A few months ago I was driving around trying to find a store using Apple Maps (a terrible situation in and of itself), when my iPhone decided to shut off in the middle of giving me directions. I had no idea what happened, and when I looked at the screen, I saw this:

My phone had never overheated and I really didn’t know what to do. Needless to say, I couldn’t really get to where I was trying to go without those directions. I pulled over and waited for the phone to cool back down, which took a while.

The next few days were just as hot, and I kept running into the same problem with no real convenient way to avoid this overheating besides holding the phone in my hand, away from hot vinyl surfaces in my car.

Apparently, overheating is rather common for iPhones.

The device will shut itself down to protect its internal components when it gets too hot, and the problem is amplified when using any GPS application.

Apple seems to be working to minimize the recurrence of overheating iPhones on next generations, but for now, there are a few ways to avoid overheating your device.

• Avoid direct sunlight and contact with hot leather seating or other materials.
• Close all apps and services (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.) currently not in use. You can find all running apps by double-tapping the Home button, then holding an app icon to bring up the “X” symbols and shut them down.
• Avoid using turn-by-turn directions and opt for the List feature—the iPhone doesn’t have to work half as hard.
• Charge your phone before you enter a high temperature area since charging causes your phone to heat up on its own.
• Remove any cases and accessories when charging.
• If you don’t need it on, put it in Airplane Mode, or simply turn it off until you do need it.

These are just a few basic tips to avoid overheating your phone. Do you have any tips of your own? Let us know in the comments section.