Engadget Warns Shower Steam Can Wear Down the Water Resistance of IP-Rated Phones
Engadget warns that shower steam wears down the seals and ports behind IP-rated water resistance, and that Apple and Google both tell users to keep phones out of hot, humid rooms.
Most current smartphones carry an IP67 or IP68 rating, in which the second digit describes the level of water resistance. Engadget notes that neither figure should be read as "waterproof," a term the report says is thrown around inaccurately often enough that some users assume their phones can tolerate water in any scenario. Manufacturers themselves generally describe the devices as water-resistant.
In a hot shower, steam turns back into liquid on and around a phone. Water, the report says, is relentless: it finds its way in through the charging port, speakers, buttons and seals, and combined with heat it gradually wears down the internal protections that keep liquid out.
Phone makers are unusually direct about the risk. Apple's support page tells iPhone owners to avoid saunas and steam rooms and reminds them that liquid damage is not covered under warranty. Google gives the same guidance and suggests a Bluetooth speaker as the better option.
Engadget explains that water-resistance ratings apply to liquid water under specified conditions, not to the heat and humid air of a shower, and that immersion and steam exposure are not equivalent tests. Rapid cooling in a moist environment produces condensation both inside and outside the device.
Heat adds a separate problem. Overly hot bathrooms, saunas and steam rooms can push temperatures above a smartphone's operating specifications. The report says most phones list a maximum operating temperature of 95 degrees, with little headroom when the device is sitting idle. That heat can trigger temperature shutdowns and will almost certainly affect the battery's long-term health.
Handling also matters. Placing a phone on a shower shelf or soap dish, particularly close to the spray, invites damage, and trying to use a phone with wet hands invites drops. Engadget advises keeping the handset outside the bathroom and using a portable Bluetooth speaker instead, noting that many speakers carry the same IP ratings, are more expendable, and that Bluetooth connections today can usually pass through a door or an interior wall.
Repeated or significant heat exposure can permanently affect a smartphone, according to the report. Heat accelerates battery aging, and the tiny adhesives and seals inside a phone do not tolerate heat and moisture well. The damage is rarely immediately obvious: users may see an occasional liquid damage alert or have to rely on a magnetic charger while the port dries, without realizing that interior components are degrading.
When a phone does get wet, Engadget recommends wiping it down immediately, keeping anything out of the charging port, and leaving the ports facing downward. Hairdryers and any other method that heats the device should be avoided, and Apple also advises against the common practice of putting a wet phone in a bowl of rice.
The report's conclusion is that the best remedy is to keep the phone dry in the first place, which means keeping it out of hot, humid rooms. A portable Bluetooth speaker in the next room, it notes, allows music or an audiobook to continue while the handset stays safe.