In recent weeks, many people have complained of having problems charging their Apple devices, following the arrival of the cold snap.
Their iPads, MacBooks and iPhones suddenly stop charging, and owners try different aftermarket chargers and cables, to no avail. They usually point to the battery and often think it’s time to replace the battery or the device.
And then, later that day, the device suddenly starts charging again and everything seems to be fine. It’s as if the problem solved itself.
So what’s going on?
Your devices don’t like the cold
The common element in all these readers’ messages is the temperature. Specifically low temperatures. The context: you leave your device in a car, a garage, or more generally an unheated place where the device cools down. Then you try to reload it.
If the device still has a little charge, the charger can work. But if the battery is already dead, the device will not restart.
The fix: If you put your device in a room temperature environment and leave it there for a bit, then the device will start charging again.
This is not a bug, but a feature
Know this: this is not a bug, but a feature.
Because rechargeable devices have an operating temperature range, as well as an upper and lower limit, beyond which the battery goes into a kind of “safe mode” to protect itself.
Apple has released a document detailing these features:
iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Apple Watch:
- Optimal operating temperature: 0 to 35°C
- Storage temperature: -20 to 45°C
MacBooks:
- Optimum operating temperature: 10 to 35°C
- Storage temperature: -20 to 45°C
An Apple specificity?
This function applies to all devices and rechargeable batteries. But, in my experience, Apple enforces this rule more than other manufacturers, which makes the problem more apparent on the brand’s devices. Why ? Because Apple goes to great lengths to protect the battery from damage caused by improper use and charging.
At the other end of the temperature spectrum, if you leave your iPhone in a hot car for too long, you’ll get a message telling you that it needs to cool down before you can use or charge it.
Also, due to current temperature ranges, MacBooks are more prone to this issue. So don’t leave them in your car all night in cold (or hot, for that matter) weather.
The temptation of the hot water bottle
So what if you find a stone cold device that won’t charge? The best solution is to bring it to a “room temperature” environment (between 18 and 22°C) and let the device warm up normally.
Are you in a hurry and tempted to speed up the warming process? Pay attention ! Exposing a device to high temperatures can cause malfunctions and damage the battery. Only heat up a device if you can guarantee that the temperature will not exceed 35°C. I used an electric blanket or hot water bottle to do this, but I monitor the temperatures closely to make sure the devices don’t get too hot.
My advice is to do your best to keep your devices within this “optimal” temperature range. And if your device falls out of this range, let it slowly return to its optimal operating temperature.
I finally discovered that if you absolutely have to keep your device outside in cold weather, connecting it to an external power supply keeps it running and slows its battery drain. A method to try.
Source: ZDNet.com