Your phone is probably the most expensive thing you carry. Yet most of us treat it like a set of car keys.
We toss it on the dashboard. We take it into the shower. We fall asleep with it charging under the pillow. Then we act surprised when the battery fades early or the screen goes black.
Here’s what carelessness can cost. Apple’s out-of-warranty price list for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, without AppleCare, runs $119 for a new battery, $379 for a cracked front screen and $799 for “other damage,” 9to5Mac reported when the phone came out in 2025.
Most of the spots below just cost you money. Two can cost you a lot more than that.
1. A parked car
Apple says iPhones are built to run in air temperatures from 32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and should be stored between -4 and 113 degrees. It also tells owners flat out not to leave the device in a car, because the inside of a parked car can reach about 150 degrees in about an hour.
That includes the glove box and the cup holder. Out of sight isn’t out of the heat.
When an iPhone overheats, Apple says it protects itself: charging slows or stops, and the screen can dim or go black. Worse, Apple warns that using the phone in very hot conditions can shorten battery life for good.
That’s how a $119 battery replacement shows up sooner than it should. Your phone made our list of nine things you should never leave in your car, and it’s in good company.
2. Under your pillow while it charges
This is the first of two spots on this list that can do far more damage than a dead phone.
A charging phone gives off heat. Bury it under a pillow or a blanket and that heat has nowhere to go. A Tucson Fire Department captain, Andy Skaggs, warned that bedding traps the heat and told KGUN 9 back in 2017: “It’s just not a place to charge.”
(Irrelevant side note: KGUN is where I began my television career back in 1987.)
He also warned that a smoldering pillow can send smoke your way before you wake up — or before a smoke alarm goes off.
The fix is free. Charge your phone on a nightstand or dresser, out in the open. And while you’re thinking about it, check the date on the back of your smoke alarm.
Phones aren’t the only culprit, either. Here are seven fire hazards hiding in plain sight in your home.
3. The bathroom
There are two problems here. The first is gross. The second is expensive.
The gross one: In a 2022 study published in Scientific Reports, University of Colorado Boulder engineers flushed a public-restroom toilet with no lid. Tiny particles shot up at about 6.6 feet per second and, within 8 seconds, had climbed 4.9 feet over the bowl.
Put the lid down before you flush. Better yet, leave the phone outside.
The expensive one: Apple warns against taking an iPhone into a steam room or exposing it to high-pressure water, such as a shower. It says the phone’s water resistance isn’t permanent and can wear down over time.
And here’s the kicker. Apple’s warranty doesn’t cover liquid damage. On that iPhone 17 Pro Max, “other damage” runs $799.
Real talk — I’ve made plenty of money mistakes in my life, and I’ve spent decades helping people sidestep the ones they don’t have to make. Sign up for the free Money Talks Newsletter and let my scars save you a few of your own. Free, and worth more than that.
4. Your back pocket or an open bag
Thieves love easy. The police in Washington, D.C., advise carrying your phone in a front pocket, a bag that zips or a crossbody bag you wear on your chest — and never walking away from your phone, purse or bag, even for a minute.
That last one includes the restaurant table. A phone sitting next to your plate is a phone somebody can walk off with.
The same department says to turn on your passcode or Face ID, plus device tracking, before you head out. If you haven’t done it, do it today. A phone with no passcode can hand a stranger your texts, your email and maybe your banking apps.
Your phone isn’t the only thing thieves want, either. A database of more than 153 million driver’s license scans was recently advertised on a crime forum. If you’re worried someone already has your personal information, you can compare identity protection services in our Solutions Center.
5. A beach towel in the sun
Apple lists long stretches in direct sun as something to avoid. A phone baking on a towel at noon checks that box.
The beach brings two more enemies. Apple says to keep sand away from the phone, and if sunscreen or lotion gets on it, to clean it off right away.
Keep it in the shade, inside a bag. Or leave it in the room.
6. Plugged into a bargain-bin charger
A $5 charger feels like a steal. It may also be a fake.
UL, the product safety testing company, checked 400 knockoff adapters that carried its safety mark. The overall failure rate topped 99%. All but three posed fire and shock hazards, and 12 were so shoddy they risked electrocution. UL’s president told a U.S. Senate committee about those results in 2018.
Notice that every one of those fakes carried a safety mark. A safety logo alone proves nothing. Buy chargers from your phone’s maker or a store you trust, not a no-name seller.
What’s not on this list: Your front pocket
You’ll find plenty of lists online warning that keeping a phone in your pocket or bra can give you cancer. I’m skeptical of scare stories, and so is the government.
The FDA says the overall body of research hasn’t connected the radio waves phones give off to health problems.
So go ahead and keep your phone in your front pocket. Just keep it out of these six spots. Your phone will last longer — and your house might, too.
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