Do not put phones in the fridge, warns repair shop

A phone repair shop is warning people not to put their electronic devices in fridges and freezers to cool them down amid the latest heatwave.

Jamie Farnell, who runs Shropshire Phone Repairs, in Wem, said he was getting "flooded" with repairs sent into the shop with "almost all of them" due to the heat.

He said lots of the devices had arrived with "internal moisture damage", which he believed was from them being put in fridges or freezers.

During June's heatwave, Farnell even had an iPad explode in his shop after a customer came in with a swollen lithium battery.

Farnell believes people are seeing videos that look "well put together" on social media and not doing any further research into it.

"We used to see people putting their phones in rice, which is another common misconception," he said.

"When they get wet you shouldn't put it in rice it doesn't really do anything.

"Now people are seeing these tips where people are putting phones in the fridge or freezer, but it's not safe to do it.

"If you put it in, there is a risk of moisture that can get in the phone and then when it does dry out the moisture or the condensation turns into water."

He added it was an issue he was seeing from customers "both young and old".

In June's heatwave, Farnell said his business was overwhelmed with the number of problems people had with their devices.

"Their phones [were] glitching, freezing, stopping working and batteries were expanding," he said.

"We will tend to see the effects of this heat in a few days.

"I can guarantee that there'll be a lot of people in the shop with swollen batteries or phones that just aren't turning on.

"We will then ask the question and nine times out of 10 they'll say that they've tried to cool it down [by putting it into the fridge]."

With devices getting so warm, it may sound like a quick solution to put your phone in the freezer for a few minutes, but Farnell said doing this causes "internal condensation".

It means moisture damage is happening inside the device's screen and logic board, which can effectively destroy the phone.

Instead, Farnell advises to:

• Keep your devices away from direct sunlight
• Turn it off
• Do not overcharge the device
• Avoid intensive apps like games, streaming, or high-intensity videos
• Lower your screen brightness
• Turn the device on to Airplane Mode or turn off Bluetooth and GPS to give the processors a break

Lithium ion batteries are very common in many devices, including smartphones, laptops and tablets, as well as e-bikes and e-scooters, and even electric vehicles.

Fires start when the cell gets damaged, most commonly by it being crushed or pierced.

However, if devices like phones overheat, the internal structure of the battery can break down, charity Electrical Safety First said, sometimes causing a reaction known as thermal runaway, which can quickly affect adjacent cells and cause lithium batteries to catch light.

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