Hands-On Tech 288 Transcript
Please be advised that this transcript is AI-generated and may not be word-for-word. Time codes refer to the approximate times in the ad-free version of the show.
Mikah Sargent [00:00:00]:
Coming up on Hands-On Tech, your new phone says IP68 on the box, so can you really take it for a swim? Stay tuned. Hello and welcome back to Hands-On Tech. I am Mikah Sargent, and today, well, I'm answering a question that unfortunately usually only comes after something bad has happened. It's a question about waterproofing. And this one comes in from Clyde. Clyde writes, I'm shopping for a new phone and every box brags about being water resistant. The one I was looking at says IP68, and the fellow at the counter told me that means I could swim with it.
Mikah Sargent [00:00:47]:
My last phone made a similar promise and died after it went in a sink full of dishwater, and the repair shop took one look at it and said liquid damage isn't covered by anything. So what does that rating actually promise? Does it wear off as a phone gets older? And what should somebody do in the first 5 minutes after dropping a phone in water? Clyde from Kelowna, British Columbia. Well, Clyde, thank you for taking the time to write in. What does waterproof actually promise? And I really like the question of what are you supposed to do afterward, right? Because people always talk about rice, right? That's what you do. You put it in some rice and everything will be okay. Here's the short answer. IP68, it's not actually a promise. And I think that's where some people kind of fumble the ball a little bit because they are prepared for that to be part of this idea of going, okay, I know I don't have to worry about my phone, you know, being ruined And if it were to get ruined, well, they told me it was IP68, so I'm gonna be able to use that.
Mikah Sargent [00:02:07]:
Yeah, it's a lab result. It's a test that gets a rating. So a brand new phone that survived sitting still— to be clear, sitting still in clean, fresh water under controlled conditions. It's like the best possible way for the device to be tested. It's not swimming, it's not soapy dishwater. And, you know, a phone that over the course of a couple of years has had, uh, you know, real drops, well, that falls outside of the test. And the makers even say so in their own fine print. They're very clear about the fact that it is not a real-world test.
Mikah Sargent [00:02:59]:
Test. So the guy at the counter, no, he was wrong. You can't swim with it. And the phone makers tell you that. Apple lists swimming or bathing with your iPhone under things to avoid. Google says don't take a Pixel into a sink, into a shower, into a bathtub, into a pool, or any body of water. And Samsung says keep it away from pool water, salt water, and soapy water. Nobody who makes these phones calls them waterproof.
Mikah Sargent [00:03:36]:
They don't call them waterproof in the first place. Google's own safety guide, in it, I'm looking at it, I'm going, okay, where's the waterproof? Command+F, let's find it. No, Google's own safety guide, IP68 when it leaves the factory, but it is not dustproof or waterproof. The IEC, that's the group that wrote the IP standard, says that the point of the code is to avoid those vague marketing terms like waterproof. It tells you exactly what it is. Apple support says that it is splash, water, and dust resistant. The Google Pixel says that you can help prevent damage, water damage to your phone by following a certain set of rules. We'll have links in the show notes to all of this.
Mikah Sargent [00:04:23]:
And I even include a little Google Pixel 10, uh, sort of safety and regulatory guide as well that talks more about taking care of that device specifically. So how do we kind of break down the coding IP68? Well, IP actually stands for ingress protection, and ingress protection is a standard from the International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC. I love this. International Electrotechnical Commission. And each of the digits after IP for ingress protection tell you something different. The first digit can go between 0 to 6, and it is a representation of solids. Solid. So dust and grime, with a 6 being the highest.
Mikah Sargent [00:05:22]:
That means that it's quote unquote dust tight. So that's the very top of the scale, how much dust can get in, which would be none. In theory, the second digit is liquids, with 0 being no ingress protection from liquids, and 9 trying to be the larger part. So They're trying to be, you know, fully waterproof. Ooh, that's a scary marketing term. It might not be real. And here's the thing, when it comes to 8, that's a little bit, um, confusing because it actually doesn't just scale exactly from 0 to 9. Uh, 7 is— it's like within the scale itself, within the tests itself, it's a little bit broken down.
Mikah Sargent [00:06:14]:
Okay, so When it comes to 7, that means immersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes without ingress. And when it comes to 8, 8 just means that it's a little bit better than 7. The depth and the time for the test are what the manufacturer specifies. So they're claiming that it's better than 7, but It's whatever the manufacturer specifies. So that means that if 2 phones, 2 different phones, say that they're IP68, they can actually be promising different things. You've got to read the fine print. An iPhone is IP68 at 6 meters for up to 30 minutes. But you know what else is IP68? Samsung's Galaxy S phones.
Mikah Sargent [00:07:10]:
Oh, really? But it's IP68 at 1.5 meters in comparison. I forgot I have visuals of this as well. 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. So yeah, that's quite a bit different. Ignore the letters on the box and then go find the depth and the time on the spec sheet. Don't use IP68 as the only thing because it's not giving you what you need to know. So back to the dishwater. Well, that adds even more complications.
Mikah Sargent [00:07:47]:
Those lab tests, those perfect little lab tests of, of pure still water are not the same thing. That test is done in clean fresh water standing still. Samsung says it was tested in 1.5 meters of fresh water for 30 minutes, leaving it still without any movement. That's not how this works in real life. So a sink full of dishwater? Is everything that you don't, you don't have in one of these tests. First and foremost, soap and detergent. Soapy water is actually listed by Samsung. Apple says minimize exposure to soap and detergent, and that's because these will get into places where plain water won't go.
Mikah Sargent [00:08:28]:
That's what detergents do. They make water wetter, and better at getting into things. So those tiny gaps around the seals, it's much better whenever there's a detergent involved. Also, hot water and steam. Yeah, Apple and Samsung both warn against temperatures and humidity that are outside of normal ranges. And oh, let's not forget grease and food bits. Yeah, grease, that's not clean, fresh water at all. And the same story goes for swimming.
Mikah Sargent [00:08:59]:
When you are in a pool, or you're in salt water, that also adds to it. Moving water, uh, even pressurized water— those are all going to make a difference. A jump off of the side of the pool, chlorine, salt. Uh, Samsung even names pool and salt water as an issue. So Google says, hey, keep it out of pools and any body of water. So it— no, it, it doesn't stick around. And in fact, all 3 companies will tell you Right out that yes, over time, waterproofing, waterproofing IP68 rating wears off. Apple says that water resistance is not permanent and might decrease as a result of normal wear.
Mikah Sargent [00:09:45]:
Google says diminished or lost. It is diminished or lost over time due to normal wear and tear, device repair, disassembly, or damage. And of course, even a drop can make a difference on how watertight your devices. Samsung says, quote, may be naturally weakened over time. So you're wondering what actually wears out? Well, the adhesives, obviously, the gaskets that are around the screen, the back glass, the buttons, the SIM tray, all of those little parts can wear away over time. When you drop it, it makes the frame flex a little bit. It breaks those seals even when nothing looks cracked, even when the glass isn't cracked. And even you wouldn't think it, but a repair can actually have an impact because a replaced screen or a battery doesn't account for the fact that you had a sealed phone before when it came from the factory.
Mikah Sargent [00:10:39]:
And unless the person who's repairing your device takes care of that, well, no, it's, it's not, it's not sealed the same way. So you got To treat a phone's water resistance as this thing that is going to age over time, just like the battery. It's strongest on day one, and it's far weaker every year after. Now, you said that the repair shop took one look and knew that things were bad. There's a reason for that. Liquid contact indicators within the device, little stickers that exist inside of the phone that they're normally white or silver, but when they hit water, they can turn fully red after doing so, so that it's very easy to see that ingress did indeed happen from a liquid. Humidity and temperature changes within sort of nominal values, it won't set them off. So some people have thought that in the past, you know, oh, I've got these in and it's just because of— no, it's not because of humidity.
Mikah Sargent [00:11:46]:
It's a very special material that makes it so that normal humidity would not have an impact. On the iPhone, it's typically the one that you can actually see is within the SIM tray slot if you have one. If you do have an eSIM-only model, there aren't any visible indicators as far as I was able to find, but other device manufacturers have those as well. Uh, in different places. And then, uh, of course there was the, the comment about it not being covered by anything. That's sort of true. Um, the fact is that depending on your own policies and the policies of the company, different rules come into play. The standard manufacturer warranty does not cover liquid damage.
Mikah Sargent [00:12:40]:
Apple, Google, and Samsung all say that that's not the case. Apple also says, quote, You might have rights under consumer law. Um, but when the shop was talking about that, keep in mind that there are accidental damage plans. If you have AppleCare+, yes, liquid damage is covered as part of accidental damage protection. It does come with a service fee though. Uh, you can add these plans whenever you buy your phone or within 60 days now of a new Apple purchase. Uh, you can do so from the Settings app. Uh, SamsungCare+, this is specifically in Canada.
Mikah Sargent [00:13:15]:
So again, this is where the rights are different. In Canada, it covers accidental damage from handling, and it actually varies by province, so you have to read into the terms. And then typically, carriers also sell some sort of device protection plan. I've used one of those in the past when a device was stolen from me. I was able to get my iPad repaired— or replaced, I mean— when it was stolen. As for Clyde, because you're shopping for a new phone right now, Maybe decide on whether an accidental coverage at purchase is the right thing for you. That's the real kind of water plan. It's not the IP68 that's the plan, it's the accidental damage.
Mikah Sargent [00:13:58]:
And also, there are some consumer laws, as we mentioned, that could come into effect. Your last question was, what do you do right after it happens? Well, first and foremost, You got to get it out and power it down. Google's first 2 steps say get it out of whatever water it's in and then power that thing down. Unplug everything that's inside of it, um, or, you know, that's plugged in, and don't charge it. Apple says wait at least 5 hours before charging with a cable or, or connecting any sort of accessory. Uh, charging a wet port Will, will corrode the pins and can do so for good. And then newer iPhones will actually give you a warning. It's kind of cool.
Mikah Sargent [00:14:42]:
It'll say liquid detected in the USB-C connector. If that water wasn't clean, if it was dishwater, if it was pool water, ocean water, coffee, rinse the affected area with tap water. Yes, rinse off soap or salt. Uh, you would think you wouldn't think so, but it gets the soap, the salt, the sugar off before they dry in those openings. And then it also protects those seals from the detergents, right? Then wipe it with a soft lint-free cloth, and then also tap it gently against your palm with the port facing down. That can help to kind of shake the water out. The surface tension tends to be an issue there, so you need some sort of means of getting the water out. And then leave it somewhere to dry with airflow.
Mikah Sargent [00:15:29]:
So a fan blowing air into the ports will help. A fan blowing air over the top of it will help. If you have a dehumidifier in your home, That can be excellent. Do not open the SIM tray until it's dry because you don't want water getting into the indicator to tell it that, oh, you did drop it in water. And let me just go ahead with the don'ts. Don't do rice. Rice— the whole idea was that, you know, putting it in rice is going to protect— it's going to pull the humidity from it. You're better off using those little packets.
Mikah Sargent [00:16:04]:
That absorb moisture than you are using rice if you're going to go that route. Rice particles can damage the phone. They can get inside. The dust from rice will get inside. Don't use a hair dryer or another heat source. Don't use compressed air. And frankly, you don't want to use a cotton swab or a paper towel in the port because both of those can leave stuff behind and it can get in the way. If you end up having the sort of like you're playing it back a lot later and it sounds muffled, it sounds off, that's normal until all of the water has evaporated.
Mikah Sargent [00:16:45]:
So you can kind of set it speaker side down on a cloth. And what happens is the drier cloth will help to pull and wick the moisture out of it. So here we go. Bottom line, the verdict, however you want to look at this. Um, again, IP68 is not a promise. It's just a lab result. It means that a new phone, brand new phone, in a, in a beautifully put together lab test passed. While it was still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, it's not a sort of stamp of approval to swim with it.
Mikah Sargent [00:17:27]:
That second digit's number varies by maker. The depth varies by maker. So always check the spec sheet, not just the box. Water resistance will fade with age. We've, we've been over that now. It drops. Those will impact it. Repairs sadly can impact it.
Mikah Sargent [00:17:47]:
And the warranty doesn't cover liquid damage by default. So when it comes to what the real safety net is, It's an accidental damage plan. Best to buy it right at checkout. And then if it does go in, now you've got your plan. Rinse, dry, no rice, and wait before you charge it. Wonderful question, uh, and a lot of fun to get to research sort of the latest guidance and fully understand ingress protection. And the 2 numbers there, 0 through 6 for solids, 0 through 9 for liquids. But it doesn't really matter because different depths and different times can be the case for different phones.
Mikah Sargent [00:18:36]:
So now you know, and hopefully going forward, you'll be ready for that. Thank you all so much for tuning into this week's episode of Hands-On Tech. I want to thank you so much for taking the time to join us here today on the show. Thank you. And of course, I'll be back next week with another episode. But until then, goodbye! Bye!
