Is it normal for my Samsung Galaxy S3 to overheat on a charger

[Frank Jones]

I don't know if I should complain to T-Mobile or not that
my new Samsung Galaxy S3 gets so hot sometimes when I charge
it on the car charger that it has to shut down due to
battery temperature overheating.

Is this normal for your Samsung Galaxy SIII?

[tlvp]

Mmm, not a "Samsung Galaxy SIII", and not "so hot ... it has to shut down",
but the batteries in *most* of my cell phones do warm up perceptibly as
they get themselves charged. HTH. Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.

[Chris Blunt]

On Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:50:47 +0000 (UTC), Frank Jones

My S3 gets slightly warm when its charging, but not so hot that it has
to shut down.

I wonder if you're using the wrong kind of car charger or something.
Is it only when charging from a car socket that you get this problem?
What about on a normal mains powered charger?

Chris

[Frank Jones]

On Wed, 01 May 2013 12:14:45 +0800, Chris Blunt wrote:

> I wonder if you're using the wrong kind of car charger or something.
> Is it only when charging from a car socket that you get this problem?
> What about on a normal mains powered charger?

I generally charge the Samsung Galaxy S3 at home using a USB adapter
plugged into a 120Volt wall receptacle and in the car using a USB
cigarette lighter adapter plugged into the cigarette lighter socket.

I've switched cables, and the problem does not appear to be cable
specific.

As you implied, I only notice on the battery overheating the road;
but ... that's also when I'm using GPS and Bluetooth; at home, I
generally have Bluetooth & GPS turned off yet I have Wi-Fi turned on.

So, to make an apples-to-apples test, since I'm at home right now,
I just turned on the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS - and - I'll report
back if/when it gets hot at home.

But, otherwise, my answer to you is "yes". It does only happen when
I'm on the car charger.

If that remains the case, what does that tell us?

[Paul Miner]

On Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:50:47 +0000 (UTC), Frank Jones <fgj...@nowhere.com>
wrote:

The amount of warmth generated by my S3 during charging, whether in the
house or in the car, is almost imperceptible. I can only feel it if I
tightly sandwich the phone between both of my hands and squeeze.

Do you have a memory card installed? I've heard stories of that causing
additional heat and severe battery drain in rare cases, but I'm not sure if
that's what you're seeing.

--
Paul Miner

[Frank Jones]

On Fri, 03 May 2013 01:05:11 -0500, Paul Miner wrote:

> The amount of warmth generated by my S3 during charging, whether in the
> house or in the car, is almost imperceptible. I can only feel it if I
> tightly sandwich the phone between both of my hands and squeeze.
>
> Do you have a memory card installed? I've heard stories of that causing
> additional heat and severe battery drain in rare cases, but I'm not sure
> if that's what you're seeing.

I've been testing the Samsung Galaxy S3 for the past few days:
Info: Charging Paused. Battery Temperature Too High

It only happens on the one car charger I have (either slot):
http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/12844995/img/12844995.jpg

We're not talking warm; we're talking almost burn-your-skin hot.
No memory card installed; and it doesn't happen on a wall wart or
connected to the USB of a PC or Mac (tested it at the library).

Clearly it's the way the phone interacts with the car charger; but,
what would be different about that power supply that would make a
battery get hot?

[Frank Jones]

On Sat, 04 May 2013 01:06:46 +0000, Frank Jones wrote:

> Clearly it's the way the phone interacts with the car charger; but,
> what would be different about that power supply that would make a
> battery get hot?

If it matters, an iPhone connected to the same charger works
fine, as do Motorola Bluetooth devices such as a remote speaker
and a Motorola earbud.

[Chris Blunt]

On Wed, 1 May 2013 06:19:11 +0000 (UTC), Frank Jones
<fgj...@nowhere.com> wrote:

>But, otherwise, my answer to you is "yes". It does only happen when
>I'm on the car charger.
>
>If that remains the case, what does that tell us?

Could you try using a different charger on a different vehicle just to
rule out the possibility it could be a fault with either the charger
itself or something to do with the socket in the car.

If that doesn't change anything could you borrow someone else's S3 and
see if that gets hot too when charging off your car.

You basically need to eliminate one thing at a time to identify where
the problem lies. Easier said than done, I know.

Chris

[tlvp]

I'd get out my trusty voltmeter and check whether, just perhaps, that "one
car charger" you have is putting out a full automotive 14V or so, rather
than the 5V a USB-powered device expects to be charging from. Such an
overvoltage condition could well occasion the overheating you're seeing.

[John Henderson]

tlvp wrote:

> I'd get out my trusty voltmeter and check whether, just perhaps, that "one
> car charger" you have is putting out a full automotive 14V or so, rather
> than the 5V a USB-powered device expects to be charging from. Such an
> overvoltage condition could well occasion the overheating you're seeing.

This is in line with my suspicions too. These cigarette lighter
to USB power adaptors are generic and cheap - try another one.

John

[Frank Jones]

On Sat, 04 May 2013 10:35:06 +0800, Chris Blunt wrote:

> You basically need to eliminate one thing at a time to identify where
> the problem lies. Easier said than done, I know.

Thanks. The big answer I couldn't get on my own is that it
does not happen for you guys.

So, it must be either:
a) the phone
b) the charger
c) the cable
d) the car

It happened in a different car - and it doesn't matter what cable
I use, so it's narrowed down to:
a) the phone
b) the charger

I'll see if I can pick up another charger to test.
I don't have access to another phone.

[Frank Jones]

On Sat, 04 May 2013 20:40:19 +0000, John Henderson wrote:

> This is in line with my suspicions too. These cigarette lighter
> to USB power adaptors are generic and cheap - try another one

I ran a different experiment today - but I had to cut it short
because I needed the phone so I'll try again.

The experiment was to charge the phone while it's off.

Just to see if it's the charger - or the phone that is telling
the charger to charge it too much.

Will try again ... & report back.

[berardi....@gmail.com]

My s3 does the same thing. I think its because the GPS is using constant data plus the connection to the GPS sat plus the heat from charging. I can make it almost an hour before it shuts itself off

[yrustar...@gmail.com]

Mine has done this too. Today is the first time it got so hot it practically burned me though. It wasn’t in my car. It was actually plugged into an surge protector cord so I can charge it beside my bed, but the actual phone ended up between my pillow and the mattress while I was sleeping. When I pulled it out, it almost singed my fingertips. I couldn’t read what the alert said (groggy with sleep) but it was so hot, I just unplugged it, turned it off and set it next to my fan for a few minutes. It cooled down quickly. I’m a little worried, but the problem seemed to have an easy fix.

[mitchel...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, April 30, 2013 5:50:47 PM UTC-5, Frank Jones wrote:

[mitchel...@gmail.com]

Did you ever find a solution to your charger problem?

[obimah...@gmail.com]

Yes da galaxy s3 .. it was just chargin n i came back to it and a message said the batery charging waz paused from being charged too long .. when i touched it.it felt like i had pulld it fresh out of a drying machine

[tlvp]

Recently I read in some email (from Sophos? from ZDnet? -- not sure) that a
half-dozen or so Galaxy SIII handsets are known to have gotten hot enough,
charging, to cause fires. In each instances where fire experts have been
able to establish any reasons for that, they determined that those handsets
had previously gotten immersed in water, and dried (ouch!) in a microwave.

So I'd have to answer your closing question, as follows: No, not normal;
but not unheard of, either :-) . HTH. Cheers, -- tlvp

[britny...@gmail.com]

Mine is doing the same thing and my carrier is us celluar. My galazy II did this as well. Then it quit charging. They said it was a bad port but when it came back from repair they told me it had water damage, which I had never had it around water. But therefore I had to buy new phone. Thats when I got the 3, now its doing the very same thing and Ive only had it a few months.

[hail...@gmail.com]

Exactly what happened to me. I have a galaxy s4 though. Its weird because my phone was charging next to my bed and it was between the pillow and mattress and then I slip my hand under the pillow and I felt something really hot and it was my phone. It practically burn my fingers. Whats wrong with it?

[whelpl...@gmail.com]

Same exact issue. Overheating. Second S3 this has happened with. I've had this one for 4 months. My first S3 I bought in July 2012. Overheated within 3 days but Verizon blamed me for dropping it (I hadn't) & made me buy replacement.