Colder Than A Witch's Cellphone

It’s cold outside, because we live in Montana and that’s part of the tradeoff for doing so. I distinctly remember the first time the dashboard of my car said -40º, and the disbelief from the non-Glasgow friends I’d sent the photo to. “It must be broken” they said, refusing to accept that life could exist in such conditions. But what actually happens when our favorite electronics are subjected to the bitterness of our winter wonderland? How cold is too cold to snap a quick snow selfie?

Rather helpfully, manufacturers will typically make clear what temperature ranges they expect you to be using any given piece of equipment in. Apple and Samsung for example say that you shouldn’t use your phone when it’s in an environment below freezing, adding that shorter battery life and even the device shutting off are possible symptoms of doing so. Some smartphones will actually monitor for a low operating temperature and shut down to prevent damage until they’re allowed to warm back up. Displays also have a hard time during the cold, as most use a liquid-like substance which thickens up and will eventually freeze if left in a frigid environment for too long.

The big hurdle for cold weather operation is actually battery technology. Much like how your car battery gets weak during the winter, your phone’s lithium power source experiences a similar phenomenon. Phones are a great example, but the majority of portable electronics use this battery chemistry nowadays, so cameras, tablets, laptops will all suffer. Dip below 32º and the chemical reactions which make up the discharging process start to slow down. By the time we reach an internal temperature of around -20º most batteries only offer about 50% of their original output. This may well not be enough to power your device at all, but the effects are temporary and normal operation will resume once back to room temperature.

What does cause long term damage however is charging a lithium cell when it’s at or below freezing. The “why” here is both technical and boring, but the upshot is that a lithium battery charged when it’s colder than 32º internally both loses capacity permanently and becomes a fire hazard. Smart devices know this risk and will control the rate of charge when they’re too chilly, preventing any sort of damage. Something less sensor-laden though needs to be allowed to return to normal operating temperature before you charge it.

Another factor for we need to think about here is condensation. Most modern cellphones are waterproofed which alleviates the issue, but something like a laptop or tablet being brought in from a cold car to a warm house is deeply susceptible. Once again, the answer is simply allowing such devices to slowly return to the same temperature as your toasty living room. I typically try to give things at least an hour before attempting to power them on. Happily, seldom in any of these cases (save for sub-zero charging) is any temperature related malfunction permanent, but it does pay to be mindful.

Does that mean your outdoor Facebooking days are over until spring? Well not so much. On the one hand, a short time spent outside of a warm pocket won’t be enough to affect operation. On the other and for people reliant on their technology performing while it’s wintery weather wise, specialized solutions exist specifically for environments like our current one. From simple heat-retaining cases to ruggedized phones, laptops and portables; if you really must check your crush’s Instagram while shoveling sidewalks, technology has thankfully found a way. Stay warm out there.

Richard Noble is the founder of Want For Tech, an IT company based in Glasgow.