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Why can’t I use my cell phone out in the cold?

Click to play video: 'Why does cold weather kill your phone battery?'
Why does cold weather kill your phone battery?
WATCH: It is a problem no matter where you live - you try to use your phone or camera in winter but your phone dies. We asked an expert why that is – Jan 25, 2019

Cell phone power dropping from 90 per cent to zero is a common complaint in the winter.

Many Canadians have experienced losing cellphone juice quickly while out in colder temperatures, even more so during extreme weather.

“The electrical power of the battery is dependent on temperature, and even the little meter that tells you how much power you have left is calibrated for a sort of a normal of temperature,” Scott Young, from the Manitoba Museum, said.

When in temperatures below 0 C, the battery isn’t able to function as it normally would.

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Phone dead: A common sight during colder temperatures. Global News

“Basically, the battery loses its capacity to generate electricity and then the phone shuts down,” Young said. “It doesn’t even always go down to zero per cent because the meter is off. It’s like having a gas gauge in your car that’s misaligned. So really the whole thing it just shuts down.”

Young says to keep your phone close to your body when outside, allowing it to stay at a normal temperature.

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