Apple has warned customers not to chuck their iPhones in rice if they get wet.
Water in your phone can cause all manner of issues, ranging from blurry photos if the moisture is trapped in the camera lens, muffled or no audio, an inability to charge or - worst case - a complete lack of functionality.
And if you’ve ever had the misfortune of dropping your iPhone into water, you may have assumed the best thing to do is put it in a bowl of uncooked rice to help dry it out.
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However, Apple actually strongly warns against this and says lashing your phone in rice to dry out could do more harm than good.
If your phone does get wet, your iPhone may flash up with a liquid-detection alert, which means that the device has detected liquid in the lightning or USB-C connector, or on the cable or accessory itself.
To protect your phone from damage, you won’t be able to use the accessory or charge the phone until the connector, cable and accessory are dry.
On its website, Apple warns: “If you charge your iPhone while the Lightning or USB-C connector is wet, the pins on the connector or cable can corrode and cause permanent damage or stop functioning, causing connectivity issues for your iPhone or accessory.”
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Not ideal, right?
So what should you do? Well, firstly, resist the urge to dig out a bag of rice from your cupboard as Apple says this could make matters worse.
“Don't put your iPhone in a bag of rice,” Apple’s website states. “Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone.”
It also tells customers not to attempt drying their iPhone using an external heat source or compressed air; and not to insert a foreign object, such as a cotton bud or a paper towel, into the connector.
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Instead, Apple recommends that you tap your iPhone gently against your hand with the connector facing down to remove excess liquid.
You should then leave your iPhone in a dry area with some airflow for at least half an hour before trying to use the charger or connecting accessory.
If the same warning flashes up, place your iPhone back in a dry place with some airflow. Apple notes that it can take up to 24-hours to fully dry out.
If you follow the above advice, your iPhone should dry out and normal functionality should soon return.
Topics: Technology, Apple, iPhone
Claire Reid