Is the iPhone XR waterproof?
It’s a beautiful summer day. You’re standing by the pool, sipping a sangria, with a book in your hand and your phone in your lap. Suddenly, a child’s belly drops right in front of you and a bucket of water unloads in your face. You become furious and are about to scold the child. Then you remember that your new iPhone XR has an IEC rating of IP67. So you exhale a sigh of relief and go back to drinking your sangria. But is your iPhone XR really as waterproof as Apple claims?
What does waterproof really mean?
When you’re shopping for gadgets and you hear the word “waterproof” among salespeople, does the term really mean what you think it means? The crux of the matter is, more often than not, the answer to that question is “no”, and here’s why.
The term “waterproof” actually means that it is impervious to water, regardless of how deep or how long it is submerged. However, the iPhone XR is only classified as “water resistant,” which means it can resist water damage, but only to a certain extent.
How water resistant is the iPhone XR?
The iPhone XR has an ingress protection rating of IP67. According to this rating, it can be submerged in up to one meter of water for 30 minutes. This means that it should not be damaged by small splashes, spills or drops in water. However, the iPhone XR’s warranty doesn’t even support water damage. So how water resistant can the iPhone XR be when Apple Care refuses to cover it?
At this point, you’re probably wondering, “What the heck does IP67 mean?” and “What the heck is Ingress Protection?”
What does IP67 mean?
Ingress Protection, or IP for short, is a rating system given to a device or electronic device by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It rates how secure a device’s housing is and how well its internal wiring is protected from external dust and liquids.
With an IP rating, the first number refers to dust protection, while the second number refers to water resistance. For example, the iPhone XR has an IP rating of IP67. That means the device has a dust resistance rating of 6, which means it has full dust protection. Water resistance of 7 means it can survive being fully submerged in up to one meter of water, but only for a limited time.
How do you protect your iPhone XR from water damage?
The iPhone XR is designed to withstand accidental splashes of water or spills. However, there are still ways to minimize those accidental device deaths.
Here are some ways to make sure your iPhone XR doesn’t die from water damage:
- Don’t take a bath or shower with it. It may well survive a dip here or even a small fall in the bath water there, but prevention is still the key.
- Don’t take it with you when you go to the bathroom. Trust us when we say you can survive a few minutes of your iPhone XR.
- Avoid taking selfies in the water. You don’t want your iPhone XR to suffer the same fate as Rose DeWitt’s blue diamond necklace – no sir!
- Don’t use it in the rain or a thunderstorm. Apple discourages users from using the device in extreme weather conditions. Come to think of it, you probably shouldn’t be texting in a thunderstorm in the first place. You don’t want to catch a cold.
- Don’t take it swimming or surfing. Seriously, why would you even think about doing this in the first place?
- Don’t open it and play with its innards. Remember that old proverb about curiosity killing the cat? On that note, nothing good can happen pretending you’re an Apple engineer.
What happens if you drop your iPhone XR in water?
As we mentioned above, the ingress protection rating for the iPhone XR suggests that it can survive small splashes, spills, or drops in water. However, if you want to make sure that your device doesn’t suffer any damage in case any of these happen, here are some things you can do.
If your iPhone gets wet with water …
- Wipe it with a soft, absorbent, lint-free cloth.
- Unplug all cables and accessories.
- Let excess water drip through the Lightning connector.
- Let it dry for at least 5 hours before attempting to charge it, turn it on, or open its SIM tray.
- If you spill it or drop it in any liquid other than water …
Rinse it gently with tap water.
- Enjuague suavemente con agua del grifo.
- Límpielo con un paño suave y absorbente que no suelte pelusa.
- Toque suavemente su dispositivo, con el conector Lightning hacia abajo, y deje salir el exceso de líquido.
- Colóquelo en un área limpia y seca con ventilación adecuada.
- Puede usar un ventilador para soplar aire frío para ayudar a que su dispositivo se seque.
Sin embargo, NO deberías …
- Wipe it with a soft, absorbent, lint-free cloth.
- Gently dab your device, Lightning connector side down, and let the excess liquid run off.
- Place it in a clean, dry area with adequate ventilation.
- You can use a fan to blow cool air to help your device dry.
- However, you should NOT … Turn on the device before it is completely dry.
- Use heat or compulsion air to dry your device.
- Push or insert a cotton swab or cotton bud into the device’s Lightning connector.
- Use strong cleaning products to clean liquids such as detergent, soap, adhesive remover or other solvents.
As for dust, you can wipe it off with a clean soft cloth, preferably lint-free, such as microfiber cloths. But please refrain from using soap, isopropyl alcohol or other cleaning products. And do not blow or use compressed air. Your iPhone is not a candle or an air vent. It has many tiny wires and chips that may not appreciate spit spray or wind annoyance.
So, is the iPhone XR really water resistant?
That’s debatable. However, it can survive accidental drops in the toilet or falls in the bathroom much better compared to most smartphones or previous iPhone versions, that’s for sure. And it’s also much more affordable than the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, with only a few missing features that you can probably do without. And hey, an iPhone is still an iPhone.