iPhone 8/Plus Can extreme cold damage my phone

[jcorbin]

im in Maryland in the USA and we’re experiencing really cold temp (relative to my locale). I had to walk from my car to the mall. 5 minutes or less and temp is 12F wind chill is -4F. The phone was in my front jeans pocket the entire time. Can it damage the phone or can using the phone too soon after being out in that weather damage it

 

[Newtons Apple]

As long as you keep you device close to your body, you should be fine. Be aware that you battery capacity will go way down until your phone warms up again. I would never let the phone “cold soak” by leaving it outside, by itself, for extended periods.

If you phone is very cold and you return it to inside with a high humidity atmosphere, it can sweat and set off the water sensors. I keep in a ziplock until it warms back to higher temperatures.

 

[iapplelove]

It was -5 here in New England and my iPhone X worked just fine.

I would imagine long exposure to extreme temps could effectively slow down or hurt the performance but I don’t think anything long term would be an issue.

 

[cyclingplatypus]

Extended unprotected exposure can damage - I used to live in New Hampshire, winter would sometimes cause the display to be sluggish it never damaged any of the iPhones I had while I lived there. I regularly used it to listen to music while I cleared snow, an hour plus in the front thin pocket of my coat - no damage.

 

[joeblow7777]

It’s fine. I’m Canadian, and I’ve never heard of a few minutes of cold ruining anyone’s phone. In fact, my mother has forgotten her iPhone in her car overnight during winter, and my brother’s job requires him being outside for hours at a time (bundled head to toe in several layers) and he always keeps his phone on him. No problems.

 

[jcorbin]

Thanks. That’s what I figured.

 

[newellj]

As a footnote, wind chill temps are irrelevant to inanimate objects such as phones. Once it gets to the ambient (air) temperature, it doesn't get any colder.

 

[Makayla]

I think your phone will be fine.

I recently took a trip to Antarctica and sometimes a large SLR is not needed or too bulky to bring and many of us would just use our phones to take quick pictures, and only once my phone experienced battery drain due to extreme cold.

The biggest challenge was those sensor fingertip gloves not being sensitive enough and always finding a way to block the lens. Lol In comparison in that particular situation Samsung phones have cameras right in the middle of back and work better.

 

[44267547]

im in Maryland in the USA and we’re experiencing really cold temp (relative to my locale). I had to walk from my car to the mall. 5 minutes or less and temp is 12F wind chill is -4F. The phone was in my front jeans pocket the entire time. Can it damage the phone or can using the phone too soon after being out in that weather damage it

Here is some information from Apples website:

"Use iOS devices where the ambient temperature is between 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F). Low- or high-temperature conditions might cause the device to change its behavior to regulate its temperature. Using an iOS device in very cold conditions outside of its operating range might temporarily shorten battery life and could cause the device to turn off. Battery life will return to normal when you bring the device back to higher ambient temperatures. Using an iOS device in very hot conditions can permanently shorten battery life."

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201678

 

[HallStevenson]

I had to walk from my car to the mall. 5 minutes or less

That's a really big parking lot !

 

[naturalstar]

im in Maryland in the USA and we’re experiencing really cold temp (relative to my locale). I had to walk from my car to the mall. 5 minutes or less and temp is 12F wind chill is -4F. The phone was in my front jeans pocket the entire time. Can it damage the phone or can using the phone too soon after being out in that weather damage it

Living in the Chicagoland area where it has been negative wind chills in recent days, I would hope it would be okay. I had class Thursday night and had to walk 3 blocks to the parking garage downtown, before and after class. My phone was in the outside pocket of my handbag. It was fine. I was so worried about protecting my face and hurrying that I didn’t even think about the fact that my 8+ was exposed. It worked fine and is still working fine now. It has been in this weather multiple times now.

I know below freezing temps is not considered ideal for iPhones, but life doesn’t stop at the freezing point, so times of exposure will happen. Should be okay in short bursts.

 

[jcorbin]

That's a really big parking lot !

I parked in a garage and had to walk out and around the corner. Then past all the stand alone restaurants to the mall entrance. Might have been more like 3 minutes. But in that temp it felt like a long time.