If you own an iPad, you’ll know how fragile it is. iPads are extremely expensive. powerful computers and like any other computer, the iPad (no matter what model you own) can become overheated. This can cause all kinds of issues with your iPad. If your iPad overheats constantly, you may experience battery damage. Having an overheating iPad is quite a common problem unfortunately but there are ways you can fix this or prevent it from happening to the point where it damages your iPad’s components and glass screen.
Before you can fix your iPad from overheating, you need to understand why it’s overheating in the first place.
Why does my iPad overheat?
First of all, iPad’s don’t have fans like most computers. The very nature of their design and size makes it impossible to fit a decent fan inside. Fans are used to cooling computer components so they keep running smoothly and don’t become corrupt. You’ll notice that your iPad has a couple of small vents at the bottom of the exterior shell but they are tiny and don’t dissipate much heat at all.
Warm environments
You’ll also notice that your iPad can overheat very quickly in hot environments like in direct sunlight or in heated rooms. You’ll be able to tell that it’s far too hot because the edges of your iPad will become very hot to the touch. Like all fragile devices, it’s recommended not to use them outside, at least not in direct sunlight. You should aim to keep your iPad in a cool space when you’re not using it too.
Charging your iPad
One of the most common reasons for iPad’s to overheat is when they are being charged. You’ll notice that your device becomes warmer when energy is transferring over to it and this is perfectly normal. However, you may find that it becomes particularly hot when you use fast chargers. Fast chargers are great every now and again when you need a quick jolt of juice but they can damage your iPad over time. Using a fast charger can make your iPad overheat at twice the rate of a standard charger so use one a couple of times a week at most if you can.
Using 3rd party chargers can also make your iPad overheat and is likely the most common reason for the iPad’s overheating. When you buy a charger that has not been manufactured by Apple, you’re essentially taking a massive risk in terms of your battery. Using unregulated chargers can corrupt your battery over time making it run out of energy faster, overheating it, and making its life span much shorter than it would be if you used an official Apple charger.
Lack of dedicated GPUs
You may also find that your iPad overheats when you use intensive apps or multiple apps at once. Even playing a game on your iPad can cause it to overheat if played for too long. Most iPads, and especially older models, don’t have dedicated GPUs for such tasks so having too many processes active at once will cause your iPad to overheat quickly and may even cause apps to freeze and shut down altogether.
This problem is not as pronounced in 2019 iPad’s and beyond, especially not as frequent in M1 models due to the performance processes being shared across multiple cores.
Why you shouldn’t let your iPad overheat
There are many reasons why you should take precautions and not let your iPad overheat. After all, you’ve spent a lot of money on your device!
Apps slow down or crash
To try and save itself from being destroyed, your iPad’s processor will try and shut down the apps you’re using or at least make them run slower to compensate for the power being drawn from the processor. This can be extremely annoying if you’re trying to watch something or you’re doing some work.
Screen dimming
You’ll likely notice that your screen becomes dimmer if your iPad overheats. This is again to compensate for the power being drawn to the overheating problem.
Slower charging
As mentioned, your iPad’s battery can become damaged if you let it overheat. The battery inside iPad’s is very sensitive to heat exposure and this can lead to slower charging over time, even if you’re trying to use fast chargers.
Overheating message
If your iPad becomes too hot you’ll receive an on-screen message telling you that it’s too hot and that it needs to shut down. All iPad’s have a cut-off point where they recommend their owners to stop what they’re doing immediately. Hopefully, you’ll of realized this due to the heat coming off your iPad before you get this message.
How to stop your iPad from overheating
Now you know why your iPad is overheating, you can take steps to make sure that it doesn’t happen, at least, not too often.
Limit app usage
The number one thing you can do is to not put such a power strain on your iPad. The easiest way to do this is to use one app at a time. Better still, make sure you close down apps so that you don’t leave anything else running in the background.
Remove the case
The next quick option is to remove the case if you have one. Whilst this won’t stop the intense power demand you may have put your iPad under, it will help to dissipate trapped heat from under the case.
Turn off Background Refresh
Your iPad is smart and it has lots of background activity going on. One thing you can do to limit this is to turn off Background Refresh, a system that refreshes apps as you go. You can turn this system off by doing the following;
- Open settings
- Go to General
- Go to Background App Refresh
- Turn Background App Refresh to “off”
Delete apps/update
A very simple way of making sure your iPad runs smoothly is to keep deleting apps you don’t actually use. Many of us download apps and never use them. Make sure you cull your apps on a consistent basis. Once you’ve got your app quantity down, try updating your apps to see if they have any newer versions. Most apps roll out new updates which make them run more smoothly on your iPad. If you’re using outdated versions of apps, you could be putting your iPad’s processor under more strain than it needs to be.
Check your cables
If your charger is damaged in any way, it could be causing your iPad to overheat as it charges. Make sure you check that your wire isn’t frayed or bent at all. As we’ve already mentioned, you also need to be using an Apple charger, even if you can find cheaper chargers on Amazon, it’s not worth risking your iPad’s life span by going for the cheaper option.
What not to do if your iPad overheats
Never put your iPad in the freezer – it might seem like a good idea and a way to cool your iPad down but you’ll run the risk of your hot screen cracking under extremely cold temperatures.
Don’t put it in front of your Aircon – Similarly, if you put your iPad directly under your fan you run the same risks.
Instead, leave your iPad detached from its charger in a cool room for an hour. Make sure you have turned off all apps and you’ve shut it down.
Known iPad Mini 5 overheating issues
The iPad Mini 5 is one model that is particularly affected by processor overload. To fix this issue, you need to make sure your WI-FI, location, and Bluetooth are turned off when you’re not using it.
Known iPad Pro 12.9 overheating issues
The iPad Pro 12.9 is particularly sensitive to environmental temperatures. If you own this model, it’s important that you do not use it outdoors and when you’re not using it, keep it in a cool place.
iPad overheating fixes – Conclusion
Now you know why your iPad is overheating you can take the right steps to stop it from happening. If you keep experiencing overheating issues, you may find that your iPad battery is damaged. You may even need to contact Apple Support or look to purchase a more recent model.
