I have a feeling our trusty iPhone 7 is in trouble, but would appreciate any comments or advice. A few days ago it got a little overheated in my wife’s bag which was sitting in bright sunshine (in the Canary Islands). It began behaving erratically, displaying the ‘slide to power off’ for no reason and even turning itself on without being asked.
I’ve tried a restart and a forced restart, neither of which helped.
Could slight overheating have damaged some delicate electronics? (It was only warm, not too hot to hold comfortably.)
A possible complication is that a couple of weeks ago the screen was replaced after it crazed due to a fall. It seemed fine afterwards, until now.
If the phone overheats, it will automatically shut itself off just the way you’ve described. Has your phone behave erratically since?
Also check the battery health. I’ve had my iPhone 7 battery replaced. I experienced the phone shutting off when it was too warm or cold, lots of app crashes, and short battery life. Replacing the battery helped.
You could use this as an opportunity to get yourself a new iPhone like the SE. At only $400, it’s a major upgrade to your iPhone 7.
I am thinking of opening up a repair shop for modern electronics. You take your device into my shop, and I’ll bash it with a sledgehammer until it’s completely beyond repair. This way, you can do what you really wanted to do in the first place — buy yourself the newest shiniest device — without the guilt.
It has behaved erratically ever since it overheated. The battery is new, replaced at the same time as the screen.
I’ve already given myself a present of a new iPhone 11 so the newly-repaired iPhone 7 was to be the second phone, for occasional use or emergencies. The best-laid schemes of mice and men…
I like the sound of your repair shop though, it’ll do brilliantly. D’you remember that Chaplin short about the clock repairer? The one with a mallet?
Peter
Overheating usually results in the screen showing a red thermometer and and text saying that it has overheated. There’s a photo of that screen in this article:
I’ve only seen this screen once or twice - while sitting on my car’s dashboard in the summer (while navigating somewhere). Which is why I now use a vent-mount when I’m driving in the summer - so the cold A/C air blows on the phone.
As for battery life, an overheated battery may end up with reduced capacity. Even if it’s new, if it got too hot, it may have been damaged to the point where you might want to consider a replacement. According to Apple an out-of-warranty battery replacement for an iPhone 7 costs $50. Not a bad deal, given the fact that iFixit’s aftermarket battery costs $30 and doesn’t include installation.
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It was released 104 years ago, in 1916. It’s just as amazing today, even more amazing that it doesn’t have any dialog:
We’re straying a bit far off-topic here - but thanks for the link. It made me chuckle, as always.
Overheating usually results in the screen showing a red thermometer and and text saying that it has overheated.
David - I didn’t know about the red thermometer. My screen didn’t show that in fact - or if it did, not for long enough for me to see it. But I think you might be on the right track with the battery, I’ll focus on that.