Chevy cranks up the AC for your overheated smartphone

Chevy car tech active phone cooling
Chevy car tech with active phone cooling

These days, I'm less concerned about my unrewond VHS rental tape of The Mighty Ducks melting in my car and more concerned about my phone overheating on the dash.

Chevy says it has good news for everyone streaming Apple Music, making speakerphone calls and blindly following GPS map directions. It has invented "Active Phone Cooling."

How does Active Phone Cooling work? Chevy says it directs an air vent connected to the car's A/C and ventilation system to the charging bin where the phone rests.

Yes, it's literally blasting cold air through a vent to your trusty, but toasty digital co-pilot. It's a feature Chevy proudly says it's the first to offer among the automotive competition.

How to get it

As silly as a car with "smartphone air conditioning" sounds, Chevy dedicated engineers to solving a real problem of phones that quit charging or shut off entirely in extreme temperatures.

Chevy car tech active phone cooling

It's transitioning from Chevrolet's labs to a car dealership near you, and you'll be able to test drive the new A/C feature in the 2016 Chevy Cruze, Impala, Malibu and Volt.

Chevy has announced that it's bringing Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to its cars for the 2016 model year, so it just might be the perfect time to spring for the required wireless charging perk.

Knowing also that the soft aluminum of iPhone 6 bends under heat and a little bit of force, many diehard Apple fans won't have to think twice about this car tech upgrade.

Matt Swider