Protect your phone from the winter cold

While you keep yourself warm in sub-zero temperatures with hot tea and thick clothing, your phone needs its own protection against the cold. But what can you do to help protect the battery and display?

When it’s really cold outside, many mobile phones react a bit strangely. This is explained by simple chemistry: most mobile phones have a lithium-ion battery, which works best at room temperature. In cold weather, the ions float more slowly and the battery discharges more quickly, and – in the worst-case scenario – gives up the ghost. The touchscreen also reacts to low temperatures because it contains liquid crystals. Cold temperatures slow them down or cause them to freeze.

Use body heat

Keep your smartphone in your inside coat pocket or a trouser pocket and use your body heat to keep it warm. If that’s not enough, a woollen sock or insulated case will also help. It is better to keep your phone in a waterproof case when practising winter sports and wear it close to your body, but not directly on your body. This will protect it from condensation during strenuous activities. Keep your smartphone in a warm pocket when you’re out and about, make calls using a headset or headphones and only take it out for snapshots in the snow for as short a time as possible.

Warm it up before charging it

Give your mobile phone time to warm up when you get home from skiing. Especially if there is a difference of more than 20 degrees between the outside and inside temperature. It’s best to switch off your smartphone briefly to warm it up and don’t try to shorten the warm-up time with a heater, hairdryer or other accelerators.

Our tip: give yourself and your mobile phone a chance to warm up and only connect your phone to a power bank once both devices are no longer cold to the touch. This will prevent damage. And you’ll still have enough time to enjoy a hot drink.