Lumia 650 overheating and battery drain issue

[Swiss7599]

Hey guys. I just recently got the 650, loving it so far although I've noticed a concerning issue. The phone heats up abnormally when using data around the sim card slot area during what I would consider light use such as browsing on edge or using apps like twitter, FB, whatsapp etc. The battery also drains faster than usual I reckon due to the overheating.

On wifi these problems don't occur. I've tried soft + hard resetting but the issue still persists and I'm on the latest Redstone update. Is there an alternative fix for this? It's really frustrating because I cant use my phone as much as I'd hope to during the day due to charge anxiety.

 

[Chintan Gohel]

Hey guys. I just recently got the 650, loving it so far although I've noticed a concerning issue. The phone heats up abnormally when using data around the sim card slot area during what I would consider light use such as browsing on edge or using apps like twitter, FB, whatsapp etc. The battery also drains faster than usual I reckon due to the overheating.

On wifi these problems don't occur. I've tried soft + hard resetting but the issue still persists and I'm on the latest Redstone update. Is there an alternative fix for this? It's really frustrating because I cant use my phone as much as I'd hope to during the day due to charge anxiety.

try my home made recipe:

A few things you can try out:

1. Check settings >system > battery > which apps are using the most energy?
2. Again, in battery section, which apps can run in the background? Can you disable those you don't need? Keep messaging enabled to run in background
3. In battery section, you can also set up battery saver to kick in when the battery reaches a certain percentage. I keep mine on 100% so it's always on battery saver mode
4. In mail app, how often do you have mails to sync? Generally the longer the time period, the less the battery usage
5. What about brightness settings? Is it on high or auto? Auto is better than a fixed setting
6. If you find that messaging app uses a lot of battery, this could be because it's linked with skype. Go to messaging app, settings and unlink skype
7. In photos app, do you have auto upload of photos enabled? If yes, try to not upload high res photos and videos unless you are charging the phone and on wifi
8. When you use some apps that are not data heavy like whatsapp or mail, you can use a lower network speed like 2G. It's what I do usually. I only use LTE when I have to use 6tag
9. If you're using edge for basic browsing, you could try using UC browser. Not only does it use less data but you can also disable images which means you save even more on data. The less data your phone has to receive, the less the energy used
10. In settings > privacy - check each of those settings to see which apps can use what. For example I can't understand why Word would need to access location info so I disabled that. There might be apps using services that they are not meant to use
11. Finally, keep wifi/cellular off when you don't need to have them on. The toggles in action centre are pretty fast so it doesn't take much time in switching internet on/off
12. Disable auto update of apps, you only update when you are ready and not when you are in need of critical things

Hope this helps you

 

[Swiss7599]

try my home made recipe:

A few things you can try out:

1. Check settings >system > battery > which apps are using the most energy?
2. Again, in battery section, which apps can run in the background? Can you disable those you don't need? Keep messaging enabled to run in background
3. In battery section, you can also set up battery saver to kick in when the battery reaches a certain percentage. I keep mine on 100% so it's always on battery saver mode
4. In mail app, how often do you have mails to sync? Generally the longer the time period, the less the battery usage
5. What about brightness settings? Is it on high or auto? Auto is better than a fixed setting
6. If you find that messaging app uses a lot of battery, this could be because it's linked with skype. Go to messaging app, settings and unlink skype
7. In photos app, do you have auto upload of photos enabled? If yes, try to not upload high res photos and videos unless you are charging the phone and on wifi
8. When you use some apps that are not data heavy like whatsapp or mail, you can use a lower network speed like 2G. It's what I do usually. I only use LTE when I have to use 6tag
9. If you're using edge for basic browsing, you could try using UC browser. Not only does it use less data but you can also disable images which means you save even more on data. The less data your phone has to receive, the less the energy used
10. In settings > privacy - check each of those settings to see which apps can use what. For example I can't understand why Word would need to access location info so I disabled that. There might be apps using services that they are not meant to use
11. Finally, keep wifi/cellular off when you don't need to have them on. The toggles in action centre are pretty fast so it doesn't take much time in switching internet on/off
12. Disable auto update of apps, you only update when you are ready and not when you are in need of critical things

Hope this helps you

Thank you for the tips but I'm afraid the fixes you've suggested don't specifically address the overheating problem as I described. These are battery saving tips most off which I use currently. The main problem is the abnormal heating specifically when using mobile data. That's what I need a diagnosis and hopefully a remedy for because that's what's causing the battery drain problem. Appreciate the concern though.

 

[Chintan Gohel]

Thank you for the tips but I'm afraid the fixes you've suggested don't specifically address the overheating problem as I described. These are battery saving tips most off which I use currently. The main problem is the abnormal heating specifically when using mobile data. That's what I need a diagnosis and hopefully a remedy for because that's what's causing the battery drain problem. Appreciate the concern though.

battery drain has always been high for me when using cellular data, especially on 3/4G. This happens irrespective of the phone in my opinion. I did read though that the frequency of the cellular band can be the main issue.

 

[Swiss7599]

battery drain has always been high for me when using cellular data, especially on 3/4G. This happens irrespective of the phone in my opinion. I did read though that the frequency of the cellular band can be the main issue.

I'm aware data usage is a huge battery drain culprit but I've never experienced it to the extent where it gets uncomfortably hot on other phones. Its almost as if the chip is working overtime to get a signal even when there's full bars on 3G/LTE.

 

[Chintan Gohel]

I'm aware data usage is a huge battery drain culprit but I've never experienced it to the extent where it gets uncomfortably hot on other phones. Its almost as if the chip is working overtime to get a signal even when there's full bars on 3G/LTE.

it was the same on my 1020, the camera area would get so hot when using whatsapp that I would just stop chatting to let it cool down for fear of damaging the camera module. The workaround that really worked for me was using the phone on 2G which greatly improved the battery life.

 

[Timbre70]

No such issues with L1520 so far, even on w10m.

 

[neodk]

What you are describing is more of a hardware fault than something that has to do with the software. In my opinion, I would take the device back to where you purchased it from if you are within the return/exchange policy and get a replacement. If you are outside the returns and exchanges period, look for possible warranty support or by filing an insurance claim if you purchased a package from your wireless carrier or through Square Trade.

The overheating you are describing, along with the specific area you are calling out, doesn't lead me to believe that you can mitigate the problems you are experiencing by disabling radios, etc, that would otherwise prevent you from using the device as you intended upon purchase.

I have your exact device, Lumia 650, and my phone does not heat up much if at all. The most taxing activity I've put the device through is streaming live video. I watched Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance on my phone during my lunch hour and it shot down fairly quick. The phone was warm, but from the time I walked back into the office from my car and sat to my desk, it was fine to the touch.

 

[Swiss7599]

What you are describing is more of a hardware fault than something that has to do with the software. In my opinion, I would take the device back to where you purchased it from if you are within the return/exchange policy and get a replacement. If you are outside the returns and exchanges period, look for possible warranty support or by filing an insurance claim if you purchased a package from your wireless carrier or through Square Trade.

The overheating you are describing, along with the specific area you are calling out, doesn't lead me to believe that you can mitigate the problems you are experiencing by disabling radios, etc, that would otherwise prevent you from using the device as you intended upon purchase.

I have your exact device, Lumia 650, and my phone does not heat up much if at all. The most taxing activity I've put the device through is streaming live video. I watched Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance on my phone during my lunch hour and it shot down fairly quick. The phone was warm, but from the time I walked back into the office from my car and sat to my desk, it was fine to the touch.

Appreciate the insight. Had a 540 before and it hardly got warm/hot no matter what threw at it. Or it could be due to the fact it was a much bulkier device so probably it was harder for any warmth to dissipate from it as compared to the razor thin 650 with its flimsy back cover.

A hardware fault is my worst fear. But I would say this, the heating has reduced to some extent on the insider builds. It was much worse with on the 'out of the box' production build so I wouldn't count out a software fix as yet. Taking it in to the shop seems like the surest bet but will hold back for now. Just got the 14376 build and I need more time to monitor how it fares. Will revert with updates.

 

[neodk]

I'm glad the Insider builds are not further contributing to and worsening the symptoms on your device. It could be software, but seeing as it was just limited to cellular data I was concerned it had something to do with that portion of the board.