If your phone overheats after just a few minutes of normal use, gaming, charging, or even while idle, it’s a sign that something is wrong. Overheating is not only annoying — it can permanently damage your battery, CPU, motherboard, and screen if ignored.
This complete repair checklist will help you diagnose and fix overheating issues on any Android phone. Whether the heating happens while charging, gaming, browsing, using apps, or even when idle, this guide walks you through software fixes, hardware checks, and long-term solutions.
Common Reasons Why Phones Overheat
Here are the most common causes of overheating:
- Heavy background apps using CPU and RAM
- Damaged or weak battery
- Faulty charging cable or adapter
- Overloaded CPU from gaming or high-power apps
- Software bugs or corrupted system files
- Insufficient ventilation (case blocking air flow)
- Malware running hidden processes
- High screen brightness or constant 60/120Hz usage
- Charging while using the phone
- Hardware damage after a fall or water exposure
Overheating can be caused by software OR hardware — this guide helps you identify which one.
Fix 1: Close All Background Apps
Background apps are the #1 cause of overheating because they keep the CPU active constantly.
How to close background apps:
- Open Recent apps
- Tap Close All
Then test if the phone stays cooler for the next 10 minutes.
Fix 2: Restart the Phone
A restart cools the device by resetting the CPU and RAM usage.
- Hold Power button
- Select Restart
This alone fixes overheating for many users.
Fix 3: Remove the Phone Case
Thick cases trap heat and prevent air circulation.
- Remove your case for 20–30 minutes
- Feel if the phone cools down faster
If you notice a big difference → your case is the problem.
Fix 4: Lower Screen Brightness
High brightness heats up the display — one of the hottest components on your phone.
Set brightness between 30–60%.
Also disable Auto-Brightness if it keeps maxing out.
Fix 5: Disable High Refresh Rate (90Hz/120Hz)
High refresh rates increase heating significantly.
Lower it:
- Go to Settings → Display → Motion Smoothness
- Select Standard (60Hz)
Fix 6: Check Battery Usage
A faulty or degrading battery often overheats.
How to check:
- Go to Settings → Battery → Battery Usage
If one app uses too much battery, uninstall or force stop it.
Fix 7: Stop Using the Phone While Charging
Using your phone during charging doubles the heat load.
Never:
- watch videos
- scroll social media
- play games
while charging.
Charging + CPU load = instant overheating.
Fix 8: Use the Original Charger
Cheap or fast chargers heat the battery aggressively.
Use:
- the original charger
- a certified replacement
Fast charging can also heat up the phone — turn it off if necessary:
- Go to Settings → Battery → Fast Charging
- Disable it
Fix 9: Update All Apps
Some apps overheat phones due to bugs or poor optimization.
- Open Google Play Store
- Tap Manage Apps
- Tap Update All
Fix 10: Uninstall Apps That Cause Overheating
If your phone overheats while using a specific app — that app is the culprit.
Common overheating apps include:
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- Crypto mining apps
- VPN apps
Uninstall or replace them.
Fix 11: Turn Off GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth When Not Using
These constantly search for connections, heating the phone.
Turn them off from the quick panel when not needed.
Fix 12: Check for Malware
Malware secretly runs background tasks that heat the CPU.
To check:
- Install Malwarebytes or Avast Mobile
- Do a full scan
Fix 13: Reset All Settings
This resets misconfigured settings without deleting files.
Reset settings:
- Go to Settings → System → Reset
- Tap Reset All Settings
Fix 14: Clear System Cache (If Supported)
Corrupted system cache is a common cause of overheating.
Clear cache partition:
- Turn off phone
- Hold Power + Volume Up
- Select Wipe Cache Partition
- Reboot
Fix 15: Remove Recently Installed Apps
If overheating started recently, the cause is likely a new app.
Uninstall apps added in the last 7–14 days.
Fix 16: Factory Reset (Last Resort)
If no fix works, your system may be corrupted.
Warning: Back up your data first!
Factory reset:
- Settings → System → Reset
- Tap Factory Data Reset
Fix 17: When Overheating Is a Hardware Problem
If your phone overheats even after a factory reset, it’s likely hardware-related.
Common hardware causes:
- damaged battery
- loose internal connector
- motherboard fault
- defective power IC
- heat dissipation problems
If your phone overheats even while idle → get it checked professionally.
Conclusion
Overheating is usually caused by software conflicts, background apps, high brightness, or heavy CPU usage, but sometimes it can also indicate a hardware issue. By following the repair checklist above, you can identify whether the problem is minor or serious and fix it effectively.
If none of the software fixes help, consider replacing the battery or visiting a repair center.
For more repair tutorials, explore our Phone Repair Guides category.