It Is Normal For iPhones To Get Hot? And Will It Damage Your Phone?

Like any computer or electronic device, an iPhone's internal processor generates some ambient heat while in use. All that electricity you're using has to go somewhere, after all, so internal cooling hardware works to dissipate it harmlessly out of the device's surface and vents. As a result, when you're using your iPhone extensively, such as during a long video call, playing games, charging up, or loading large quantities of data, it'll get a little warmer than normal. 

After you stop using your phone or switch to a less intensive task, it'll gradually start cooling down. If you attempt to run multiple processor-intensive apps or services simultaneously, your iPhone will begin automatically throttling its processes to keep up. You may see a drop in video quality, longer load times, or slowed or halted charging. This isn't a problem in itself –- just close some processes to reduce the load, and the heat will die down.

While it is normal for your iPhone to get slightly warm under duress, it has a hard upper limit for how hot it's supposed to get. IOS devices are designed for ambient temperatures between 0 and 35 degrees Celsius (32 and 95 Fahrenheit). If you force your iPhone to operate above that temperature range, then you're officially in the danger zone, and it could suffer permanent damage.

The major thing you should be wary of is operating your iPhone in an extremely hot setting, like an outdoor parking lot or inside your car. An iPhone may be able to regulate its own internal temperature, but when you add external temperatures on top of that, there's little it can do to protect itself. In this circumstance, your iPhone may display a temperature warning, automatically halting all processes until it detects a drop in temperature. In this state, the only thing you can do is make emergency calls.

In the worst-case scenario, if your iPhone is exposed to a consistent flow of high temperatures, with or without heavy usage compounding the problem, the components within it may start to malfunction or break down. The most obvious effect in this situation is a permanently reduced battery charge capacity, and if the heat continues, it could break down entirely.

It's also worth noting that while your iPhone can get hot while you use it, it should not be too hot to handle safely. If your iPhone is dangerously hot, even if you're not in a hot location or performing any particularly stressful tasks, that could be a sign of a serious failure of its temperature regulation components. In this case, you should bring it to an Apple Store or licensed repair shop immediately, as operating it may not be safe.