Staymobile doesn't want the upcoming solar eclipse to kick off its busiest day of the year. That's why the mobile-device service company is issuing a warning: Don't snap unfiltered photos of the solar eclipse with a smartphone.

Doing so could seriously harm the device and put your camera out of commission, says Staymobile president Chuck Morrison. While some smartphone manufacturers reportedly claim their products are safe to use during the Aug. 21 event, Staymobile recommends owners wait until the sun is fully eclipsed before they begin taking pictures.

"At the very least, you should limit the time an unfiltered camera looks at the sun," says Brad Nichols, a senior technician for Staymobile. "The eclipse will be exciting to watch, and Staymobile is committed to helping smartphone users find the safest ways to capture it."

Staymobile provides electronic repair, accessories, and protection for businesses and consumers. While company technicians caution against camera use during the eclipse, they do not anticipate the event will hinder battery life or cell phone signal.

That's not to say, however, that there won't be any service problems. With so many people planning to share images, capture video, send text messages and make calls, cell phone towers will be maxed out on bandwidth. So, while your device will probably display service bars, you may have trouble connecting.

Your best bet for securing Internet will be by connecting to a WiFi source. To make a phone call, you can try temporarily disabling your LTE to change cell frequencies.

Still, Morrison says, all mobile users should prepare for some service lag. That may mean avoiding travel that requires GPS (Google Maps, for example, may be unusable) and setting plans for meeting friends and family ahead of time.

"The good news," Morrison says, "is that Staymobile will be ready to handle whatever issues your device faces before or after the eclipse."