Repair technicians in the Quad Cities say this week's cold weather could also be taking a toll on your cell phone.
David Thacher is a technician at All Cell World in NorthPark Mall. Wednesday, he said the biggest impact of the cold will likely be on cell phone batteries.
"When you drop down below 10 degrees, then your battery starts becoming soft. They're ion lithium batteries, so cold weather makes them start separating inside, which can make them lose their charge, not hold a charge, or just not charge up at all," said Thacher.
The cold temperatures can also cause the liquid crystal in LCD smartphone screens to freeze. This can cause screens to stop working or dim so that you can hardly see them.
If this does happen, Thacher says the best course of action is to take your phone inside and let it slowly warm up to room temperature.
"Warming anything up quickly from a cold temperature can crack the glass, and the other way around -- if the phone's hot, it could crack the glass if you go out into the cold," said Thacher. "Don't try to heat it up with a hairdryer or anything.... people have done that a lot."
The best way to protect your phone in the cold is to simply keep it near your body, under your coat or in a pocket, and never leave it in the car.