Sweat Damaging iPhones?
6:07 am, April 9th, 2009, Nicole Martinelli
Getting physical with your iPhone may cause a short circuit from sweat. At least that’s what a couple of iPhone users in Houston complained about to “Ask Amy,” a consumer advocate segment of local news station KPRC Channel 2. (Story here.)
“I never would’ve bought a phone if I knew it would ruin the first time I got it out at the gym,” Stacie Keneker complained.
“They sell all these accessories that you are supposed to be able to use at the gym to make it convenient,” Lee Pittman, described as “peeved at Apple” said.
The news story goes on to say that Keneker and Pittman use their iPhones at the gym to listen to music or use the calorie-counting fitness applications that come with the phone. They said Apple employees told them their sweaty palms are the likely culprit here. So far none of these consumers has gotten any relief from Apple — moisture is considered an accident, so not covered by warranty.
CNET looked further into the perspiration problem:
“On most cell phones, the sensors are located underneath a removable battery and enclosed by the cover that usually locked the battery into place. In comparison, Apple’s sensor (at the bottom of the iPhone) could easily be set off by sweat from your hands. You can see the sensor locations for a iPhone 3G in the photo above and a Nokia cell phone below for comparison.”
The easiest way to avoid the problem may be using a case that covers both the headphone jack and the docking/sync connector.
Anyone provoked a sweat-related short circuit?
Via Cnet
Posted by Nicole Martinelli in iPhone, iPhone 3G | Comment on this article
If you enjoyed this article:
Subscribe via RSS or email, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Lee, Stacie,
Two words for Apple: prove it!
If they still won’t cover it under warranty, I can suggest two other, less polite words for them.
joebob, on April 9th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I have had a long dispute with Apple which was recently resolved. In essence my iphones moisture indicator had gone red. The rear of the case had spidered with cracks and i’d sent it back. They pointed out the moisture damage which had invalidated my warranty. I explained that the phone had never gone into water and that bar using it on a few rainy London mornings the phone was always on my desk or in my pocket in a rubberised case.
After much complaining and some heated letter to Appe’s PR dept I was given a replacement and £100 of Apple products as an apology. The guy in Cork who’d taken the call from me also happened to be the rudest guy ever and shouted over me saying in a patronisingly slow way “yoooouuu mussssttt have gooottt ittt wwwweeet” what an idiot!
If they want to sell the iphone as a phone then at least make it hardy-enough to cope with external mobile phone use conditions.
I’ve since learnt about people living in humid temperate places having the exact same problem. Apple just remove the damned thing!
Matt Edwards, on April 9th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I am/was a HUGE Apple fan. I think I have own everything Apple has ever made. When I upgraded to the 3G iPhone I had nothing but problems with reception. Then The phone started rebooting itself, hanging, having to turn off 3G to make a phone call and all sorts of other annoying quirks.
I called AT&T to remedy the reception problems (It’s AT&T what did I expect) and got the run around about them building new 3G towers, blah blah blah!
Then off to the Genius bar for another run around about my water damage sticker being activated by moisture. I ask them if sweaty hand would trigger this and the boy genius said it would not.
I know 100% for a fact that I did not drop mine in a puddle, dip it in my pool nor did I use it whilst singing in the rain. With that said the “water damage” has to be from my sweaty palms or a steamy bathroom because that is where my iPod, iPhone and Nanos are dock and listened to most often in the apartment. So bevertheless I would have to pay for a brand new one at full price… AGAIN! Sorry Apple you missed the mark on this one:
AT&T = Horrible!
Missing many basic functions every other mobile phone has like MMS = Weak!
The iPhone being this delicate – Really?
I have moved on as of Tuesday the 6th of April to the Blackberry Bold (trying to avoid the $275 cancellation fee from AT&T) I have to say I am much more pleased with the reliability of the AT&T network and it seems like a solid phone.
Joe Kot, on April 9th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
i have a friend that broke the screen on his phone when he pulled a street slide on his motorcycle with it in his pocket. he had it covered by his renters insurance so no biggie on replacing it.
for fun he decided to try to water break his dead phone. said he had to pretty much dump it in the sink to get the indicators to all go off. oh and he said that’s what is on the edge. it’s not a sensor, it’s just the indicator. he’s pretty savvy with electronics and after he redlined the phone he tore it open. said the sensor is way up in the middle. which is why it took so much fuss to get the indicator to go off.
and that’s also why they won’t cover water damage in the warranty. because it would take a lot of moisture to do any damage.
Lucas, on April 9th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
@Joe. You took the phone into a steamy bathroom and you are shocked that you water damaged it. sorry but I think the fail there is on you.
Scott, on April 9th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
My girlfriend had a similar experience with her 1st gen iPhone. She forgot her armband, so just tucked it into her sportsbra during a short treadmill workout. Halfway through the 30 minute run, it just shut down, never to be revived. The strange thing is that the techs at two separate Apple stores said the moisture indicator in the headphone jack had not been tripped. Because it was well out of warranty, there was nothing they could offer except to sell her a new one, even though water damage was not the reson for its demise.
Neil, on April 13th, 2009 at 7:20 am
@lucas
that’s a pretty interesting story about yr friend with the motorcycle.
he had to “pretty much” dump it in water to make the sensor go off, huh?
so i guess the rest of us with red scintillants on our useless iphones took them for a swim and just forgot, or we’re just liars who are trying to scam apple for some free stuff. apple should spend less money paying PR jackholes like “lucas” to post made-up BS on blogs and a little more improving their products.
apple’s product designers routinely choose Jobs-pleasing sexiness over functionality and durability (remember the cube?)- and their customer service strategy is to treat loyal customers like techie grifters trying to shake some free electronics from the apple tree.
my THIRD iphone just went down the other day- i’m going back to blackberry- which i hate, but it least it works.
Demetri, on April 15th, 2009 at 1:03 pm