Apparatus and methods for thermal management of electronic user devices are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes at least one of a user presence detection analyzer to identify a presence of a user relative to an electronic device based on first sensor data generated by a first sensor or at least one of an image data analyzer or a motion data analyzer to determine a gesture of the user relative to the device based on second sensor data generated by a second sensor; a thermal constraint selector to select a thermal constraint for a temperature of an exterior surface of the electronic device based on one or more of the presence of the user or the gesture; and a power source manager to adjust a power level for a processor of the electronic device based on the thermal constraint.