iPhone 12 mini Overheating when charging in car?

[AltecX]

I often connect my phone to my car via USB when driving to use CarPlay. I'll often also stop at a connivence store just to grab a premade salad, drink and a snack. Maybe 15 minutes TOPS. When I come out 7/10 times the phone will go into its Over Heat mode and disable itself to to cool down. I've even had this happen once while just driving and using the phone. Inside the car it was warm out but I had the AC on and windows down, but the phone was VERY hot using Carplay and Maps to get to a location.

I do NOT keep the phone in the sun it's in a cubby by my shifter that has the AC pointed at it. I have never had any other phone do this and I feel like this phone does it pretty often, and it's always VERY warm. I'm not sure if this is due to the small size not allowing heat dissipation or if there is an issue with my phone, or if all 12's have this issue at this point. I've never had a Huawei, Google, LG, Samsung, OnePlus, or any other maker have this issue. Or when they did it was on a VERY not day, and the phone had been connected for a long-extended period.

I feel like if I can't trust the phone to not overheat, I can't trust it for Maps or even possibly future battery issues if it's getting so hot so often.

Has anyone else had issues like this? I've been using a smartphone for navigation/BT audio daily since probably 2014 and this is the first phone to give me problems.

 

[chscag]

I can assure you that it gets very hot here in Texas in the Summer especially in an auto that may have been left out in the sun for awhile. However, I have never had any of my iPhones (currently own a 12 Mini) overheat while using or charging in my cars.

Overheating will eventually kill your battery if left that way. You probably should have the phone checked out by Apple.

 

[NoBoMac]

I've had this happen to other iPhones in the past.

A map app on its own does warm the phone up a fair bit. Add in summer heat and sitting in that heat with the AC off while in a store, can see that that happened.

Now, I don't use a map app very often (like never) and when it has overheated, it's also had maybe some sun shining on it (Eg. sitting on the passenger seat).

 

[AltecX]

I've had this happen to other iPhones in the past.

A map app on its own does warm the phone up a fair bit. Add in summer heat and sitting in that heat with the AC off while in a store, can see that that happened.

Now, I don't use a map app very often (like never) and when it has overheated, it's also had maybe some sun shining on it (Eg. sitting on the passenger seat).

On this latest time, I wasn't even using maps. I had connected the phone, driven 10 minutes playing a pre-saved podcast. When at my location left the phone in the car for about 15minutes and when I returned it was over heating. I know my car keeps the power going for a couple minutes after I turn it off, but I don't see why the phone would grow hotter due to that compared to when I'm driving with it connected or the phone sitting on my desk and charging. Even then the phone was already at about 90% when I connected it so it really should have only been trickle charging.

 

[beerseagulls]

wouldn't the phone stop charging after the car is turned off?

 

[now i see it]

The pocket cubby at the shifter gets hot. When the AC isn't blowing on it when parked, that cubby will heat up from the catalytic converter radiating heat up through the floor. Feel it next time.

 

[AltecX]

The pocket cubby at the shifter gets hot. When the AC isn't blowing on it when parked, that cubby will heat up from the catalytic converter radiating heat up through the floor. Feel it next time.

It actually doesn't. If your cats are heating up the inside of your car that much it much be from like the 80's or you're missing some heat shielding. The cubby is not even what I'd call warm to the touch, and nowhere near as hot as the phone is getting. It's also the same place I've always placed my phones. If the cubby got as hot as the phone gets I'd expect it to be melting plastic over time.

wouldn't the phone stop charging after the car is turned off?

In most modern cars the USB port continues to provide power for a few minutes after the car is turned off.

 

[chscag]

wouldn't the phone stop charging after the car is turned off?

Not necessarily. My Mustang had two ports: One was live whether the engine or ignition was on or not. The other only provided power when the ignition was turned on.

 

[4sallypat]

In hot weather months in Southern California for most of the year, the 12 Pro goes into overheat mode a lot - especially when charging.

(Charge ports are active for 15 minutes after engine shuts down)

Even without direct sunlight on the 12 Pro, it would go into overheat mode.
I just put it on the vent that gets cooled off by the AC when that happens - it's annoying.

OTOH, my XS Max never goes into over heat mode even when next to the 12 Pro.

Maybe the newer phones are more sensitive to therms ?

 

[now i see it]

An awkward workaround would be to get a small cheapo 12V inverter then plug Apple's little 5 watt charger into it to charge the phone. Guaranteed the phone won't get hot while charging when using that little charger.
The iPhone 12 can accept more current while charging than the previous iPhones. It appears that the USB power source in the car is high amperage (but still safe) so that's why the battery gets hotter than the earlier iPhones because the iPhone 12 allows more current (and thus heat) when charging.

 

[ctjack]

An awkward workaround would be to get a small cheapo 12V inverter then plug Apple's little 5 watt charger into it to charge the phone. Guaranteed the phone won't get hot while charging when using that little charger.
The iPhone 12 can accept more current while charging than the previous iPhones. It appears that the USB power source in the car is high amperage (but still safe) so that's why the battery gets hotter than the earlier iPhones because the iPhone 12 allows more current (and thus heat) when charging.

Easily can test it at home. It gets hot when using usb-c charger. Also our 12 mini and 12PM gets hot while playing sound from YouTube while sitting in the bassinet.
Overall it is a mix of chips being more powerful than the body can dissipate that heat.
One could also buy a tester to test out the wattage of the car’s charging port. It is like a dongle between the port and cable. Or read through car’s manual for the watts or amp/volt.

 

[DevinNj]

There’s definitely something with the 12 series getting warm. My wife and I each have a Pro Max and my son has a Pro and they all get significantly warmer during regular use than any of our other iPhones have. My screen dims from the heat quite often in room temperature from normal usage and I’ve never had that happen before, even using outdoors in the summer time. Been an iPhone user since the 4S.

 

[ctjack]

There’s definitely something with the 12 series getting warm. My wife and I each have a Pro Max and my son has a Pro and they all get significantly warmer during regular use than any of our other iPhones have. My screen dims from the heat quite often in room temperature from normal usage and I’ve never had that happen before, even using outdoors in the summer time. Been an iPhone user since the 4S.

sitting outside while typing this on my 12 mini, which got dim in the first 10 minutes. And now it is uncomfortably warm to hold.

 

[DevinNj]

sitting outside while typing this on my 12 mini, which got dim in the first 10 minutes. And now it is uncomfortably warm to hold.

Yeah and like I say this is the first version of iPhone that I’ve ever had a problem with. And it’s not like my usage has changed over how it’s used as opposed to prior versions

 

[Barbareren]

sitting outside while typing this on my 12 mini, which got dim in the first 10 minutes. And now it is uncomfortably warm to hold.

I can only remember mine getting hot during use a couple of times (I’ve been on these forums on my phone for like an hour now with a podcast playing in the background without any heat-up whatsoever. I do have AdGuard installed, though). My old X and XS would get hot more often actually. Maybe the heat thing is why some users’ battery health has dropped down to the 80s, while mine and others are still rocking 100%? 🤷‍♂️

 

[asus389]

Yeah both my 6s and 11 did this. Cars get crazy hot in the sun, even with the AC running. I had to resort to getting a vent mount so that the AC was blowing directly on the phone for maps to work and have it charge and do CarPlay at the same time. Putting it in the cubby under my console didn't work, the transmission tunnel gets warm also which heats this area. I mainly notice this when the ambient temp is 90+, in the 70s-mid 80s its more or less ok.

 

[ctjack]

I can only remember mine getting hot during use a couple of times (I’ve been on these forums on my phone for like an hour now with a podcast playing in the background without any heat-up whatsoever. I do have AdGuard installed, though). My old X and XS would get hot more often actually. Maybe the heat thing is why some users’ battery health has dropped down to the 80s, while mine and others are still rocking 100%? 🤷‍♂️

I have seen some tests that have shown 48C(118F) on the display surface while fast charging an iphone. We can only imagine how hot it was in the inside. This definitely affects the battery health of some of us.

 

[now i see it]

The first gen Qualcomm 5G modem in the 12 series runs hotter than previous LTE modems.
Maybe the 2nd gen 5G modem in the iPhone 13 won't run so hot.

 

[russell_314]

On this latest time, I wasn't even using maps. I had connected the phone, driven 10 minutes playing a pre-saved podcast. When at my location left the phone in the car for about 15minutes and when I returned it was over heating. I know my car keeps the power going for a couple minutes after I turn it off, but I don't see why the phone would grow hotter due to that compared to when I'm driving with it connected or the phone sitting on my desk and charging. Even then the phone was already at about 90% when I connected it so it really should have only been trickle charging.

I’ve had this happen too. This is why they tell people not to leave children in cars. So many kids die and the common answer was “but I was only in the store for 15 minutes”. If it’s in someplace like Texas it’s hot as hell