How to Deal with Samsung Gear Virtual Reality Overheat?

Don’t you hate getting the Samsung Gear VR overheat message when you are in the middle of your VR experience? Well, I absolutely cannot stand it.

So, I set out to search for all the ways I could delay the overheating process (since prevention is not an option).

Though, not pleasing, your screen may have the irritating overheating message more frequently than you want.

In this nifty little guide, I have compiled all tricks and tips for you (with pro tips as a bonus!!) to make sure that you never have to go through the overheating situation in the middle of a game again.

With so many methods listed here, why not try out which method works for you!

What Will You Need?

You will need the following things along with your Samsung phone, Gear VR headset, and charger:

Before You Start the VR

Here is all you need to do to get started.

1. What is your Battery Level?

Using VR for more extended periods will end up draining your phone battery. Many people charge their phone while using VR but that overheats the phone beyond recommended temperatures, especially in case of quick chargers.

The reason is that you are already accessing graphical intensive applications on your phone and also heating it through charging.

Charge phone battery

2. Try Out New Apps Before VR

You may want to try out new apps or games to play during your VR. Download the apps before you insert the phone in the headset. Doing this will give you more playtime and also keep your phone cooler during the VR.

3. Close Unnecessary Applications

Your phone runs a heavy load when it is running too many applications. Closing all the applications will increase efficiency while reducing the workload. Here’s how you can close all the apps running in the background:

Closing all the applications

Closing all apps also prevents overheating of your phone.

4. Keep the Rear Cover Detached

Don’t make the mistake of attaching the rear cover of your VR Gear unless you are under the sun or in a bright room. The cover only traps the heat given out by your phone making it overheat.

Keep the rear cover detached.

While You are in VR

5. Turn on 'Do Not Disturb' Mode

You have a separate “Do Not Disturb” Mode in your Gear VR to stop the pesky notifications from your phone. Switch on the feature to enhance performance and reduce heating.

You should also put your phone on flight mode to avoid unnecessary interruptions.

Pro Tip

6. Turn off Bluetooth and WiFi

Turn both Bluetooth and WiFi off if you are not using online services or a controller.

7. Adjust Screen Brightness

Your Gear VR has a separate brightness feature, and you should keep it between levels 3 and 5.

Adjust Screen Brightness

8. The Ghetto Heat Sink Method

When you have a large surface area, heat dissipates effectively. This DIY method uses the same principle where you make a homemade heatsink out of aluminum foil. You can increase your VR time roughly by twenty minutes to one hour using this method.

The Ghetto Heat Sink Method

Pro Tip

9. Stay Frosty

If you are game for shelling out a few dollars, try this easy to implement method.

I increased my gameplay time by around thirty minutes to one hour using a regular gel pack. If you want more help with the step, you can check out the video by David Giudice. He claims to have extended his gaming by one hour using 3 x 5-inch gel packs.

Play Video

What are the drawbacks?

Pro Tip

Consider the Accessories

You can try out a few accessories that can help you keep the temperature of your Samsung VR gear in control and extend your gaming time.

10. Cooling Fan

Some of you may not prefer to hook a cooling pack at the back of your phone, so I have got another option for you. But this will require some investment whether you are buying a product off the shelf or trying a homemade technique.
 
You can order yourself a readymade cooling fan which fits at the back of your Samsung phone and keeps it cooler. The fans don’t use anything cold, so there is no need to worry about any condensation. You can also use the clip-on technique to place the fans over any portion of your Samsung phone.
 

The cooling fans come with batteries and provide a sustainable cooling option for your VR. You can check out this video by ModeVR to get a close look at one such cooling fan used with Galaxy S7.

Play Video

Pro Tip

Homemade Cooling Fan

Here’s a video by Szeszo showing you how to make a homemade cooling fan for your Samsung VR. You will need a 3D printer to get the parts required for the setup. You will also need a CPU fan, rechargeable batteries and USB cable.

Play Video

11. Desk Fan

Using the desk fan is one of the most simple methods to control gear overheat:

Desk fans or oscillating fans are best as you can direct the airflow easily and point it towards your phone. The method is not always practical as you can move and turn during your VR experience but works fine when you are sitting still and watching a movie or video.

Other Methods

12. Take a Short Break

I understand you are here to solve your Samsung VR overheat problem but taking a short break is much needed. Even 20 minutes inside VR feels like an hour, and experts recommend that you take a break every 20 minutes.
 

Just lay down your VR and wait till your phone has cooled down enough to play again!

13. Cache Clearing and Factory Reset Might Help

Reddit is full of threads where users have explored different methods to get rid of VR overheating. One user with Samsung Galaxy S8 advised clearing the cache to keep the phone cooler.

Keeping your phone free of junk files and cache increases the performance too!

You can also perform a factory reset to solve your heating problem. To do this on a Galaxy S8,

Conclusion

Well, we hope that you found the tips to reduce your Samsung VR overheating useful and enjoyable.

I was able to reduce the heating problem of my Samsung Gear VR and increase my game time using the above methods. I’m sure you may find a few suitable and spend help you enjoy uninterrupted VR time with higher efficiency.
 

Show your smart tech side by sharing your hacks to minimize gear overheat with our tech-loving community in the comments section below.  Share this guide now to help your peers and peeps to help them solve their Gear VR overheating issues.

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