Well, first up, all electronic devices heat up. A major part in any electronic device is the heat dissipating mechanism. The way modern electronics works, any kind of processing generates some amount of heat, and if not properly dissipated, it would cause the device to get too hot. So some amount of heating up of your iPhone is normal.

What causes a phone to heat up beyond normal? Popular mechanics reports that there are three major reason. Poor signal, intense workload and battery charging. Apple reports that the phone getting warm during charging of the battery is normal. You cannot do much about a poor signal, but it is the second one, that can be prevented and done away with.

What causes intense workload on your phone? There could be a variety of reason.

Fresh out of the box: When you have bought a brand new iPhone 6, the first few days it goes through hell. To begin with, you start downloading all kinds of apps at a breakneck speed, start using facetime on overtime and all through this your poor device is trying to index all your emails and contacts for easy retrieval later. All this can cause the phone to heat up a lot in those initial days of usage. Wait for a few days, and chances are you will see the problem solving itself.

Behind the scenes: If your phone isn’t fresh out of the box, and you are facing heating issues, some app running in the background is a likely culprit. Lot of people reported that the heating up problem got solved when they uninstalled the Facebook app. Look for other apps that you might have downloaded, which keep running in the background. Any app which consumes data continuously, is likely to heat up your phone very rapidly – for instance google maps.

Over-charging can cause overheating. Make sure you unplug your phone once it is fully charged. It is a good idea to not go to sleep at night with your phone plugged in. Also a long phone call with your charger connected to your phone will cause the phone to heat up much faster. Avoid using the phone extensively while it is being charged.

The case of the case: Another cause for your smouldering phone could be the case. iPhone deals with heat quite well on its own and it uses the back surface for dissipating the heat. Certain types of cases can interfere with this mechanism, trapping the heat inside the phone body, and it quickly becomes like your car heater running on a hot day, with the windows closed. Change your case, or let your phone go without one for a few days to see if it helps.

Oh Summer: Some of us would have seen the temperature warning which says that the phone needs to cool down before you can use it. This is a failsafe built in to protect the expensive circuitry inside from too much heat. Expect to see this when the phone is kept in a hot external environment – like a locked car left in the sun on a hot day. Just switch off the phone, and put it away somewhere cooler, and it should be good to use in a while.

Therefore is, of course, the possibility that there is something genuinely wrong with your phone, which is causing it to heat up unbearably. Once you have ruled out all the above reasons, and you feel the phone is heating up to the point of being uncomfortable in your hand, it might be a good idea to take it to the Apple Store. If something is the matter, they’d give you a new one!