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Can I leave my old 4S out in my car as a permanent iPod hookup in freezing weather?

T

TH55

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Nov 5, 2011
3,328
152
Or will it cause noticeable damage or effect the performance as an iPod? I have the USA Spec iPod adapter that hooks into my Acura's factory radio through the XM connection.

Up until I got my 6 I had just plugged in my 4S when I got in the car and it worked perfectly. I tried using an old 2nd Gen iPod touch I bought on eBay for $20 but it is a lot slower when you click to go to the next track, I'm not sure why.

I have no choice but to stick w my 4S which works flawlessly, and when it's plugged in it's tucked away in a compartment out of site. The only problem is I don't want to carry 2 phones with me everywhere I go. I live in Ohio, will I cause damage or impact its performance by leaving it hooked up in my car as a permanent setup?
 
Apple's published guidelines for the iPhone 4S:

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)

This means that on all of those nice 15° mornings you should probably let your phone warm up for 5 minutes before turning it on. It's up to you to decide if that's more or less annoying than bringing it in the house every night.

But I'd be more worried about summer. Your car is definitely going to go over 113° F then.

So while there are many days of the year you could leave it in the car, there will be many more where you can't. I'm lazy; I wouldn't want to track the weather every single day. I'd just take it in the house every night.
 
Small White Car said:
Apple's published guidelines for the iPhone 4S:

Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)

This means that on all of those nice 15° mornings you should probably let your phone warm up for 5 minutes before turning it on. It's up to you to decide if that's more or less annoying than bringing it in the house every night.

But I'd be more worried about summer. Your car is definitely going to go over 113° F then.

So while there are many days of the year you could leave it in the car, there will be many more where you can't. I'm lazy; I wouldn't want to track the weather every single day. I'd just take it in the house every night.
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What would happen to it?
 
Newtons Apple said:
The battery could freeze at -15 degrees and damage it.

I have also heard that some screens can be damaged by very low temps.
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Oh ok, ya I won't ever be leaving in that kind of cold. I live in Ohio so it's about 15 degrees on a really cold night in which case I would prob still bring it in.

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Small White Car said:
It's a matter of risk. Yeah, it might be fine. iPhones have turned on after worse abuse. But eventually parts inside will become lose or crack or warp or bend. Probably not immediately, but you're pushing the phone towards an earlier death each and every time.
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Yeah. I wonder how cheap I could get an old 4 for.
 
TH55 said:
Oh ok, ya I won't ever be leaving in that kind of cold. I live in Ohio so it's about 15 degrees on a really cold night in which case I would prob still bring it in.

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Yeah. I wonder how cheap I could get an old 4 for.
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15 degrees? Lordy. I live in California and we cringe at 40 degrees. Yeah, like others said, don't leave your phone in that kind of weather. The moment you fire it up the heat inside will create condensation and could actually freeze up after you turn off the phone. Water and electronics don't mix.
 
HenryDJP said:
15 degrees? Lordy. I live in California and we cringe at 40 degrees. Yeah, like others said, don't leave your phone in that kind of weather. The moment you fire it up the heat inside will create condensation and could actually freeze up after you turn off the phone. Water and electronics don't mix.
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Where in Cali? I've always dreamed of moving to SoCal, is it all it's cracked up to be?
 
I don't know if this helps or not, but these are some things I've been thinking about and thought I'd share.

I've been wondering about how to protect electronic devices left in hot/cold cars and I've come up with two ideas.

First is to find some type of neoprene sleeve or pouch. It doesn't have to be an exact fit. You could probably find one that fit an iPad and it would be find for phone or phones.

The second idea came to me one day when I was walking through a grocery store. You could use one of the hot/cold mylar bags that they sell in grocery stores that make you bring your own bags like Whole Foods store where I live.

Mylar is also the stuff they use to make the shiny birthday balloons. You could probably just cut up one of those balloons and use it in a pinch.

Mylar and neoprene both have good insulating properties. I can't say either would be perfect. But either would probably help reduce the temperature swings of your device.
 
Well with my old iPod, leaving it in the car in the winter did a number on it. It would almost always be dead the next morning and then the playlist would act up sometimes disappearing. I would not recommend leaving it in the car when its really cold outside, especially overnight. I live in Michigan by the way.
 
TH55 said:
Where in Cali? I've always dreamed of moving to SoCal, is it all it's cracked up to be?
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All depends on what you're looking for no matter what region you're talking about. SoCal's also a large region so it also depends on the specific area.
 
EdMan said:
Well with my old iPod, leaving it in the car in the winter did a number on it. It would almost always be dead the next morning and then the playlist would act up sometimes disappearing. I would not recommend leaving it in the car when its really cold outside, especially overnight. I live in Michigan by the way.
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Damn
 
Is the power on?

My cigarette lighter connector in my car stays on when everything else is off. I would think the battery recharge would keep the phone warm?
 
The struggle to carry your phone to and from your car. First World Problems.
 
You could always get an older, cheaper iPod touch to leave in your car, whatever happens to it happens to it.

Your 4s is probably still "too nice" to risk it.
 
Jzo said:
You could always get an older, cheaper iPod touch to leave in your car, whatever happens to it happens to it.

Your 4s is probably still "too nice" to risk it.
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That's actually exactly what I did, did you not read my OP?
 
TH55 said:
Where in Cali? I've always dreamed of moving to SoCal, is it all it's cracked up to be?
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I grew up in SoCal. Ventura County. Weather is great, but you get no seasons. They are also experiencing their worst (ever?) drought. IMO it is definitely not all it's cracked up to be, but I am a guy that prefers seasons too.

FWIW I moved here by choice (could have gone back to Cali after school). Decided not to. Wanted something different and haven;t regretted even a moment of it. Well, I do miss getting an awesome bowl of Ramen or Sushi in little Tokyo :)
 
TH55 said:
That's actually exactly what I did, did you not read my OP?
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Yes, but I was under the assumption that you weren't going to use the 2nd gen touch since it was too laggy. A "junk" iPhone 4 would be perfect.
 
Jzo said:
Yes, but I was under the assumption that you weren't going to use the 2nd gen touch since it was too laggy. A "junk" iPhone 4 would be perfect.
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Yeah, exactly. How much could I get one for? By junk do you mean damaged or broken at all?
 
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