Picasou 3 / 3 Pro Running Hot? CPU Monitor and Cooling Fixes

1. Attach a magnetic phone cooler, using the metal plate it ships with, to the flat face of the Picasou.
2. Power the cooler from a separate USB socket, not from the box.
3. Switch off the cooler’s RGB lighting if it has a switch.
4. Drive your usual route with the SIM in and watch whether data drops or reboots return.

A Picasou 3 owner whose mobile data dropped whenever the box got hot, and returned if the SIM was nudged, fitted a cooler and the problem was gone. Another has run a P3 with a Peltier cooler on the outside for six months, with the SIM in, and has had no overheating since.

The cooler must press flat on the case. One owner filed down the case’s small feet so the magnetic ring and cooler could sit flush; another drilled extra holes and found it only somewhat better, and drilling voids the warranty. On the P3 Pro, owners preferred a fan that covers the whole base over a small cooler in the centre (see Things to try).

1. Turn the box over so its vent holes face up and nothing covers them.
2. Or hang it on a magnetic clip on a dashboard air vent.
3. Drive your usual route and watch for lag or restarts.

A P3 owner whose box occasionally rebooted found that turning it upside down, vents up, helped a lot; that unit was also driving a large, high-resolution screen. Another P3 owner, whose box lags noticeably when hot and reached about 92 °C at home with no cooling, keeps it cool in the car on a magnetic clip on an air vent or with a Peltier cooler.

1. Open Settings → Additional settings → Apps → All.
2. In the menu, choose to show system apps.
3. Open CPU Monitor.
4. If its floating widget will not appear, grant it permission to display over other apps; owners needed an app-manager tool to do that, and the widget does not return after a reboot.

One owner found CPU Monitor preinstalled on his P3 Pro at first setup; it cannot be removed or updated, and a GPS test app sits beside it. With his cooling modifications he saw an average of about 45 °C and peaks of 50–55 °C running navigation and video in split screen. A second owner found the app, granted the overlay permission with an app manager, and confirmed the floating widget works but vanishes after every restart.

A third owner could not find it at all, even among system apps, so it may not be on every unit or firmware. If yours lacks it, a system-monitor app works as described in how hot is too hot.

1. Open the box’s navigation settings, where you choose the navigation app and the GPS source.
2. Set the GPS source to Car GPS instead of Box GPS.
3. Reboot and check that your navigation app gets a position.
4. Check the temperature after an hour of driving.

A Picasou 3 owner whose box reached about 70 °C within an hour of navigation and music saw it stay within about 45 °C after switching to Car GPS. The box’s own GPS also had poor reception under that car’s heated windscreen, so position improved as well.

Car GPS works only in CarPlay mode, on P3 firmware from April 2024 on, and not with every car: it worked in a Hyundai Tucson but not in a Jetour T2, and owners reported it breaks in Android Auto mode. See inaccurate GPS on an AI box for the location settings.

1. Remove the SIM from the box.
2. Put it in a small 4G mobile router powered from the car, or use your phone’s hotspot.
3. Connect the box to that Wi-Fi network.
4. Compare the temperature on the same route.

One owner said a separate 4G router solved the P3’s heating. The owner who asked bought the same kind of router and found the P3 still noticeably warm over Wi-Fi, though no longer scalding, so treat this as a partial measure. It also helps if your box loses data or reboots in weak coverage; see reboots when the mobile signal drops.