Sea, sand, and the sun?
Excellent for you. awful for your technology. Whether you’re heading abroad, off to a festival, or just spending more time outside, summer is tough on gadgets. Phones get too hot, sand gets everywhere, sweaty wrists hurt smartwatches, and power banks fail just when you need them the most. Therefore, here are some suggestions for safeguarding your technology in suncream-filled, sticky, and sandy environments!
1. Heat Hazards: It’s Not Just About Battery Drain
Heat doesn’t like gadgets. Beyond the usual battery complaints, overheating can lead to dimmed screens, glitchy performance, and unexpected shutdowns — especially if you’re using power banks or charging while out in the sun.
How to avoid frying your device is as follows:
- Avoid leaving devices in cars, on black surfaces or in direct sunlight.
- In hot weather, avoid using bulky phone cases because they hold heat.
- Never charge your phone when it’s already hot — it just makes things worse.
- If your device feels warm to the touch, give it a break.
- Want to keep an eye on things?
- Try AIDA64 (Android) or Lirum Device Info (iOS) to monitor internal temperature.
Extra advice: keep your power bank in the shade. The quickest way to overheat and shorten the battery life is to charge it in direct sunlight.
2. Sunscreen and sand: two minuscule technokillers Sand is a nightmare for gadgets
It scratches screens, clogs up charging ports and speaker holes, and gets into buttons. Sunscreen, meanwhile, may be good for your skin — but the chemicals in it can damage screen coatings over time and leave a greasy mess.
Make sure your devices are safe by:
- Waterproof, touch-sensitive phone pouches (bonus: they keep water and sweat out too)
- Keep your hands clean and avoid using your phone with sand or suncream on them. A microfibre cloth on
- hand for wiping down screens (never tissues or paper napkins)
- Never use a pin or cocktail stick to clean ports—yes, we’ve all done it!—only compressed air or a port-cleaning brush.
If you are going to the beach, unless absolutely necessary, keep your phone in a shaded, sealed pouch.
3. Preparation for Festivals, Beaches, and Big Days
Out Summer means being outside more — but that doesn’t mean you want to be tethered to a wall socket or worrying about your gear.
Here are some smart bits of prep to keep you fully charged:
- Worth downloading apps: Find My iPhone / Find My Device — for obvious reasons
- Battery Guru (Android) — tracks your battery health and gives alerts for heat/charging issues
- Opal or Forest — to help you actually enjoy the moment, not scroll through it
Tech worth packing:
- A cheap, basic fitness tracker if you’re hitting a festival or beach
- A USB keyring charging cable — you’ll thank yourself when space is tight
- Power banks with pass-through charging, so you can charge both the bank and your phone overnight
Waterproof belt bags or dry pouches
4. Sweat, Steam & Showers: What’s Actually Waterproof?
“Water-resistant” doesn’t mean waterproof — and definitely doesn’t mean seawater-safe.
What to know:
- A device with an IP67 or IP68 rating is able to withstand splashes and some immersion, but not salt water or hot steam.
- Sweat often damages fitness trackers and earbuds, especially on hot days or while working out.
- Salt water from the sea can corrode charging points, speaker grills and metal fittings
Top tips:
- Rinse wearables in clean water after a beach day or sweaty workout
- Let them dry completely before charging
- Don’t wear devices in hot tubs, saunas or the sea — unless they’re specifically rated for it
Before assuming that your devices are impenetrable, check their IP rating.
5. Power Smart: Charging Without Frying Your Devices
When you’re using maps, taking photos, turning up the brightness on your screen, and maybe streaming music while you’re on vacation, hot weather drains batteries faster.
Here’s how to keep your battery alive:
- Stick to short, high-quality charging cables — they’re more efficient
- Avoid storing power banks in direct sunlight and keep them shaded.
- Avoid charging from 0% to 100% every time — batteries last longer when kept between 30–80%
- Pre-charge everything before a big day out so you don’t get caught short!
