Overheating problem on iPhone XS Max and in fact on any smartphone is common as a result of excessive use or it could be a byproduct of a bad firmware or app update. There’s also a possibility that there’s any hardware damage such as a faulty or damaged battery or the motherboard in some cases or it could be anything related to hardware components that’ll need a professional’s help to fix it. Furthermore, the majority of cases recorded against overheating problems are usually due to overuse and since it is common to use the phone continuously for hours such as to stream online videos or play the high-graphics game and so on.

Furthermore, exposure to physical or liquid damage can render similar results as well and that is where you can use this troubleshooting guide to fix the overheating issue. Note that this troubleshooting guide consists of all-rounder methods that encapsulate any potential issues with any bad update, overuse, damaged hardware, liquid or physical damage and so on. Read along to know more about it.

How to fix your iPhone XS Max that is overheating?

You can go through with these methods listed in this troubleshooting guide on how to fix overheating issue on iPhone XS Max and I hope it works in your favor.

Solution #1: Force stop and exit from all the apps

Doing so can make a lot of difference. The reason is, your phone can support and function with several apps and services at once thanks to its multi-core architecture. However, when there are just too many apps involved, the resources at bay begin to decline and thus, the stress on the processor increases.

Also, bugs and malware are two of the many issues that could crackdown on the performance of the device drastically and therefore, it could spike up the internal temperature beyond the point the phone is meant to cope up with. In many cases, you would see overheating warning on-screen while in other cases, the phone might not show any warning but will gradually heat up and that is where forcing all the apps to stop can make a lot of difference. Simply tap on the bottom center of the screen and drag it to the middle of the screen that will give a pop-up of all the recently used apps that you can swipe up to close.

Solution #2: Reboot the iPhone XS Max

The most user-friendly method to fix any issues including the overheating problem on iPhone XS Max is to simply reboot the system. This curbs any bugs or firmware crash or issue that might have occurred thereby raising the internal temperature beyond the limit the phone can withstand. This could prove fatal as the increasing temperature can cause damage to the internal hardware since the heat can burn any heat-sensitive component and thus, you will have to pay a fortune if the damage is to the motherboard or any other sensitive yet expensive component.

  • To reboot the system, simply press the Side button and any of the Volume button until a slider doesn’t pop up on the screen.
  • You need to drag the slider that says ‘Slide to Power Off’ towards the right and the phone will turn off.
  • After doing it, wait for a few minutes till the phone cools down or place it on a dry and cool surface until it reaches the room temperature.
  • Press the Side/Power button to turn ON the device and that must make a lot of difference.

Solution #3: Limit the use

It is not rocket science to understand that using the phone wouldn’t trigger overheating problem unless there’s any bug or a hardware issue with the phone. However, using the phone too much i.e. for hours on a stretch without giving the phone a rest can put a strain on the battery and the processor and other resources involved. The physics here says that the generation of heat is directly proportional to the work done and thus, the more time the phone is in use, the more heat it generates and thus, the risk of overheating increases substantially. To put it to the grave, you can simply limit the use by using the phone is short bursts or snippets and giving it a rest in-between so that the temperature is in the tab.

Solution #4: Remove unwanted/bad apps

Unwanted or bad apps can instigate overheating problem on your iPhone XS Max. Although it could contribute to the issue and there might be other irritants, you shouldn’t install bad apps and keep unnecessary apps installed on your iPhone as it puts a lot of pressure on the resources available at the disposal. Even if you aren’t using an app, it is still consuming the required storage and might access other permissions in the background while on the other hand, bad apps can create a lot of issues leading to privacy and security concerns and whatnot. Here’s a way to prevent and get rid of these issues.

  • You can restrict access to any app simply by navigating to Settings » Screen Time » Content & Privacy Restrictions.
  • Enter the passcode to continue.
  • Tap on ‘Content & Privacy switch’ and then, proceed to ‘Allowed Apps’ and then disable any app that you suspect.

You can uninstall any unwanted app using the said procedure and if the overheating problem is being induced by any of these unwanted apps, it must be fixed as well.

  • Firstly, launch the Settings app on your phone and proceed to General » Storage.
  • Next, tap on the app you want to get rid of any select ‘Delete’, confirm the same and it is done.

Solution #5: Update or rollback the iOS update

iOS updates aren’t always fluid as we have seen with most of the iOS 12 iterations and the same is followed with every major iteration. If the reason behind the overheating problem is the latest update, I suppose you can rollback to the previously available update via iTunes. On the flip side, if the problem is in the current iOS firmware and you have an update available, I would suggest you go through with the update since newer updates tend to resolve any bugs with the previous firmware and thus, will help get rid of any issues and bugs as well.

  • You can upgrade to the latest iOS update by launching the Settings app from the Home screen.
  • Proceed to the General section and then hit up at Software Updates.
  • You must get a notification about any update if available that you can download and install and let the system take care of the rest.

Solution #6: Update all the apps installed on your iPhone

App developers regularly lookout for bugs and issues with their current app versions and rectify the same in the future versions. This is why you get frequent app updates every week or so. However, if you resort to the old app version i.e. outdated, you are endangering the phone as an outdated app(s) can put the system at risk of getting exploited or hijacked. Outdated apps can open the backdoors to a lot of problems including the exploitation of bugs and loopholes that hackers are usually commissioned for and thus, updating the apps can resolve any of these problems from occurring in the first place itself.

  • You can check out for available updates either in the notifications you receive.
  • Next, you can launch the App Store and check out the ‘Apps’ section to spot the ‘Update’ button against them.
  • Hitting the ‘Update’ button will essentially update the said app but you can also update all the apps at once by hitting the ‘Update All’ button mentioned on the header.

Solution #7: Reset All Settings on your phone

Incorrect settings or invalid, non-configured settings can land you in trouble as well. This is why iPhones have an option to reset all the settings without erasing any user data such as photos, audio files, videos, contacts, that you have stored. This particular method acts as a shakedown to any temporary software glitch or firmware issue and refreshes the system and here’s how you can do the same using this step-by-step procedure.

  • Go to the Home screen and launch Settings app.
  • Next is to tap on General and navigate towards Reset » Reset all Settings.
  • Here, the page will prompt the user to enter the credentials to confirm the said step so enter and proceed.
  • The system will take care of the rest.

Solution #8: Perform a factory reset

This will put a full stop to any software or network-related problem although it won’t fix any hardware related issues. Here, you are commanding your iPhone XS Max to erase all the user data and setting altogether to fix the overheating problem and being honest, this must work in most cases. You can wipe out all complex errors and bugs rendered due to complication using this simple method that would take just a few minutes. So here’s how you can do it on your iPhone XS Max.

  • Firstly, proceed to the Settings app from the Home screen and navigate to General » Reset.
  • Amidst the given options, click on ‘Erase all content and settings’ upon which, the system will prompt you to enter the passcode for authentication and confirmation.
  • Finally, the system will perform the factory reset process and reboot the phone automatically so that all the actions are taken care of.

Solution #9: Check if the charger in use is incompatible

If you are using the original charger, it is possible that there might not be any problem unless there involves physical or even liquid damage to the charged. You can verify it simply by switching the phone and check if the phone charges or not. On the other hand, if the charger is not incompatible, the charger itself may be damaged. Verify the same simply by using a different iPhone and proceed with the same.

Solution #10: What if the battery is faulty?

Checking out if the battery is damaged or not is quite simple. Plug in the charger and check if the battery icon shows if it is charging or not. If yes, check if the phone is heating up because of it which is one of the pointers that the battery is faultily subjected that you don’t use the phone for a few minutes when plugged into a charger to eliminate heating due to usage.

Solution #11: Take it to the service center

Since nothing else is working out for you and the overheating problem is still intact, it tends to direct that the problem is probably hardware-related and if that’s the case, you would need a technician to fix it. You can either visit a third-party service center which is cheap and can resolve the problem or you can go to an authorized service center that will not void the warranty but will be expensive and in fact, could burn a giant hole in your pocket in some cases. Although I don’t recommend visiting a third-party service center, I have just mentioned it as a viable option so you can decide your next move.