Quick Answer
The iPhone 10 has an IP67 water resistance rating which means it can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. However, it’s best to avoid unnecessary water exposure to prevent potential liquid damage. While brief, accidental water exposure likely won’t harm your iPhone, prolonged submersion can damage components and void the warranty.
In-depth answer
The iPhone 10 features an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. This means that it has been tested to withstand immersion in up to 1 meter of freshwater for up to 30 minutes without damage.
However, it’s important to understand what this water resistance rating does and does not protect against:
What the IP67 rating protects against:
– Accidental splashes, spills, and brief submersion in water up to 1 meter deep. For example, you accidentally drop your phone in a sink full of water. As long as you retrieve it within 30 minutes, it should be fine.
– Using the phone in the rain. The water resistance protects against light to moderate rain showers. Just be sure to wipe any residual moisture off afterward.
– Washing dirt, dust, and debris off the phone with water. You can briefly rinse or hold the phone under running tap water to clean it.
What the IP67 rating does NOT protect against:
– Submerging deeper than 1 meter. The water pressure beyond this depth can damage seals and allow water ingress.
– Submerging for longer than 30 minutes. Over time, water will make its way into the phone and cause corrosion.
– Powerful water jets. The strong water pressure from jets can push past the water seals.
– Saltwater, chlorinated water, soapy water, and other liquids. The IP67 rating is only for freshwater. Other liquids can be damaging.
– Water immersion during charging. Exposing the ports and charger to water while powered on carries current risks.
So in summary, the iPhone 10 is designed to withstand accidental, brief water exposure. But you should avoid purposefully submerging it or exposing it to high water pressure. Take care to limit its contact with liquids as much as possible.
Tips for using iPhone 10 around water
Here are some useful tips for protecting your iPhone 10 around water:
– Keep it away from excess moisture. Avoid talking on the phone in the rain, texting with wet hands, or setting it on wet surfaces.
– Thoroughly dry it off after exposure. Gently wipe away any liquid and allow it to air dry to evaporate residual moisture from crevices.
– Don’t take it in the pool, hot tub, or ocean. Chlorine and saltwater can damage the water seals. The pressure underwater also exceeds the IP67 rating.
– Use a waterproof case for water sports. A good case provides extra protection for activities like swimming, surfing, boating where the phone is prone to submersion.
– Avoid steam rooms and saunas. The extreme heat and humidity can compromise the water seals and components over time.
– Don’t try to charge it while wet. Always dry off the phone and ports first to prevent electric shock or short circuiting.
– Don’t deliberately submerge it, even briefly. There’s no good reason to put an electronic device underwater unnecessarily.
– Get AppleCare+ coverage for accidents. AppleCare+ extends the regular 1-year warranty and covers accidental damage from liquid for 2 years.
How water can damage the iPhone 10
Water damage on electronic devices happens gradually through corrosion but can also occur suddenly. Here are some of the ways water can damage an iPhone:
– Short circuiting – Water can bridge connections on the logic board and other components, leading to malfunctions. This can happen immediately when exposed to water.
– Corrosion – With time, moisture causes the metal contacts and connections to oxidize and degrade. This leads to issues down the road.
– Mineral deposits – Minerals in tap water left behind on drying can create buildup on components and block electrical contacts.
– Component degradation – The water can interfere with mechanical parts, adhesives, seals, and electronics, causing problems like speaker failure.
– Battery issues – Water can corrode the battery connections or lead to short circuiting. This can cause immediate battery failure or reduced capacity over time.
– Rusting – Exposed metal parts like the steel frame can corrode and rust with prolonged water exposure. This can compromise structural integrity.
– Display damage – Water can seep into the display assembly and damage the screen laminations, causing dim or dead pixels.
Signs of iPhone water damage
If your iPhone has been exposed to liquid, be on the lookout for any of the following signs of water damage:
– Condensation or fogging up inside the glass, display, or camera lens. This indicates water vapor trapped internally.
– Visible moisture or corrosion around ports, speakers, buttons, SIM tray. Green corrosion usually signals oxidation.
– Muffled or low speaker volume. Water buildup in the speaker can dampen sound.
– Problems charging or damaged charging port. Liquid in the port can block electrical contacts.
– Glitchy or unresponsive touchscreen. Water can disrupt digitizer layer under the display.
– Malfunctioning components like cameras, Taptic Engine, headphone jack. Water ingresses can cause all kinds of issues.
– Discoloration of liquid contact indicators. These change color if exposed to moisture as a water damage indicator.
If you notice any of these warning signs, discontinue use and bring your iPhone to an Apple Store or authorized service provider immediately. Never try to charge a wet iPhone. The sooner you get it professionally dried out, the better chance you have of saving it.
Drying out a wet iPhone 10
If your iPhone gets briefly wet but is still functioning normally, here are some do’s and don’ts for drying it out:
DO:
– Gently wipe off any exterior moisture with a soft, lint-free cloth.
– Allow it to air dry at room temperature. Water will evaporate from crevices.
– Place it facing down on an absorbent towel to wick moisture away.
– Use a hairdryer on low heat setting to speed up drying. Keep it moving to prevent overheating.
DON’T:
– Submerge the phone to rinse off the water. This can push more water into openings.
– Shake, wipe, or squeeze water out forcibly. This can displace water deeper into the phone.
– Use high heat from hairdryers, heat guns, or other devices. Extreme heat can damage internal components.
– Place it in rice. Rice doesn’t help extract moisture from inside the device.
– Use cleaning products, soaps, alcohol, or solvents. These can get inside the phone and cause further issues.
If the phone was exposed to liquid but is working normally, give it at least 3 days to thoroughly air dry before using it. This allows for dissipation of any trapped moisture. Monitor for warning signs of water damage during this time.
Professional water damage repair options
If your iPhone 10 is malfunctioning or exhibits clear signs of water damage, do not attempt to charge or use it. Instead, seek professional repair assistance immediately. Here are your options:
– Apple Store – Make a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store. They can properly diagnose the issue and may be able to revive the phone.
– Apple Authorized Service Providers – These third-party repair shops can service Apple devices. Prices may be lower than Apple.
– Phone repair shops – Generic electronics repair shops may attempt to fix water damaged iPhones for a fraction of the cost. But quality can vary.
– Mail-in repair services – Online services like iCracked accept mailed-in devices for diagnosis and repair. May be more convenient than in-person repair.
– File an AppleCare+ claim – If you purchased AppleCare+ on your iPhone 10, you can file a claim to cover water damage repair or replacement deductible fees.
Professional repair involves dismantling the phone, cleaning corrosion, drying components, replacing damaged parts, and resealing it properly. This gives water damaged iPhones the best chance of working again.
Recovering data from a water damaged iPhone
If your iPhone 10 sustained water damage and is no longer functioning, you still have options for recovering your important data:
– iCloud backup – If you had iCloud backups enabled, you can restore your data to a replacement iPhone by signing into iCloud.
– iTunes backup – Connect the water damaged iPhone to a computer and see if you can make an encrypted iTunes backup to retrieve data from.
– iCloud.com – Sign into iCloud.com to access your contacts, photos, notes, app data, and more that is stored in iCloud.
– iPhone data recovery services – Professional services use special tools to extract data from water damaged iPhones, but this can be expensive.
– Repair attempt – Water damage repair shops may be able to temporarily revive the phone to pull data before it shuts down again.
If the phone is operational, be sure to backup data through iTunes before repair attempts. But if it’s unresponsive, quickly contact professional data recovery services to salvage data before corrosion progresses. Don’t attempt to power on severely water damaged devices.
Can rice help a wet iPhone?
A common myth is that placing a wet phone in a bowl of rice can help absorb the moisture and save the device. However, this technique is not actually effective for serious water damage:
– Rice doesn’t attract or pull water from inside electronic devices. It may draw some external moisture through natural evaporation, but leaves internal water trapped.
– Any drying assistance rice can provide takes days, allowing corrosion to progress and cause irreversible damage.
– Rice dust can get stuck in phone ports, speakers, and crevices leading to other issues.
– Rice can’t displace water stuck beneath display, in logic board, or elsewhere internally.
– The phone still remains powered on as it sits in rice, allowing short circuiting damage.
So while rice may absorb a bit of external moisture, it doesn’t provide any advanced drying capability to properly fix a water damaged phone. It should not be relied upon over professional repair methods. At most, rice can assist air drying.
Does putting an iPhone in rice void the warranty?
Simply putting a wet iPhone in rice does not void the Apple warranty or AppleCare+ coverage. However, liquid damage resulting from water exposure is not covered under the standard 1-year Apple warranty.
Here’s an overview of how rice affects iPhone warranty coverage:
– Rice itself does not void the warranty unless it causes physical damage. Rice stuck in ports or jacks could be an issue.
– Any prior water damage that led you to put the phone in rice would already void the regular warranty.
– But AppleCare+ does cover water damage with a deductible fee for repair or replacement.
– Trying home repairs like opening the phone to dry it will void the warranty. Leave that to professionals.
So while rice itself won’t invalidate the warranty, it also won’t save a water damaged phone that’s no longer covered. Bring it in for proper repair right away instead. And get AppleCare+ next time for protection from water accidents.
Does water damage affect trade-in value?
Yes, water damage can significantly reduce the trade-in value of an iPhone. Here’s an overview:
– Visible water damage – Trade-in programs inspect devices and reduce value accordingly for any corrosion, fogging, moisture in ports.
– Prior repairs – If you had third-party work done to fix water damage, it also diminishes value as it’s not Apple authorized.
– Functionality issues – If water exposure caused glitches, unresponsiveness, charging problems, it reduces working condition value.
– Lower storage capacity – Heavily water damaged phones often have data issues. This may require wiping the device, losing irretrievable data and lowering the storage capacity.
– Cosmetic damage – Water spots, residue, bleeding in the display, can detract from physical condition value.
To maximize trade-in value if you have an older water damaged device, consider getting Apple-certified repair work done to restore functionality and appearance. Be sure to backup data beforehand as well. Qualified repair combined with clean battery health, activation status, and factory reset state can help improve trade-in offers.
Conclusion
While the iPhone 10 has robust water resistance, it’s still best to avoid unnecessary exposure to liquids. Brief accidents or splashes are unlikely to cause damage, but prolonged submersion can compromise the water seals and allow corrosion of internal components over time. Discontinue use of any iPhone that’s been in water and have it professionally evaluated for repair or data recovery as needed. With proper care and some luck, a briefly wet iPhone 10 can make a full recovery.
