One User Fix for the IQOS Red Light Problem
A flashing red IQOS light is often caused by leaked residue inside the device. Shaking or cooling it usually won’t help—the real fix is disassembling it and cleaning the contaminated circuit board.
In fact, the main reason for the red light flashing is that e-liquid has seeped inside. Shaking it will not solve the problem. Some people have tried putting it in the refrigerator or near an air conditioner vent, but you can’t realistically do that after every stick. I tried all kinds of solutions recommended online, but the most effective fix is still opening it up and cleaning the contaminated circuit board. However, if you are not good with hands-on repairs, you may not know how to disassemble it and might worry about damaging the heating blade.
Many people also do not feel comfortable sending it out for repair, worrying that parts might be swapped.
There is another method: use a hair dryer to heat it up thoroughly—it must get hot enough. Blow hot air on it for five or six minutes, then after the heating blade cools down, put it into the charging case and plug it in to charge. The charging case may flash red, but once you take the holder out, it may stop flashing red. If it does not work, try a few more times. My guess is that the hot air from the hair dryer dries out the e-liquid inside. Based on personal testing, this works temporarily and brought it back to life almost miraculously. In daily use, you should still pay more attention to cleaning. After finishing a stick, do not immediately place it back in the charger—wait until it cools down first. Hope this helps some users dealing with a flashing red light on the holder.
Editor’s note: Let me add two points. First, a red light does not necessarily mean the problem is caused by e-liquid. There is circuitry on the heating blade, and even if the blade does not appear broken, there may actually be an internal hidden break, which can also cause the red light.
Many people also do not feel comfortable sending it out for repair, worrying that parts might be swapped.
There is another method: use a hair dryer to heat it up thoroughly—it must get hot enough. Blow hot air on it for five or six minutes, then after the heating blade cools down, put it into the charging case and plug it in to charge. The charging case may flash red, but once you take the holder out, it may stop flashing red. If it does not work, try a few more times. My guess is that the hot air from the hair dryer dries out the e-liquid inside. Based on personal testing, this works temporarily and brought it back to life almost miraculously. In daily use, you should still pay more attention to cleaning. After finishing a stick, do not immediately place it back in the charger—wait until it cools down first. Hope this helps some users dealing with a flashing red light on the holder.
Editor’s note: Let me add two points. First, a red light does not necessarily mean the problem is caused by e-liquid. There is circuitry on the heating blade, and even if the blade does not appear broken, there may actually be an internal hidden break, which can also cause the red light.
