10 Reasons Why Wireless Chargers Get Hot


All charging methods, including regular cable charging, wireless charging, power bank charging, and so on, will make your phone warm. Because energy is wasted and heat is created during wireless transmission, heating is a common side effect of inductive wireless charging.

Here are 10 reasons why wireless chargers get hot:

  1. Wireless induction dissipates heat.
  2. The charging coils are misaligned.
  3. There’s a blockage in the charger’s electromagnetic field.
  4. You’re not using original chargers and batteries.
  5. You might be using inappropriate wall adapters and cables.
  6. Your wireless charger is damaged.
  7. Your wireless charger doesn’t have heating protection.
  8. There are software glitches.
  9. Wireless chargers don’t do well in high room temperatures.
  10. Fast charging mode can overheat wireless chargers.

During wireless charging, both the charger and your phone might heat up for a variety of reasons. And there are several excellent options for resolving the overheating problem. Therefore, let’s explore the most common causes and solutions for overheating wireless chargers.

Wireless charging of smartphone on restaurant table

1. Wireless Induction Dissipates Heat

Wireless chargers employ copper wires that are tightly coiled and placed in chargers and accessories to create a magnetic field. This electromagnetic field creates a current that flows from the charger to the accessory or smartphone, which charges the accompanying device’s battery through a process known as induction.

As the current flows, the process is inefficient and will create a lot of normal heat if the temperatures do not exceed 40°C (104°F).

2. The Charging Coils Are Misaligned

When the tightly coiled copper wires of the phone are not aligned with coils in the charger, the heat loss becomes more excessive than is necessary. The misaligned coils result in more heat escaping the charging process, which causes overheating.

Remove your smartphone from the casing if it’s overheated to align the charger’s coils and the accessory properly. It also helps to keep the rear of the gadget well-ventilated, lowering the temperature even further. When smartphones and accessories are free of any protective covers, they charge wirelessly more efficiently.

Place the phone in the precise middle of the wireless charger to align the coils. Manufacturers haven’t yet figured out how to detect if the coils are perfectly aligned. The only thing they can do is add a charge status LED indication.

3. There’s a Blockage in the Charger’s Electromagnetic Field

A charging impediment will occur when there’s interference or blockage between the phone’s and charger’s magnetic field. It’s caused by a metallic object, a phone casing with a magnet inside, or a smartphone mount between the coils that’ll increase heating and impair charging performance considerably.

To avoid a charging impediment, remove objects like credit cards and RFID tags regularly kept in smartphone covers before charging to avoid damage. Make sure the smartphone or accessory is flat against the charging pad’s surface.

Make sure there’s nothing between the phone and the charger by removing any foreign materials such as smartphone mounts, RFIDs, credit cards, and phone cases.

smartphone using wireless charging technology

4. You’re Not Using Original Chargers and Batteries

Make sure you’re using original smartphone batteries specified for your device. A third-party charger or battery won’t give the same charging quality and is prone to overheating or even exploding.

Check whether the wireless charger has Qi certification and if your smartphone manufacturer highly recommends it through official means.

Overheating may be avoided by using a high-quality wireless charger from a reputable manufacturer. It includes a built-in smart mechanism that regulates the temperature. Many in the market, though, will not. As a result, selecting a decent wireless charger is critical.

5. You Might Be Using Inappropriate Wall Adapters and Cables

It would be best to use the chargers of your phone’s original adapters and cords for wireless charging. It’ll heat your phone if you use adapters designed for a different phone or a broken adapter/cable. A broken USB cord, for example, will cause the phone’s lower portion to overheat.

A wall converter and a USB cable are often included with wireless chargers. If the wireless charger you want doesn’t come with an adaptor or cord, go with the one recommended by the manufacturer. You may also use the original cable that came with your phone.

6. Your Wireless Charger Is Damaged

Ensure there’s no part of your wireless charging device and pad that is even slightly ripped or damaged. The material tends to wear out or break over time, exposing the coils and increasing the risk of short circuits that can heat the phone unexpectedly and cause severe damage.

If you find that your wireless charger is damaged, no matter how small the damage, make sure you dispose of it in the right way and get a replacement.

7. Your Wireless Charger Doesn’t Have Heating Protection

Since wireless charging is yet to be perfected, it’s expected to release a significant amount of heat. Most of the wireless chargers out there don’t have adequate protection against overheating.

Check if your wireless pad automatically takes steps such as cutting off charging when the battery reaches a specific temperature or when the battery is fully charged. Because many poorly designed wireless chargers lack a functional mechanism, keep an eye on your smartphone frequently.

Wireless charging of smartphone

8. There Are Software Glitches

You may have noticed that sometimes your smartphone can become hot even when not charging or while using specific apps. Some applications tend to work up the processing power of a smartphone, resulting in overheating.

In addition, unstable applications contain bugs or glitches that can work up your phone and cause overheating, especially while charging.

It’s therefore essential to permanently remove unnecessary applications and avoid installing apps from unsupported sources. Update your phone’s applications to the most recent versions. When using wireless charging, keep in mind that you should not use too many apps simultaneously.

Always ensure your iOS or Android device is up to date, which also aids in the resolution of various internal disagreements that might lead to other issues, such as delayed charging.

9. Wireless Chargers Don’t Do Well in High Room Temperatures

The process of induction for wireless charging devices emits enough heat without other environmental factors being involved. You can expect that using a wireless charger to charge your phone in the car during a hot day or while basking outside in the sun will result in overheating of both your charger and smartphone.

Using a wireless charger at high room temperatures will cause a hindrance to the efficiency of the charging process. While wireless chargers with adequate overheating protection will automatically stop charging devices at certain temperatures, other wireless chargers will continue charging and damage the phone.

If the phone becomes too hot to handle and stops charging, consider moving the smartphone and the wireless charger to a location with a lower temperature. The phone will begin charging again as the temperature drops.

10. Fast Charging Mode Can Overheat Wireless Chargers

Most recently released wireless chargers come with three modes, normal mode, fast charging mode, and safe mode. Increased current and voltage are obtainable with wireless fast charging. In wireless fast charging mode, your phone may feel warmer to the touch.

Turn off the fast-charging way. When you turn off the quick wireless charging option, your phone will charge at the usual 5W rate.

In conclusion, charging at a greater room temperature will lower charging efficiency and cause overheating. When the phone’s temperature detector hits 40°C (104°F), the charging efficiency is reduced, and the wireless charging capability is switched off. The wireless charging will begin when the temperature decreases.

Rob

I'm Rob, the founder of theonetechstop.com. I’m a Marine Corps vet with a master’s degree in Information Systems and have been working in the technology field for over a decade.

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