Apple is urging iPhone users to change how they dry out their phones.
For a long time, putting your iPhone in rice has been the go-to method for trying to salvage a water-damaged phone.
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But Apple is now cautioning against this method, saying that putting the smartphone in rice may cause more harm than good.
“Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice,” Apple stated in a guide from January on how to properly dry out your iPhone. “Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.”
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According to Apple’s guide, iPhone users will receive a “liquid-detection alert” if their phone is excessively wet. This alert typically appears when you attempt to charge your iPhone.
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“If you see one of these alerts, your iPhone has detected liquid in the Lightning or USB-C connector or on the cable or accessory,” the guide stated. “To protect your iPhone and the accessory, charging and accessory connection are unavailable until the connector, cable ends, and the accessory are dry.”
In essence, you won’t be able to charge your phone or connect it to your computer until it is dry. Apple recommends the following steps to remove excess water and dry your iPhone:
- Tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow.
- After at least 30 minutes, try charging with a Lightning or USB-C cable or connecting an accessory.
- If the alert appears again, there is still liquid in the connector or under the pins of your cable. Leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow for up to a day. You can try again to charge or connect an accessory throughout this period. It might take up to 24 hours to fully dry.
- If your phone has dried out but still isn’t charging, unplug the cable from the adapter and unplug the adapter from the wall (if possible) and then connect them again.
Furthermore, Apple advises against using an “external heat source or compressed air” to dry your iPhone and not to “insert a foreign object, such as a cotton swab or a paper towel, into the connector.”
More information about the proper cleaning of iPhones can be found here and answers to common questions about what to do if your iPhone gets wet can be found here. – masslive.com/Tribune News Service
