Why Is My Nexus 5 Running Hot?

By Brent Writer on March 25, 2015

This is a question many Nexus 5 owners have been asking. Common sense should tell you that heat may damage your device. If your Nexus 5 generates too much heat, it can literally melt its delicate components, ruining the handset and preventing it from powering up. The good news is that you can often troubleshoot heat problems such as this by following a few simple steps.

Update Android

First, you should check to make sure your Nexus 5 is running the latest version of Android. Outdated versions of Android are less efficient and prone to security vulnerabilities, which can subsequently cause the device to overheat. If you haven’t done so already, check your OS version by tapping Settings > About Phone > System Updates > Check For Update. This will reveal your Nexus 5’s current OS and if a new version is available. Android 5.1 Lollipop has fixed a number of problems associated with the Nexus 5, and many users have reported seeing a positive improvement in their device’s heat output.

Too Many Apps Running

Another possible reason why your Nexus 5 is overheating is because there are too many apps running at once. You might be surprised to learn that many apps continue to run in the background even after you close them. And when an app continues to run, it takes valuable system resources that could be used for other purposes; thus, generating heat while slowing down your device. To see which apps are running, tap Settings > Apps > Running. From here, you can choose to Force Kill apps, which as the name suggests automatically closes them. Try killing any unnecessary apps to see if it reduces the heat output of your Nexus 5.

Resource-Intensive Operations

Even if you follow the steps outlined above, certain tasks, such as watching movies and playing videos, will naturally produce more heat than others. Try to limit the number and duration of resource-intensive tasks such as these. There’s nothing wrong with playing games on your Nexus 5, but you should be conscious of the impact it has on your device. If it’s causing your Nexus 5 to overheat, you may want to take breaks so your device can cool off.