Five everyday phone features you must stop using now to prevent overheating as temperatures soar

AS temperatures rise this summer you're not the only one feeling the heat - your smartphone does too.

Overheating handsets are bad news for the battery, performance and overall lifespan of it.

While most modern devices have cooling features to help them out during the scorching summer months, you still need to take care.

When your phone becomes too hot it may switch off and refuse to turn back on until it's cooled down.

There are obvious tricks to help, such as keeping your iPhone or Android handset out of direct sunlight.

But there are also a number of everyday features you use that drive up the heat too.

Google advises uses to stop using these features or apps that "make heavy use of your phone’s resources".

Here are five big culprits.

Video calls

You may have noticed that your phone already heats up a bit when doing video calls.

Whether it's on WhatsApp or another app, these are pretty demanding on your smartphone's power so should be avoided during hotter periods, especially directly in the sun.

If you have to make one, find a shady cool spot to do it.

Recording videos

Similar to video calls, recording videos are a power drain.

You'll no doubt want to capture videos on the beach if you're lucky enough to get to the coast - if you can't avoid it, keep them to a minimum and don't shot long videos.

Playing or streaming videos

Videos in general are an intensive resource for your phone.

This is more so the case if you're streaming it over Wi-Fi, or worse, using 5G.

Avoid playing any videos while you're out in the sun.

Navigation apps

Navigation apps like Google Maps or Waze are super handy - and hard to avoid when you need them to get around.

But using them for extended periods of time can cause some serious warm-up.

If you have to use them, try to keep your phone in the shade.

Charging while using apps

Features and apps that use a lot of resources will cause some serious heat if you're charging at the same time too.

Do one or the other, not both to help it cool down.

"If your phone is too hot, disconnect it from its power source if it's plugged in, move it to a cooler place, and do not use it until it has cooled down," Google advises.