When it's very cold outside, like during the inauguration or as the cold fronts freeze parts of the country, it can affect your cell phone.
Cold temperatures can eat up battery juice, cause the case to be brittle, and affect the screen. It's a good idea to keep yourself and your cell phone or smartphone warm. Please note that cold temperatures can also affect other digital devices such as iPods.
Verizon Wireless offered these tips to keep your cell phone or smartphone working in the cold:
- Charge your phone or PDA frequently. Cold temperatures can run
down the phone's battery charge more quickly. Use your car charger to
keep your phone's charge if you get stranded or stuck in traffic due to
winter weather. - Handle your handset with care. The display cover can become brittle when exposed to cold temperatures for long periods of time.
- Keep your phone in a warm place; avoid leaving it in an outside
pocket or backpack or in the car overnight. Prolonged exposure to the
cold may affect the phone's display screen. When outside in the cold
weather, carry your phone in an inside jacket pocket, keeping it close
to your body for warmth.
- Check your phone's signal strength in a non-emergency situation to know where the signal is strong and where it's not.
- Maintain a list of emergency phone numbers - police, fire and
rescue agencies; power companies; insurance providers; family, friends
and co-workers; etc. - and program them into your phone. Add highway
department and school numbers to check for local road and school
closings and "no tow" orders. - Be prepared before heading outside by checking weather, traffic and news reports available on most wireless phones.