Apple Says: Stop Putting Wet IPhone in Rice
Shit: You dropped your iPhone in water and now it won’t turn on. If you’re like most of us living in 2024, your first instinct (other than panic) is to throw it in a bag of rice to soak up all that sneaky liquid. At this point, the rice trick is just a common tactic. Except: we’re all collectively wrong about this. Apparently, putting your iPhone (or any electronic device for that matter) in rice won’t help much . At best, you will lose good rice. At worst, you will harm your iPhone more than you will heal it.
While there have been reports criticizing this method for years, it’s Apple that’s making all the anti-rice headlines this week. As spotted by Macworld , the iPhone maker has quietly updated itssupport document for liquid detection warnings on iOS. These alerts appear when your iPhone detects liquid in the Lightning or USB-C connector and disables the port’s ability to be used for charging or connecting to other devices.
Apple hasn’t changed its recommendations for what you should do if you receive one of these warnings, but what’s really different is what they advise not to do. It’s more of the same at first: The guide tells you not to dry your iPhone with an external heat source or compressed air, and also discourages you from using items like Q-tips and paper towels to dry the port. And finally, a new tip:
Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Otherwise, small rice particles may damage your iPhone.
It’s unclear what exactly led to Apple’s support policy change now, but it’s consistent with what we’ve been hearing for at least the last few years. For example , Wired published this advice in February 2021 , so this is by no means groundbreaking news.
What to do if your iPhone gets wet?
iPhones are waterproof these days, so they can handle normal spills or light submersion without much cause for concern. However, if your iPhone is older, even with a good water resistance rating, it may not be as effective against liquid damage. This is because the water-resistant seals that protect your iPhone wear out over time and leak liquid more easily than before.
If your iPhone has gotten water in it and you’re seeing one of these warnings (or the device won’t turn on), Apple has the following advice for you: The company recommends disconnecting all cables from your iPhone so the port can dry out, then tap the iPhone in your hand with the connector facing down. to shake out excess liquid. After letting the port dry for at least 30 minutes, you can try charging it again. If you see the warning again, you should unplug all cables and let your iPhone dry for a day. During this time, you can still try charging or connecting.