Phone turns off in the cold: is the battery broken or is it just too cold?

Apple designs iPhones for ambient temperatures from 0 degrees upwards. The upper limit is 35 degrees. Outside this range, the device changes its behaviour to protect itself.

In the cold, the battery's internal resistance rises temporarily; Apple calls it impedance. The battery can then no longer deliver power as quickly as the electronics need it in a short moment. The voltage dips briefly, and if it drops below the level the device needs to work, it switches off to protect itself.

So this shutdown is intended, even if it feels like a fault. Apple describes it as a typical characteristic of all lithium-ion batteries, including the ones in Android phones.

According to Apple, very cold conditions only shorten battery life temporarily. In a warmer environment it returns to normal. So take the phone indoors and let it come up to room temperature in peace before you switch it on again.

Charging can also stall in the cold. An iPhone that is too cold may not charge at all, or it may stop charging and show “Charging On Hold”. As soon as it is back at a normal temperature, it continues charging.

A single shutdown on a frosty day therefore says little about the condition of your battery.

The effect is there with every battery, but it gets much stronger with age. Apple writes that an unexpected shutdown is more likely when the battery is chemically aged, has a low charge, or when it is cold. When these things come together, a phone switches off much earlier, and in extreme cases, according to Apple, again and again.

A good clue is to compare with previous winters. If your phone now switches off at temperatures it used to handle without any trouble, that points to an aged battery. If it also switches off indoors with charge left, the case is pretty clear.

How to read the battery health, and from what point a replacement helps, is explained in the article about battery replacement. There, shutting down in the cold is already listed as one of the signs; here we look at the reasons behind it.

A few habits help you avoid most shutdowns without having to do without your phone.

When an ice-cold phone comes into a warm flat, moisture can condense on it, much like on a pair of glasses. If your iPhone then reports liquid in the port, wait with charging until the message has disappeared. What to do then, and what you should rather not do, is explained in the article about the liquid detection warning.

According to Apple, the limitations caused by cold and a low charge are temporary. If a battery is heavily aged, however, they can become permanent, and Apple itself then names a battery replacement as the solution.

If you are unsure, bring the phone in. The diagnosis is free, even if you decide against the repair afterwards. Most repairs are done in under an hour. How long it takes for your phone, we tell you after the diagnosis.