4 Places You Should Never Store Your Phone
A smartphone is a significant investment and protecting that investment takes a variety of forms. For example, a durable phone case and phone insurance, such as AppleCare+, are obvious ways to protect your phone, but it's important to account for solutions that might be a little easier to overlook when seeking to minimize phone damage. Specifically, it's vital to be aware of the types of spaces and locations where you should never store your phone.
How and where you store your phone can not only have a major impact on the functionality and lifespan of your device, but it can affect your own health, too. Other than guarding against physical damage from water and impacts, you should also store and charge your phone in a manner that protects it against environmental damage, and make sure you're not keeping the phone too close to your own body for a long time. While learning about where not to store your phone, you may also want to research other habits and behaviors you should avoid that will help maximize your phone's performance and safety.
Never store (or charge) your phone near heat sources
One of the most important considerations to account for when deciding where to safely store your phone is the way heat can damage it. However, it's easy to forget that various appliances, devices, and surfaces can also give off the type of heat that may damage a phone. You should also make a point of not storing or charging your phone near these potential heat sources.
Naturally, this means not storing or charging the phone near appliances that obviously emit heat, such as ovens, microwaves, and even televisions. In addition to these areas, also consider how seemingly benign surfaces can become sources of heat in various situations or circumstances. For example, if you're charging your phone overnight, you shouldn't do so in a way that leaves it covered by blankets or a pillow. Along with potentially leading to phone damage, there's evidence to suggest this could even be a fire hazard. Instead, it's best to charge a phone uncovered on a hard surface with good airflow.
Don't store your phone in your car
It may be common sense to keep your phone away from heat sources around the house, but don't forget that your car's interior can get surprisingly hot, especially on a sunny, summer day. This is one reason why you should never store your phone (or any device) inside your car. Even if a car is parked in the shade, while it might not get as hot as a vehicle parked in the sun, it can still get hot enough to pose a risk to a phone stored inside of it. Exposing a phone to excessive heat can damage its internal parts, potentially leading to a range of issues.
Research shows that cars often function like greenhouses in warm weather. They can trap heat easily, leading to rising temperatures in short periods of time. Keep in mind that the temperature may fluctuate throughout the day, so even if the car doesn't seem like it will get too warm when you park it, that could change over the course of a few hours. In addition to the heat your phone will be exposed to when stored in a vehicle, leaving any valuables unattended in a car also opens the possibility of theft.
Don't put your phone in a security bin at the airport
Knowing where not to store your phone also requires knowing where you should try to avoid keeping it even for short periods. For instance, travel experts discourage storing a phone in a TSA bin when proceeding through security at an airport. They point out that leaving your phone out of sight in a TSA bin puts it at risk of theft. In addition, when you're in a hurry, it's easy to forget to grab your phone from out of the bin as you gather your belongings.
Instead, experts suggest keeping a phone (as well as other valuable items, like wallets) inside a zippered section of a bag or item of clothing when going through security. They also recommend checking to confirm your valuables are still in those zippered sections right away when gathering your belongings, just to ensure you don't accidentally walk off without your phone. That's a mistake you might not realize you've made until it's too late to correct it. Points like these serve as a reminder that potential damage isn't the only factor to keep in mind when choosing where (and where not) to keep a phone.
Limit how often you store your phone in your pocket
Keeping your phone in your pocket for extended periods could involve exposing it to the type of heat that leads to damage. Perhaps more importantly, you're also exposing your body to radiofrequency waves, which technically represent a form of electromagnetic radiation. It may be tricky to keep your phone easily accessible without storing it in your pocket, but it's worth exploring other options — not only for your device's safety but your safety, too.
Although health experts admit there's still limited research and evidence to indicate precisely how dangerous this type of radiation can be, there may be some reason to believe it could contribute to health issues ranging from infertility to cancer. The aim is to minimize direct exposure to the device. On a side note, using your phone too often in general can be bad for your mental and emotional health. Taking these steps can reduce your exposure to radiation and your phone's exposure to excessive heat.
You may have to adjust some of your phone usage habits if you've been storing it improperly. Making these changes is worthwhile, though. By heeding the advice here, you'll keep both you and your phone safe.