Your Android smartphone is not really waterproof. Over time, it may not even be water resistant at all. WANT editor Sabine explains what she’s talking about.
Smartphone manufacturers throw around the term “waterproof” all the time, but that doesn’t mean water can’t get into your Android smartphone at all. If you use the device for a longer period of time or put a little more pressure on it, water can get into your device just like that. You can read about what that’s like below.
IP rating
Manufacturers attach an IP rating to Android phones and iPhones to indicate how waterproof and dust-resistant they are. This is also known as Ingress Protection. The IP68 rating found on devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 or the Google Pixel 6 is currently the highest certification of water resistance in consumer smartphones.
The ‘6’ in IP68 states that the device must be fully protected from dust. The ‘8’ implies that the device has no problems using deeper than 1 meter under water. The IP68 rating can already be given to a phone by holding an Android smartphone in a tank of water for 30 minutes. After that, if no water is detectable on the inside, the device may officially receive an IP68 stamp.
Difference in water resistance
Smartphone manufacturers may further attach their own claims to the IP68 rating, as long as the device passes IEC standard 60529 inspection. The IP68 rating means that a device can handle a depth of at least 1 meter, but a manufacturer may also claim that it can go even deeper. This explains why, on paper, some IP68-rated Android smartphones can be submerged in water longer than others. By the way, you can see the testing method in the video above.
The various IP68-rated phones are not actually all equally water resistant. The iPhone 13 series, for example, can handle a maximum depth of 6 meters for 30 minutes, according to Apple with its IP68 rating. The IP68-rated Galaxy S22, however, can only handle a depth of 1.5 meters. The actual water resistance may also differ from these claims.
Is it smart to swim with your Android phone?
The longer you use an Android phone (or iPhone), the more its water resistance decreases. This is because the glue or rubbery substance used to hold all the components together as tightly as possible loses its effectiveness over time. By the way, even with those higher IP ratings, liquids in devices are not even covered under warranty in many cases.
So the longer you use the phone, the less smart it becomes to go swimming with it. Nor is it wise to go into the sea with your Android phone. This is because the salt water causes much more corrosion and oxidation than fresh water. This can cause the glue and rubbery substance to hold things together to deteriorate, but the metal parts also suffer.