If the chilly weather wasn’t already taking enough of an emotional toll on everyone, there’s even more bad news: it’s killing your cell phone’s battery life. The startling report comes from a television station in Pittsburgh, which is also currently gripped in the bitter blast, and discovered that phones are draining more quickly than normal.
KDKA-TV investigated the issue with David Greer, the owner of an electronics repair store cutely called “Digital Doc.” He said that battery lives of phones deplete twice as quickly during the freeze compared to more temperate conditions, adding that iPhones are “particularly susceptible” to the cold while Samsung devices fare a bit better.
The problem is that phones’ screens dim automatically thus draining the battery. As a result, your phone’s response time becomes sluggish and incredibly annoying. In the most extreme cases, the phones can freeze to a point where they’re unusable.
Mr. Greer recommended keeping the phone close your body so it stays warm or carrying around a portable charger. And if it does freeze, it’s not the end of the world.
“Set it down, leave it warm up to room temperature,” said Mr. Greer. “Don’t try to, like, shock it.”
But we can still cry, right?
