries can be handy.)

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Answer 11

GMGuinn

Level 2

290 points

Jan 19, 2008 8:30 AM in response to MobileDev

I can't yet say for the iPhone, but my last phone, an LG VX600, did all of the things mentioned by MobileDev. The cold LCD is really trippy; it is very literally slow performing.

Here in Houston the heat is more of an issue. I'd leave the LG in my car(hatchback, no tint) for eight hours, five days a week in a black asphalt mall parking lot. The phone still works just fine, but that was a $99.99 piece of crap. I didn't care what happened to it.

My point? Do you really want to tempt fate with a $400 gem?

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Answer 12

Jan 18, 2008 7:21 PM in response to Transmogrifier

Does that mean I can store it to -4 and it will be fine once it heats back up?

That would be my interpretation.

Matt

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Answer 13

Jan 19, 2008 7:40 AM in response to Matthew Morgan

So has anyone else had a similar issue like this? I figure real-world experience may be different from these environmental specs. Thanks.

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