iPhone Temperature Limits

With extreme cold and snow still plaguing much of the country, weather advisories suggest staying inside whenever possible, and that goes for your tech peripherals as well. The iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S IV may have the most advanced mobile tech on the inside, but on the outside, the devices are certainly fair-weather friends.

In freezing conditions, smartphones will shut off automatically, and on piping-hot days, high temperatures can cause permanent damage to the battery. Read on to discover the hot and cold thresholds for the most popular phones on the market — the iPhone 5S/5C and the Samsung Galaxy S III/IV — and how to prevent temperature damage.

Shortened battery life and software malfunction are two side effects of exposing your phone to extreme temperatures. Don't leave phones in cars, if possible, since it's easy for parked cars to exceed the operating temperature range (on both the low and high ends).

Both Apple and Samsung have set these environmental guidelines for their smartphones, which, if followed, will prolong the lifespan and battery life of your iPhone and Galaxy phones.

• Operating temperature — Between 32° and 95°F
• Storing temperature (turned off) — Between -4° and 113°F
• Humidity — 5 percent to 95 percent noncondensing
• Maximum altitude — 10,000 feet

If you're going to brave the weather with your smartphone, then check out some of these options for texting gloves and Winter-proofing gadgets.

Lucky enough to live in a warm-weather locale during the Winter? Keeping devices out of a hot car (including the glove box) and out of direct sunlight are the most important things. Using phones with GPS tracking, navigation in a car, or playing a graphics-intensive game while in direct sunlight puts your device at most risk.