Know Your Phone’s Limits: How To Handle Your Gadget In The Cold

Editor’s note: This post was originally published by our partners at PopSugar Tech.

Extreme temperatures are making their way through the Northeast this weekend, with temperatures in some areas dipping to as cold as -20°F at night. Weather advisories suggest staying inside whenever possible, and that goes for your tech peripherals as well. The iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S IV may have the most advanced mobile tech on the inside, but on the outside, the devices are certainly fair-weather friends.

In freezing conditions, smartphones will shut off automatically, and on piping-hot days, high temperatures can cause permanent damage to the battery. Read on to discover the hot and cold thresholds for the most popular phones on the market — the iPhone 5S/5C and the Samsung Galaxy S III/IV — and how to prevent temperature damage.

Shortened battery life and software malfunction are two side effects of exposing your phone to extreme temperatures. Don’t leave phones in cars, if possible, since it’s easy for parked cars to exceed the operating temperature range (on both the low and high ends).

Both Apple and Samsung have set these environmental guidelines for their smartphones, which, if followed, will prolong the lifespan and battery life of your iPhone and Galaxy phones.

Operating temperature — Between 32° and 95°F
Storing temperature (turned off) — Between -4° and 113°F
Humidity — 5 percent to 95 percent noncondensing
Maximum altitude — 10,000 feet

If you’re going to brave the weather with your smartphone in tow, then check out some of these options for texting gloves and Winter-proofing gadgets.

Lucky enough to live in a warm-weather locale during the Winter? Keeping devices out of a hot car (including the glove box) and out of direct sunlight are the most important things. Using phones with GPS tracking, navigation in a car, or playing a graphics-intensive game while in direct sunlight puts your device at most risk.

Image courtesy of Getty

More stories from PopSugar Tech:

New Resolution? This Site Will Help You Actually Keep It
8 Times We Got Duped by the Internet This Year
Beyoncé vs. NASA: Who’s Right Here?
Why 2013 Was the Year of Benedict Cumberbatch
Tech That Kicks New Year’s Resolutions Into Gear