How much rain can a iPhone really take? And general electronics like speakers ?

[WolfLoverPro]

I dont mean waterproof rating I just kind of mean 

 

for an average speaker, headphones literally anything electronic that isn’t advertised as water proof or resistant ... how much rain can it take? I see people use electronics in rain allfthe time and I’m shocked lol like idk uh let’s say idk

 

headphones, speakers ( not water resistant or proof just a cheap normal speaker, a keyboard lol, cameras, and phones 

 

 

okay so I know iphones are advertised uh water resistant right? But I see people use it in bloody heavy rain ffs even iPads ............. 

 

 

so my my question is 

 

in general, how much rain can non water proof electronic take ?  How to tel when it’s too much water ? 

 

 

So my my iPhone I literally don’t take out in rain and friends are like .... really? Just use it and I’m overprotective with my electronics sooooooooo

 

even a little spot A LITTLE SPOT u wont take it out lolll

 

 

[NinJake]

Depends on the device.

[Max_Settings]

iPhones can take being literally submerged in feet of water for 30min+ and be totally fine.

[LukeLinusFanFic]

I'd dare say you'd die from starvation before your ip68 rated phone would get water damage.

[Stormseeker9]

@WolfLoverPro

 

[D13H4RD]

There's always an element of risk when using anything electronic out in an environment where liquids are abundant and can pose a threat to said electronics, regardless of whether they're IP rated or not. 

 

In the case of the iPhone, which has an IP67/68 rating depending on the model, it can theoretically handle being submerged about 2m deep or less for up to 30 minutes. However, this rating does not take into account any form of resistance to water from pressurized sources. Even with this, however, it's generally regarded that any device that's designed with some form of water resistance is going to do a better job of, well, resisting liquid intrusion versus a device that isn't designed with that in mind. 

 

With this in mind, however, it's important to not be reckless and use IP ratings or weather sealing claims as a license to do risky moves. It is still possible to damage water-resistant devices if the amount of water or type exceeds its design limit up to a certain point, and this is very much true for any mass produced device. As an example, the Canon EOS 1DXii is known to be tough and very well sealed against inclement weather but it's still possible to kill it via liquid damage. 

[WolfLoverPro]

13 hours ago, D13H4RD said:

There's always an element of risk when using anything electronic out in an environment where liquids are abundant and can pose a threat to said electronics, regardless of whether they're IP rated or not. 

 

In the case of the iPhone, which has an IP67/68 rating depending on the model, it can theoretically handle being submerged about 2m deep or less for up to 30 minutes. However, this rating does not take into account any form of resistance to water from pressurized sources. Even with this, however, it's generally regarded that any device that's designed with some form of water resistance is going to do a better job of, well, resisting liquid intrusion versus a device that isn't designed with that in mind. 

 

With this in mind, however, it's important to not be reckless and use IP ratings or weather sealing claims as a license to do risky moves. It is still possible to damage water-resistant devices if the amount of water or type exceeds its design limit up to a certain point, and this is very much true for any mass produced device. As an example, the Canon EOS 1DXii is known to be tough and very well sealed against inclement weather but it's still possible to kill it via liquid damage. 

I got iPhone XS Max 

 

so using it in in the rain is ok? 

 

But it looks like rain can get into the front speaker and the bottom tho??

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

1 minute ago, WolfLoverPro said:

so using it in in the rain is ok? 

 

But it looks like rain can get into the front speaker and the bottom tho??

lets talk about speakers only, basic mechanism is current through electromagnetic to vibrate the sheet of plastic to make sound (forgot the name here).

this requires very little power and the material is just copper wires and steal. 

 

when whole thing is wet, you may think there may be short circuit and damage it, but its actually quite difficult. here is why:

water has much higher resistance than copper, thus most current will still go through copper even its shorted by water.

the voltage and current is too small to damage it, and the materials are pretty sturdy too.

 

[NineEyeRon]

My wife’s iPhone 6 has been underwater multiple times and out in the rain a lot.

 

it still works, not perfect but more than functional.

 

It will easily last till Xmas when we were planning to replace it anyways as it’s more than served it’s term.

[Loote]

I'd argue that at times my phone got more water on it in my pocket and even once in my backpack than if I had held it in the rain. I've no concerns washing it  under tap water and it's not even IP rated(OP6). Of course, you could always get an unsealed device even if the chance is very low. Just decide what is more annoying to you: protecting the phone from water at all costs, or using it in the rain, but maybe, possibly, at some point, you could get some damage(most likely not).

[Kisai]

On 6/12/2019 at 7:51 AM, WolfLoverPro said:

I dont mean waterproof rating I just kind of mean 

 

for an average speaker, headphones literally anything electronic that isn’t advertised as water proof or resistant ... how much rain can it take? I see people use electronics in rain allfthe time and I’m shocked lol like idk uh let’s say idk

 

 

 

 

There's kinda a unwritten rule here. No electronics are designed to be waterproof. NONE. They are designed to RESIST water/dust to a point, and these points are typical use scenarios, not extreme ones. Like if you drop your iPhone in the river, say goodbye to it. If you drop your iPhone in the toilet and don't accidentally flush it, then you can fetch it. Same with like fish tanks, bathtubs, washing the car/dog/kid.

 

The reason why come down to seals. In order for something to be water proof, it would have to have no buttons, no holes in the chassis for sim cards, cables, cameras, microphones, speakers, etc. In a sense, you can never make a water proof phone, not without it not being a phone. You'd have to wirelessly charge it, use only wireless headsets, and it would never be repairable. Air bubbles inside the phone will prevent it form sinking to the bottom, but those bubbles will also create a weakness inside the phone as the water pressure will squeeze the air out and thus crack it.

 

Hence, nothing will ever be water proof. 

 

Speakers, most functional speakers use cardboard and copper in their construction, if they get wet, they are done. Cheaper speakers tend to be made out of cheaper thinner materials, and they are still at their core an electronic device, so all it takes is getting water in it once to short it out.

 

Under the most optimistic scenarios, if you want speakers outside, you take into account your general climate, and tradeoff sound-quality for durability. Most "outdoor" speakers have no bass to them, because they require large air channels into the speaker. You don't want holes in your outdoor speakers because then the insects will nest in them too.

[wasab]

I remember using iPhone X in the shower and bathtube. 

[LogicalDrm]

I would say most of stuff being sold as "mobile", whether its phone, laptop or speakers/headphones can do with splash water, even when turned on. But water on connection surface while currency is running is still dead device. Though when powered off, there's good chances of revival if acted quickly. Unless its sea water and then its problems.

[Whiro]

I’m using iPhone xs max, and never had any problems with water and phone mix. Many times I take shower with my phone (replying to msgs with wet screen, not really good idea) listening to music etc, even time to time I can’t be bothered to clean my phone so just taking it to the sink and wash it there. I would only suggest to let it dry properly before u start charging otherwise u gonna be fine

[Loote]

15 hours ago, Kisai said:

 

There's kinda a unwritten rule here. No electronics are designed to be waterproof.(...)The reason why come down to seals. In order for something to be water proof, it would have to have no buttons, no holes in the chassis for sim cards, cables, cameras, microphones, speakers, etc.

That is an overstatement. Does submarine have no entrance? Is it unrepairable? A smartphone would get much bigger in exchange for more water resistance, but it's possible to make a device that would be, from an average person's point of view, waterproof. You'd probably have screwed in sim card slot with big o-rings, some shitty speaker that isn't bothered by water(or a really expensive one?), stuff like that.

[Kisai]

14 hours ago, Loote said:

That is an overstatement. Does submarine have no entrance? Is it unrepairable? A smartphone would get much bigger in exchange for more water resistance, but it's possible to make a device that would be, from an average person's point of view, waterproof. You'd probably have screwed in sim card slot with big o-rings, some shitty speaker that isn't bothered by water(or a really expensive one?), stuff like that.

 

A submarine is human-sized, and is crushed as it dives, they are also disposable as the metal fatigue renders submarines useless after several years if used in actual service rather than just hanging around just beneath the surface. 

 

A phone can not be designed to go diving with. The water pressure will squeeze the air out of the phone anywhere there is a weakness. If there is any hole in it at all, that's where the air is going to escape and the water is going to be sucked in. Hence you can not have a simcard or speaker in the device, it simply would compromise the structural integrity of the device. You'd be better of designing a bone-conducting speaker/microphone system and wearing it directly on your head if you want a device that will be essentially water-proof. But that's a different can of worms (radio signals are then beamed through your head, which is not a good thing at any power level.)

 

The thing is, a phone stops being a phone when it's designed like a divers watch/computer, and those cost as much as smart phones.

[Contreramanjaro]

Until about 2 months ago I was a tech in a phone store. Apple and Samsung certified. We worked on Androids as well as Apple phones. Starting with the iPhone 6s, Apple started putting an adhesive around the display, a finer mesh over the speaker grills, and a gasket around the lightning port and SIM card tray. Samsung did similar with the Galaxy S7.

 

I have opened phones that had water sloshing around inside them and were powered on. I have had phones with a tiny amount of corrosion on a power IC that bricked the whole thing. Not all water is created equal as far as corrosion goes and not all phone parts are either. Apple and Samsung both protect certain parts with extra protection from corrosion but some stuff, such as chlorine in water, can cause more corrosion than just normal water.

 

Most of these phones have very precisely applied adhesives to prevent water intrusion but I can tell you from experience that anyone from an Apple store tech to a third party tech can slightly misapply the adhesive. As a test, take your phone and run a fingernail around the edge where the screen glass meets the housing. If there are any high or low points, the adhesive might be folded or pushed behind the lip of the phone. This is a possible point of intrusion. This can also be caused by a bend in the housing making the phone not fit together as it should.

 

Finally, some /r/iamverysmart people like to clean their phones with chemicals such as 90+% iso alcohol. Great, but that's what we use to break down the adhesives that hold your phone together. This can make the adhesives gooey and withstand less pressure.

 

After all of that, leaving water in the charging port or trying to charge a phone before it's completely dry can lead to corrosion on the charging pins and in Samsungs and LGs, the annoying "moisture in port detected" message when you try to charge.

 

If you want to take your iPhone in the rain for more than an "oops" moment, make sure you have AC+ and don't be surprised at the $100 replacement cost.