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Why Apple warns against putting wet iPhones in rice – and what you should do instead
If the smartphone is wet, it is often recommended to soak it in rice. But Apple warns against this for the iPhone
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If a technical device such as an iPhone falls into the water, rice is often seen as a rescue. Now Apple explicitly warns against the method: It can damage the iPhone.
It happened quickly: whether in the bathtub or by the pool – if the smartphone slips out of your hand, it makes a splash. To save the devices, one solution in particular is usually recommended: placing the device in a bowl or bag of rice. And yet warns Apple is against this method, apparently with good reason. Here’s what you should do instead. And why rice sometimes remains the best solution.
Apple’s warning can be found on one of the company’s many support pages. Specifically, the question is how you should behave if the iPhone warns about liquids in the charging sockets. The message appears when you connect the device to the charging cable, but the moisture sensors in the socket strike. The device then refuses to charge for safety reasons.
Wet iPhone: That’s why Apple warns against rice
What is particularly surprising is the answer to the question of what you shouldn’t do: “Don’t pack the iPhone in a sack of rice,” Apple contradicts numerous recommendations there. “Doing this may allow small particles to enter the device and damage the iPhone.” Apple also explicitly advises against attempting to dry the device with a heat source, such as a hairdryer, or by directing compressed air, cotton swabs or paper towels into the charging socket.
Instead, you should gently tap the device against the palm of your hand to let any droplets escape. Then you should let it dry in a ventilated area for at least 30 minutes, Apple recommends. If the warning still appears, you just have to wait and see. And be patient: In extreme cases, it can take up to 24 hours for all the liquid to disappear, says Apple.
But there is one important restriction: Apple’s warning explicitly refers to modern iPhones on which the liquid warning can appear – that is all models since the iPhone XR. But you have to know: These models are all factory-protected against water and dust according to the IP67 or even IP68 standard (from the iPhone XS). If the iPhone casing is not damaged, no water will get inside. The devices can easily be brought into contact with fresh fresh water and can even be submerged to a depth of up to six meters without causing any damage. The rice warning therefore only relates to drying of the connection.
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Wet smartphone: When the rice method helps
However, if water gets into the housing, the situation looks completely different. For older or damaged iPhones and other smartphones without IP protection, after contact with water, it is important to dry the inside of the device as quickly and completely as possible. If you connect it to the power or switch it on with moisture in the electronics, a short circuit can occur – and it becomes electronic waste. Given this risk, the danger posed by rice particles is clearly the lesser evil.
The fact that dried rice helps is due to its ability to absorb water from the environment and even absorb humidity. Wrapping the device in rice may be able to save it. It is safer to use silica gel. However, very few households are likely to have enough of this on hand spontaneously. In both cases you have to be patient: the device should dry for at least 48 hours before switching it on or hanging it up on the charging cable.