TikTok is telling people to put their phones into the fridge, and repair shops are happy

I don’t use TikTok myself, but from all of the second-hand reports I see, it seems to have become a massive repository of terrible advice. This apparently now includes videos advising people to put their iPhones into the fridge when they become hot …

Engadget cited just one example.

Obviously, don’t do that. The likely result is going to be condensation forming on the components inside the phone, either while sitting in the fridge or when removed from it. Thermal shock is also a possibility, with lithium batteries particularly sensitive to this.

The UK has been experiencing a heatwave over the past few weeks (for UK values of same, obviously), and phone repair shops have apparently been experiencing a significant rise in damaged devices due to people following this advice.

Apple’s own recommendation if your iPhone overheats is to allow it to cool naturally by placing it in a shaded environment. Not, however, inside a car. In hot weather even the glove box of a car can hit temperatures high enough to cause damage – or even see the battery catching fire.

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Photo by Onur Burak Akın on Unsplash