Water damage to phones happens all too often these days. Smartphones are open to water at some point in their lives, which is always a pain. Even though most top-of-the-line devices today say they are waterproof or resistant to water, many still do not have enough protection. So how do we understand waterproofing and water damage in smartphones today?
Waterproofing & Water Damage
Before fixing water damage in smartphones, we need to know the waterproofing solutions and how water damage happens. After learning how this process works, it is easier to break down everything else and figure out a solution.
Different Ways to Keep Water out
There are different ways to fix water damage on smartphones and other devices. The most common way to protect a phone is to seal it with rubber gaskets or glue. It keeps water from getting into the insides. Most devices also have nano-coating on their parts for resistance. Moisture and other water particles keep away from sensitive parts by the coating. So they do not short-circuit. A silicone layer isolates the electrical components and applies water resistance to buttons.
Steps to Protect Smartphones from Water
Most of the time, big companies will take extra steps to ensure water does not damage their phones. Headphone jack removal is one of the most common solutions that has gotten a lot of criticism. The headphone jack is a big hole in the phone. Water damage usually happens there more than anywhere else. Since the opening is big and hard to keep safe, manufacturers often take it out of their products to make waterproofing easier.
Your trained technicians need to know the ways smartphones protect themselves from water damage. If they understand how phones are protected, they can fix them better when they break.
Rating for Ingress Protection (IP)
If you have been paying attention to phones lately, you may have heard of “IP rating.” It is short for Ingress Protection. It shows how safe your phone is from dust and water. The IP rating is an international standard for measuring how waterproof a device is, and most companies are proud to show off the rating for the devices they make.
The IP rating has two different numbers. The first tells you how resistant something is to solid particles. Moreover, the second one tells you how resistant it is to water. The resistance to solid particles is on a 1 to 6 scale. The water resistance is measured on a scale from 1 to 8. The more the number goes up, the better the resistance.
IP ratings have Their Flaws
It is important to know that tests to find a device’s IP rating are often done in a lab because the results will only be accurate in a controlled setting. Also, just because a smartphone has passed tests does not mean using it in such conditions.
Even if a device has an IP rating, you won’t be able to use it right away. Water stays in places that are not covered, like the microphone and speaker. Using them while there is still water around could cause trouble. Because freshwater is conductive, it can also cause screens to misread what you type on them.
You Cannot Avoid Water Damage
Even though phones are more likely to be waterproof these days, there are still times when they will always fail. The IP rating and any other tests always take freshwater into account. Most homes have this kind of water, either in the pipes or in bottles. The problem is that freshwater is not always present in the real world.
Any device can be made waterproof for freshwater, but not for other kinds of water. For example, pool water is usually treated with chlorine to make it safe for people to swim in. But the chlorine in the water is bad for the glue that holds your phone together.
Seawater is another thing that makes people worry. This kind of water has a lot of salt and can damage even the most durable phones.
Do Phones Get Wet?
Unfortunately, no phone is completely waterproof. It is never a good idea to put water near electronics, and most people think IP ratings and other forms of protection make a phone waterproof. That is not true; being “water-resistant” is not the same as being “waterproof.” Most smartphones are only treated in some places to keep water out. But under no circumstances should they be considered waterproof.
The best way to keep water from causing damage is to use it carefully. Keeping things simple is the best way to keep your phone safe, and it won’t cost you anything.
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